Things to Do in Salt Lake City

Some seek Pilates for weight loss or a toned body, and others for stress relief and overall wellbeing. But Erica Lukes was drawn to the mat to recover from a horseback-riding injury in the early '90s. As her pain subsided and her range of motion returned through her practice, she became compelled to help others reap the benefits of the core-strengthening workout, earning her certification as a Pilates instructor, and eventually helming Total Body Pilates. Now, she guides students of all fitness levels through Pilates, ballet barre, and Zumba classes to achieve their fitness and wellness goals. She helps them to build long, lean muscles through mat- and machine-based Pilates, in which students work on a special machine consisting of ropes and pulleys designed to add extra resistance to each movement, resulting in the lithe limbs and toned muscles of a gym cat, the natural predator of the ubiquitous gym rat.

At each of Fat Cats' five locations, strikes and spares light up the screens of automatic scoring systems. Bowling balls roll and skip down lanes in normal conditions, against retractable bumpers, or under the fluorescent glow of Thunder Alley, when the facility transforms into a music-filled fusion of a bowling alley and dance club. Each lane's crashing pins echo the softer clacking of putters at the glow-in-the-dark miniature golf course and the ringing lightshow of the arcade. Elsewhere, the scents of pizza and deep-fried bowling balls waft through the fun haven. Each Fat Cats location partners with different restaurants, including The Pizza Factory at its Salt Lake facility and Champzz Bar at the Westminster location.

The clatter of victimized pins echoes across Orchard Lanes's 18-lane alley and family-fun center. Unless there is a league on the floor, Orchard Lanes's staffers are happy to bring down the lights for glow-in-the-dark bowling at a customer’s request during any of its daily open-bowling hours. For special occasions, party packages are available to equip revelers with the necessary pizza, ice cream, and goody bags, and Orchard Lanes has even played host to a wedding. A computerized scoring system logs each player’s achievements, and between frames, a stop at the full-service snack bar yields pizza and soda to refuel sphere-tossing muscles. The center is also home to billiards tables and an arcade that, like the fairest time-out corners, has a redemption center.

Seven Peaks Fun Center, an offshoot of a chain of water parks and family-entertainment centers, emulates its four sister locations with a jovial collision of bowling and restaurant eats. Although the Sandy location opened recently, its collection of recreational activities is evolving faster than that of an Olympic video gamer, with laser tag, indoor mini golf, and a full arcade currently in the works.