Things to Do in Royal Oak

The sudden clatter of a billiards break. The quick shuffling of cards. A pinball machine's clanging bells. All can be heard at The Velvet Rail, where everything from regulation-size felt-topped tables to foosball and air hockey keep patrons of all ages entertained. As a digital jukebox pumps out tunes, snacks such as hot dogs, nachos, and hummus fuel games of snooker or pool, and free WiFi allows players to post online personal ads for "eight ball seeks corner pocket."

A gunman steps onto the shooting range, steadies her aim, and unloads until her chamber is empty. As the smoke clears, she triumphantly smiles not at the holes in a paper bull's eye, but at the bowling pins flattened across the floor. It's Monday night, which means the crew at Firearm Exchange has packed away its targets and is instead setting up bowling pins for shooters to aim at.

When it's not giving retired bowling pins a second occupation, the Firearm Exchange's eight-lane, 25-yard shooting range refines the aim of all levels of marksmen through a Mancom electronically controlled target system. As shooters fire at static or complex target maneuvers, a climate-controlled range quickly extracts gun smoke through an HEPA air-filtration system. At the end of the range, rounds absorb into wet-trap system, which can handle pistol, shotgun, and rifle fire. For those who bring their own firearms, a cleaning room contains maintenance supplies so shooters can clear their pieces of gunpowder residue and bullets that fell asleep.

Beyond maintaining the range, Firearm Exchange's team hosts classes taught by instructors claiming NRA certifications, covering topics ranging from basic firearms operation to hunting safety. Arms experts also man a 1500-square-foot showroom, loaded with inventory including guns, ammunition, and accessories.

At Sea the World Scuba Center, divers emerge with the tools needed to explore underwater alcoves ranging from shipwrecks to quarries to ocean reefs. The business's clientele matches the diversity of these diving locations, with athletes, retirees, and aspiring marine biologists all walking through its doors, brought there by their love for scuba diving.

To foster this passion, Sea the World Scuba Center employs a team of certified instructors who follow the PADI curriculum to turn novices into expert scuba divers. In addition to open-water certification, they teach more specialized courses on the skills needed to rescue dive or turn professional and start a career cleaning the fish tanks of wealthy giants.

At their shop, Sea the World Scuba Center's staff also sell the gear required to traverse underwater landscapes. Described by manager James Mott as "the most heavily stocked scuba center out there," the shop brims with items from brands such as Oceanic and Aqua Lung.

Since 1950, the neon lights outside the Waterford Rolladium have beckoned skaters to the brightly colored rink. Inside, DJs spin top-40 hits and oldies from a towering DJ booth as guests circle the boards beneath a shimmering disco ball. The snack bar refuels patrons, and a game room gives respite from figure eights or shooting the moon by attempting to throw a skate at it. To hone eight-wheeled maneuvers, professional instructors lead lessons and classes, teaching beginners as well as those interested in competing in figure or speed skating.

At Five15's weekend bingo matches, players don't come to win a jackpot or to appease their grandmothers. They come for the drag queen hostesses and their good-natured abuse, adult humor, and vivacity. A rotating roster of queens includes Hershae Chocolatae of America's Got Talent fame, Mr. Joan Rivers, and the acerbic comedienne Queen of Mean. Clustered around round tables, sipping smoothies or chai lattes from the full coffee bar, the patrons of Drag Queen Bingo defy categorization—gay, straight, men, women, and even the occasional 90-year-old, according to the Detroit Free Press. Each patron is fair game for the hosts' humorous darts, especially when they pick up their prizes. Historically, adult-themed prizes have included mugs, T-shirts, and clippings from the Wall Street Journal. _ Detroit Free Press_ quotes a patron as observing, "It's not my mother's bingo. It's nobody's mother's bingo."

Fox Theatre, originally opened in 1929, has long been established as a venue for legendary performances, earning induction into the National Register of Historic Places in 1993. Domed entryways, walls lined with pastoral murals, intricate chandeliers, and a palette of brilliant gold and crimson hint at the venue's Moorish influences, which eclectically clash with the ordered lines of its Gothic exterior.