Things to Do in Shady Hills

The Show Palace Dinner Theatre piles plates high with cuisine from an endless buffet and salad bar while also sating cravings for entertainment. Their productions range from musical revues such as Swing! and New York Nights to more traditional musicals like The Sound of Music. Prior to the show, audiences mingle at a brief cocktail reception before taking their seats at linen-draped tables. A spread of comfort food fills stomachs with the fuel necessary to give a standing ovation, shout for encores, and scream at pet falcons to get down from the rafters.

Shots of all caliber soar above a landscape of well-kept fairways lined with palm trees, cypress trees, and australian pine trees at Magnolia Valley Golf Club’s 18-hole, 6,600-yard course. The par 72 layout challenges golfers and evokes an appreciation for nature with sweeping views and flagsticks that recite transcendentalist poems. Before taking to the course, golfers can warm up swing muscles at the driving range, hone putting strokes at the practice green, or fuel up with food and drinks at the bar and grill. In addition to its championship layout, Magnolia Valley features a par 33 executive course for players looking to squeeze in a round before the sun sets and their golf bag turns back into a pumpkin.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 72 course
• Length of 6,600 yards from the farthest tees
• Course rating of 68.2 from the farthest tees
• Slope rating of 121 from the farthest tees
• Five tee options

Nature Coast SUP Stand-up Paddleboarding arms wave navigators with the paddles, vessels, and skills necessary to have safe and inspiring paddling experiences. Riders learn the basics of paddling in introductory classes before taking their boards out for peaceful traverses about the waters of Crystal River and Pine Island. Seasoned surf-goers can rent paddleboards for solo jaunts along the water's surface. While darting about, paddlers will be able to look down through the clear waters and see the local wildlife, including the possible chance to spot some of the Florida manatees that flock to the area's temperate weather and all-inclusive reef resorts during the winter.

The passes can be redeemed during any regularly scheduled open-bounce play period. Check out the calendar to find a time that works for you. Possibilities include preschool play date, family bounce night, or all-ages open bounce. Open-bounce sessions may include music, flubber shoes, games, or snacks.

When Brian McInerney reflects on the humble beginnings of Wheel Fun Rentals, he points to his childhood passion for bikes. "As far back as I can remember, I had a real love affair with bicycles," he recalls. During a trip to Italy in 1987, Brian's affinity for cycling blossomed into a full-fledged obsession when he spotted locals' transporter of choice, the surrey. Inspired, he began importing the Italian four-wheelers to a rental business in the U.S. that eventually expanded into Wheel Fun Rentals, now a nationwide web of shops that also loans out bikes, electric cars and mopeds, and man-powered watercraft. Atop bicycles and surreys built for solo riders or entire families, patrons embark on self-guided tours of major U.S. cities. Led by maps and lists of nearby sites of historical or cultural significance, riders zoom down bike paths and safe, lightly trafficked streets. Adventuresome athletes can also compete in activities such as surrey scavenger hunts and blindfold obstacle courses navigated via shouted instructions from a seeing teammate or exceptionally long rounds of trial and error.

Sock-footed moppets scamper up springy steps before hurling themselves down a towering slide as crocodiles and lions hover nearby, but these tykes' parents don't blink an eye. Sprawled across Jungle Bounce's 15,000-square-foot space, this playground teems with air-filled amusements for kids to safely bounce and tumble across. Six inflatable edifices in brilliant colors shiver beneath youthful romping, all against a backdrop of cheery giraffes, penguins holding maps upside down, and other typical jungle scenes. Two inflatable arenas thump and squeak as little ones leap into the air, gambol around obstacles, and wander through a maze.

A digital chorus of beeping and whirring drifts from the arcade, where tots and their grownups can whack moles and launch balls to garner tickets to trade for prizes such as plastic trinkets and stuffed mascots. A snack shop refuels young ones with pizza and wings so they can return to open play sessions or try and mediate disputes between imaginary friends wearing the same outfits at hosted birthday parties.