Things to Do in Portland

The owners of Pottery Painting Pleasures opened their doors to make art accessible to everyone, providing all necessary supplies and cleanup services. In the azure craft haven, myriad ceramics, such as vases and plates, wait to be rendered unique by kids, adults, and seniors. Themed sessions include senior mornings, Tots and Pots, and Friday-night College Night, which includes a brief overview of Organic Chemistry 101.:m]]

Since opening in 1987, the South Texas Botanical Gardens & Nature Center has grown like a weed, from 1 to 182 acres, providing a home for thousands of birds, butterflies, and blossoming plants. Their gardens, greenhouses, trails, and boardwalks are set into the landscape of the Oso Creek, allowing guests to observe species in their natural habitat without provoking the ire of territorial snapdragons. Following a mission to advance knowledge and appreciation of the environment, the organization also hosts classes and workshops on topics such as orchidology and holistic herbal health. Members’ annual contributions help to sustain the nonprofit organization and garner them unlimited admission, discounts at Nature's Boutique, and invitations to members-only events, such as the annual member-plant dance.

The teachers at Pink Elephant Art Studio ignite creative sparks with their featured painting classes, which provide step-by-step instruction for novice and experienced artists from beginning to end. With their favorite snacks and drinks in tow, guests set to work with provided materials to transform blank canvases into stylized landscapes, delicate still lifes, or jazzed-up Rorschach tests. At the end of each BYOB session, private party, or kids’ class, students leave with their handiwork.

Funtrackers summons fun-seekers with a mother lode of scintillating attractions for guests of all ages. Drivers in tiny cars vanquish fellow racers with expert passing maneuvers and cloying drive-time radio jams across four different go-kart tracks, which range from a kiddie track built for drivers 3 aged and older to a pro track reserved for motorists with a valid driver’s license or permit. Floating in a 3-foot-deep pool, guests can douse each other with water from a squirt-gun turret built in to bumper boats, engaging comrades in a friendly rivalry to be continued at the 18-hole, tropical-themed miniature-golf course. Inside, buzzing sounds and whirring lights emanate from more than 50 arcade games, including skee-ball and air hockey, many of which reward success with tickets that can be redeemed for stuffed animals, bean bags, and lumps of coal.

Within Boing Boing Bounce's climate-controlled facility, sock-clad youngsters leap about in bounce castles and clamber up towering inflatables before plummeting down slides. Kids can also climb through brightly colored tubes, paint a masterwork at the art station, or read from the picture-book table's educational titles, such as Tanya Lee Stone's B is for Bunny and Friedrich Nietzsche's N is for Nihilism. Along with hosting energetic youths at open-play sessions, Boing Boing Bounce houses two party rooms for birthday soirees with optional entertainment such as face painting and balloon sculpting.

After joining the Texas League in 2005, the Corpus Christi Hooks wasted little time capturing a title, but they still had a little patience before reeling in their prize. On September 14, 2006, the team took 14 innings to defeat the Wichita Wranglers 8-7 in a five-hour barnburner and bring home the championship. But while it was only the Hooks’ first title as members of the Texas League, it was the 10th overall championship in franchise history—a legacy that stretches back to 1968, when the franchise began in Tennessee as the Memphis Blues. Since moving to Corpus Christi, the Hooks have helped launch the careers of more than 40 big leaguers. Much of that success has unfolded before packed crowds at Whataburger Field, whose exterior of corrugated steel and bricks pays homage to the cotton warehouses that previously occupied the site. Inside, fans enjoy numerous amenities, including a rock wall, an interactive playground, and views of the USS Lexington, anchored out on the bay to defend Houston from any baseballs hit out of the park.