Things to Do in Saint Michael

Action Packed Paintball’s arsenal of combat settings include two outdoor and two indoor locations. Each outdoor field features an urban combat course that conceals opponents behind plywood structures, and a speedball course dotted with inflatable obstacles. After differences are settled on the field, outdoor combatants can retreat to onsite grilling and picnic areas. For those who prefer indoor face-offs, Action Packed Paintball keeps its well-lit Maple Plain location, like the well-orchestrated battles of the Gallic Wars, at a steady 70 degrees year-round. The location’s course is set up for speedball, and it also boasts a private party room for friendly revelry. Alternatively, the indoor Minneapolis location invites paint slingers to spar on an urban combat field that dots green turf with stony structures. All locations offer free CO2 and compressed air fills.

Ceramist and BonTon Studio owner Mary Anderson has adorned jean pockets with tiny mosaic tiles, transformed a bowling ball into a shimmering orb, and enhanced dozens of homes with her handmade tile installations. At BonTon Studio, she encourages her students to approach their own creations with the same sense of playful experimentation. She welcomes students of all ages and experience levels and equips them with mosaic tips and techniques along with all supplies. Then, she sets them loose to create their own projects, from painted tiles to glowing wine-bottle lanterns to mosaics of their favorite ceramics teacher.

Featherbrook Farm's head trainer and instructor Lisa Avaloz draws upon a lifetime of equine experience and an international network of colleagues. The farm fosters interspecies cooperation through lessons, camps, and birthday parties. Riding lessons instill in young riders the importance of grooming, form, and confidence, rewarding proper handling skills with positive reinforcement. Beginning students start on a lunge line to improve their positioning, strengthen their seat, and gain a feel for their horse. Safety remains of utmost importance throughout the lesson. All students must wear helmets while riding and avoid giving horses celebratory piggyback rides after completing a session.

Featherbrook Farm conducts weekly camps from June to August for 6–14 youngsters at a time. Campers ride twice each day and establish a solid foundation of horsemanship through grooming, first aid, and studying horse anatomy. In addition to education, fun and excitement abound as children play games and make crafts with new friends.

Upon stepping off their boats, soldiers storm the beach and attempt to take over a foreign stretch of land. It's no mistake that this image might conjure up echoes of D-day—Special Forces Paintball's primary scenario reenacts the infamous Battle of Normandy. Real army trucks escort players to a central base camp before they ride boats to the beach, huddle in trenches, and defend their flag by laminating it atop multilevel bunkers. The facility's four wooded fields—spread out across 40 acres—accommodate players during 2-, 3-, or 4-hour private paintball, airsoft, and laser bouts or 5.5-hour walk-on games.

Acres of grass paddocks ripple in the wind around the large indoor and outdoor riding arenas at Wild Oak Farm, where owner Renee Lenkart works to help students to improve their riding abilities and develop a bond with equines. As hooves clop out a staccato rhythm against the sun-soaked red soil, Renee calls upon years of experience crafting lessons for both beginner and advanced students. She has also spent time training and showing hunters and jumpers, and many of her students have gone on to participate in national competitions or yelling matches at grocery stores with no-horse policies.