Things to Do in Sharonville

Recognized as one of the 25 best public golf courses in Ohio by Golf Digest, Shaker Run offers a golfer's paradise of challenging holes, scenic environments, and top-notch instruction. Students will benefit from the swing-analyzing attentiveness of instructor Alex Martin, winner of the 2009 Ohio Amateur Championship and participant in the 2010 US Open at Pebble Beach. With his extensive knowledge of competitive golf, Martin brings the same amount of passion to the golf course that the Cookie Monster brings to a bake sale. He develops a plan specific to each golfer and effectively massages the hooks and crooks out of swings with myriad methods rather than just one single philosophy. Under his instruction, golfers can achieve jelly-like grips and turn rigid stances into sphere-catapulting arcs that impress friends, caddies, and ducking gophers.

At the Greater Cincinnati Holiday Market, hundreds of boutiques and specialty stores converge in an oasis of holiday shopping. Exhibitors from around the greater Cincinnati area and beyond help attendees cross items off wish lists with a selection that includes gourmet food, home decor, specialty clothing, and more. Attendees may take a break to check out local restaurants or see if the event's Santa Claus is the real Santa by combing his beard for bits of last year's cookies.

The instructors at Art of Ballroom Dance Center take a structured, personalized approach to imparting pupils and couples with dance-step savvy to prepare for parties and weddings. Using tiered dance programs, the center tracks student progress through multiple levels, beginning with the basic foot-position, rhythm, and timing lessons of the basic introductory program, and leading ultimately to the rigorous, competition-caliber moves of the Gold program. During private and group lessons, pupils tap toes in various styles such as salsa, Latin, and swing, and acquire rhythm through attentive instruction. Newly mastered skills spring into motion during dance parties, which let students practice steps in a social setting with multiple partners or a whole janitorial closet’s worth of mops.

Skydive Warren County is a labor of love for the Stewart family with roots as far back as 1945, when the patriarch purchased 40 acres of land and lived in a house attached to a hangar at Waynesville Airport. Such proximity caused the Stewarts to grow up with an appreciation for aviation that eventually brought them to skydiving. Since 1969, the business has been imbued with their enthusiasm, teaching novices and experts alike how to hone their skills in airborne sports with the help of licensed professionals.

Patty first discovered rock climbing in college. “I got sucked in right away,” she says. Before long, she found herself marrying a fellow climber—a man she met at Climb Time back when it was still managed by the original owners who also blended their relationship with climbing. “They got married at the gym,” Patty says, describing how the first owners scaled the roof to say their "I dos." Though Patty and her husband didn’t exchange rings at the top of a wall, they did decide to buy the gym.

The expansive arena challenges climbers with a 24-foot climbing wall, where novice and expert mountaineers alike grasp handholds with chalked palms or coax a gorilla to carry them up piggyback style. Along the other side of the facility, Patty and crew dare climbers to test their strength on a wide array of 15- to 60-degree bouldering inclines that sit above moveable pads to cushion jumps or falls.

The bowling alleys at Crossgate Lanes, Stone Lanes, and Eastgate Lanes invite gamers to send balls down gleaming runways in expansive, family-friendly facilities. Those weary of drawing straws to count the pins after each ball can take comfort in automatic scoring at all three locations. Each alley also hosts regular glow bowling, with lighting more luminescent than the water-wheel-powered disco balls of the 1970s. Patrons of Stone Lanes can also relax after their games in an onsite lounge, which is outfitted with three televisions.