Things To Do in Raceland

Sure, it might be simple to win a local HORSE tournament, but it takes a little more skill to make it to the big leagues. Fortunately, the team of coaches at Elevate NEXT usher aspiring b-ballers to new heights with summer camps and à la carte training sessions. The crew includes Marcus White—who briefly claimed the rebounding record on the Lakers D-League team before getting sidelined by an injury—alongside Sky Hyacinthe and Ben Aronin.

Though severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina just five months after its debut, Slidell Rocks Climbing Gym rebuilt and reopened just months later and continues to provide the community with opportunities to build up muscular and cardio strength. The climbing center showcases top-rope challenges on walls nearly 40 feet high, as well as lower courses for younger climbers. Two bouldering rooms mimic the lifestyle of ancient arachnid cavemen with rooftop grips and seven hangboards. Between summit attempts, climbers can relax in the concessions area, watching their favorite sports on the televisions and munching on rock candy harvested from an active sugar volcano.

Lions and tigers lurk on the glowing murals of Wildcat Station’s jungle-themed, black-light miniature-golf course, where balls roll toward nine challenging holes. More competition flanks the greens at the arcade, where 8 balls sink into the pool table’s pockets, pucks ricochet against the sides of the air-hockey table, and virtual races commence at video-game stations. Postgame birthday celebrations commence in the mirror-lined party area with pizza and soda feasts. Though it accommodates group or special events seven days a week, Wildcat Station typically closes on Tuesdays and Wednesdays during the school year so youngsters can catch up on their geometry homework and gain an advantage on the seventh hole.

After Frankie Cheek discovered segway tours while visiting Italy, he decided to start his own company in his native New Orleans. When he was boarding a plane back home, Hurricane Katrina struck, redirecting him to Louisiana’s grandfather country: France. While exploring Paris in the wake of the devastating tragedy back home, Cheek drew inspiration for his future segway tours—he was resolved, according to his website, to "help a city rich in history move forward while riding the most high-tech transporter available." Since returning to New Orleans, he’s led daily segway adventures, whirring groups of sightseers around the French Quarter, the riverfront, and Jackson Square with the ease, maneuverability, and safety-minded attitude of a cool biker gang. Plus, through a partnership with other tour companies, Cheek can also guide guests through swamps, plantations, and supposedly haunted locales.

Audubon Aquarium's pricing is currently outdated on its website. The pricing quoted in this deal is correct as of January 2011.

Amid the high-tech environs of a climate-controlled arena with a turf field, Playmakers Indoor Sports facilitates the frolicking needs of recreationalists with a full menu of soccer, lacrosse, flag football, and paintball. Throughout the year, members of various skill levels unite at the enclosed facility for leagues and pickup games, eliminating alfresco annoyances such as bad weather and verbally abusive seagulls. Every Friday night, the Northshore location's field sprouts a series of inflatable bunkers for paintball sessions, during which sharpshooters strap on provided protective gear and the equipment necessary for dappling human canvases with high-speed brushstrokes. Staffers further enlighten budding athletes during sports camps and kids' programs, and the facility can be rented out for private parties.

Between its well-provisioned weight rooms, fitness classes, and pool, the recently renovated Southern Oaks Athletic Club is a dependable resource for corporeal wellness. The free-weight wonderland hosts both novice and veteran body sculptors, and the resistance and treadmill room harbors toning and heartening equipment in the form of elliptical machines, leg presses, and heartstring tuggers. Fitness pass guests can also participate in one-hour classes such as yoga and Latin-infused Zumba. Aquatic exercisers jettison calories as they log laps or play intense games of water basketball. Lifeguards are always on duty during pool hours, and a baby pool provides the perfect conditions for tots to evolve into adult frogs.