Things to Do in San Diego

At Inflatable World at the Bay, a 35-foot slides tower above 40,000 square feet of carpeted space as youngsters cavort among the outdoor park's 24 air-filled attractions. Nestled among the soaring slides, bounce domes shelter leaping tykes and obstacle courses challenge adventurers to navigate obstructed terrain. Themed inflatables in the shapes of dragons, pirates, and saber-toothed tigers host open-play participants, as well as parties and fundraisers. Inflatable World at the Bay also rents out its stock for events, pairing football enthusiasts with end-zone bounce houses or existentialists with specially deflated items.

Wine and Canvas sends local artists to restaurants and comfortable bars to guide students through featured paintings from the studio's monthly calendar. As instructors offer step-by-step instructions, pupils mimic the motions of their brush to re-create scenes inspired by nature, Impressionist masters, and alcoholic libations themselves. After the night has ended, students carry their finished masterpieces home to hang proudly on their walls or avant-gardely on their fish tanks.

Color Me Rad stages 5K races that transform runners into mobile rainbows by launching cheerful barrages of colored cornstarch. Each color station along the racetrack flings a new, nontoxic pigment at passersby, who wear white shirts to enhance the chromatic onslaught's costuming effects. Brilliant neon-blue, green, purple, and yellow clouds dapple participants along the way, and the race concludes with a prismatic finish-line finale as sprinters chuck colors at each other in celebration. The race's noncompetitive credo shifts the emphasis from speed to silliness, and a portion of its proceeds go to local charities.

Upon registration, each runner collects a Color Me Rad T-shirt, sunglasses, sponsor gifts, and a race bib. Though they don't receive a gift packet, runners younger than 8 years old can sprint for free, provided they have a waiver signed by a guardian and won't give in to demands for gold from confused leprechauns.

Though most art studios operate in a set brick-and-mortar locale, Paint and Palate floats to a rotating cache of locations, celebrating creative ingenuity with cuisine and libations available for purchase. Each painting session pivots on a different theme, whether participants invent their own take on a Picasso classic while snacking on bruschetta, perfect soft, Monet-like brush strokes next to a glass of wine, or stack up thick layers in the style of Van Gogh as they listen to constructive criticism from the voices in their heads. Paint and Palate also sets itself apart by donating 10 percent of its proceeds to local charities that address the needs of children and the elderly.