Things To Do In Poughkeepsie

Located inside the Poughkeepsie Galleria, Vendetta Paintball and Laser Combat challenges players to technologically advanced games of laser tag and paintball on a 22,000-square-foot indoor field. Designed to mimic live-action games of Call of Duty or Halo, Battlefield Live laser tag manufactures adrenaline with real-time hit feedback, realistic special effects, and equipment that can simulate 69 different weapons, ranging from AK-47s to banana-cream pies. The facility’s professional-grade indoor PSP paintball field lets gamers improve their hand-eye coordination while simultaneously turning rivals into walking tie-dyed targets.

Bounce! Trampoline Sports proves that learning to dunk a basketball is not a matter of practice and persistence, but of location. On the slam-dunk court, preteens can achieve the same amount of air time as pro stars, dropping the ball into the net before landing safely on the springy floor.

These antigravity zones allow for freeform flips and bounds as well as games and activities. Dodge-ball teams lob soft spheres at each other in midjump, and low-impact aerobics classes condition students through energizing leaps. The center also caters to skateboarders and snowboarders, who can rehearse their tricks without worrying about hard falls or the harsh critiques of nearby snowmen. During open bounce time, the gym welcomes guests of all ages to test its cushy amenities, all of which are supervised by staff and protected by various safety measures. Group events range from birthday parties to corporate gatherings.

The Dirty Dash isn't the kind of race where runners try to set a new record. There are no ribbons or trophies for the first runner across the finish line either. That's because the real fun of this race isn't in winning, it's in the actual running itself. And watching groups of costumed adults play in the mud, of course.

Part light-hearted race, part military-style obstacle course, The Dirty Dash challenges runners with a course strewn with muddy obstacles with a focus on fun. In order to reach the finish, runners will have to hop over hay bales in mud pits, navigate rows and rows of tires set in wet soil, and even launch themselves down a foamy, 175-foot slip-n-slide. Besides the ultimate reward—the opportunity to spend a day in the mud—each participant also gets a t-shirt, pig tattoo, bandana, and pig decal, as well as a perfect excuse to visit their favorite dry cleaner.

A lifelong rider, instructor Patricia Hohmann spent years competing in high school and college and brings that experience to her students when teaching English- and Western-style riding lessons. She specializes in working with beginner adults and children and helps them get confident in the saddle while having fun and staying safe. This means pairing riders with horses that are friendly, sane, and thereby incapable of plotting world domination. Saddle captains as young as age 3 learn during Pony Pals lessons, which give them a private introduction to horseback riding while the horse remains safely under Patricia’s control via a lead line.

With its main lodge built during the era of the Founding Fathers, Orvis Sandanona serves as one of the oldest permitted shotgun-shooting clubs in the country. Given its history, it's no surprise that the diverse 20-stand sporting-clays course has been chosen to host many prestigious competitions. Lush greenery and wooden fences also extend to both the modern skeet and five-stand courses, where onsite specialists teach the English Churchill method of shotgun hunting. In addition, fly fishing instruction comes in handy during guided fishing trips arranged by the staff. The clubhouse's dining room—whose ceiling beams and wooden accents give it the vibe of a colonial tavern—serves as a cozy spot for lunch or dinner.

"A black belt is just a white belt who never quit," say the encouraging senseis of Leclerc's Martial Arts. Masters of the Korean fighting art of tang soo do, which melds the traditions of shotokan karate, subak, taekkyon, and kung fu, Leclec's teaching tactics don't just instill students from ages 3.5 and up with defense skills. They also boost discipline, concentration, and moral, which make disciples crave new pants to match their ascending belt colors, and fuels them with desire to join their tournament teams. That positive attitude permeates all of their martial arts and cardio kickboxing classes, in which adults and children achieve their weight-loss goals and bond over their new-found flexibility.