Things to Do in Rochester

With 70,000 square-feet at its disposal, Suburban Ice Macomb fosters frozen fun with figure skating, hockey, and open-skate sessions. The expansive brick facility is large enough to house a pro shop, game room, café, and two NHL-sized rinks where kid and adult leagues face off during hockey games, and zambonis choreograph elegant figure-sweeping routines late at night. Learn to Skate lessons teach students 3 and older how to glide across the ice by using techniques borrowed from the U.S. Figure Skating program.

The collection of ramps and half pipes inside Landslide Skate Park's 22,000-square-foot indoor skate facility offers a year-round haven for skaters of all skill levels. During private, group, or open-skate lessons, students master the nuances of kick-flips as experienced skaters demonstrate tricks and retired skateboards deliver instructive lectures. The park's foam pit provides a soft, cushy landing for skaters to practice aerial maneuvers without fear of injury, and a slew of private party rooms, flush with snacks and foosball, host birthday celebrations. Serious skaters can purchase top-of-the-line gear and apparel from brands such as Zero, Habitat, and Alien Workshop in the pro shop, or invest in a park membership for discounted access to the park and lessons without having to disguise yourself as Tony Hawk's legal guardian.

Each year on the shores of Lake St. Clair, massive bash Hottiefest celebrates the art of looking good with a weekend of professionally DJ’ed parties. Spinsmiths such as DJ Captn20 and DJ Godfather select dance-friendly jams that evoke all the beachy fun, sun, and camaraderie of a snowman that reincarnates in sand form to be near you again. In addition to dancing until body temperatures rise, guests can lounge in outdoor cabanas and take home goody bags full of neon-hued party favors; VIP visitors earn the added perks of bypassing the entry line and mingling in the waterfront VIP tent.

Dawn Malek and Kathy Hinchman, co-owners of CCPlus @ The Center, designed their roster of fitness classes with one goal in mind: to make exercise accessible to people of all ages and abilities. Regular fitness classes cater to all tastes, and include Vinyasa yoga, kickboxing, Zumba, and Flirty Girl Fitness. Seniors keep in shape in a staggering array of gentle, low-impact exercise programs—many of which are appropriate for clients who use wheelchairs and walkers—such as water aerobics, ballroom dancing, and seated yoga and tai chi. On the other end of the age spectrum, high-energy Zumbatomic classes get kids aged 4–12 in on the popular aerobic dance routines, which harness children’s innate capacity for energy in the same way nuclear power plants rely on an atom’s ability to create electricity by running on a hamster wheel.

To make good on their mission statement, instructors run the My Chance to Dance program. Specially designed for kids and adults with physical and developmental disabilities, the program trains up to 3,000 Special Olympics Michigan athletes each year.