Things to Do in South Farmingdale

More than 100 tricky routes dot the 30-foot climbing walls and 25-foot rappel tower inside Island Rock. The facility's 9,000 square feet of indoor climbing surfaces are all constructed to look and feel like real rocks, so climbers can close their eyes and picture themselves scaling K2 or the Venus de Milo. Knowledgeable staffers oversee attempts at the lead wall and bouldering cave and steer patrons toward a training room equipped with Cybex and cardio equipment. After a long day of climbing, guests can refresh in the locker rooms' showers and saunas.

Practice is the foundation of golf. Without it, the game can be frustrating, eventually sending golfers' into a fragile state of agitation. Knowing how important practice is, Indian Head Golf Park's instructors and staff focus their efforts on helping golfers improve their game. At the park's well-lit driving range, staff members keep golfers well stocked with buckets of range balls to blow off steam as they aim for the ball-retriever cart. Instructor Bob Greenstein works with students during private lessons to fine-tune their swings, and he hosts junior golf camps during summer to introduce youngsters to the game.

Long Island's Laser Bounce houses a quintet of interactive, family-friendly attractions within its massive indoor facility. An intergalactic-theme laser-tag arena shelters gunsmiths as they blast opponent targets and players during 15-minute games, and the bounce arena's assortment of inflatable slides and bouncers engages kids as guardians surf free WiFi from the seating area's comfy couches. In the Ballocity arena, blasters, vacuum cannons, buckets, and minor-league pitchers launch thousands of soft foam balls throughout the play area's multilevel platforms. For classic recreation, the center's arcade brims with pinball, air hockey, and a 35-foot-long ticket-redemption center. The various diversions can be enjoyed during drop-in play times, or as part of celebrations with the purchase of one of several party packages.

A member-supported, nonprofit organization, the Seatuck Environmental Association works to promote the conservation of Long Island's natural environment through research and educational programs. Members regularly gather with field experts on its 70-acre marshland preserve for scheduled hikes, photography classes, and meditation sessions. The trails and boardwalks that wind through the salt marshes and upland forests also lead to the Suffolk County Environmental Center, housed in a 1917 Normandy-style chateau. Members may tour the historic mansion while admiring features such as arched doorways and diamond-cut windows that allow sunlight to filter into the garret and onto the place where its original steam-powered Nintendo would have stood. The Seatuck Environmental Association also hosts regular fundraising events such as the End of Summer Barbecue and the Bats-N-Brews fundraiser, as well as an array of educational programs for all ages.

Typically, you can only see Central Park, the Statue of Liberty, and Yankee Stadium in less than an hour while leafing through a stack of New York postcards. However, Zip Aviation confounds expectations, whisking tourists over those landmarks and more on one of three helicopter tours in 12–30 minutes. Helmed by a team of pilots with an impeccable safety record, the tours grant passengers a bird’s-eye view of the city aboard either their AStar or Bell helicopters, which have never once caused sea sickness. The aviation company complements its sightseeing excursions with an array of other transit services, including private charters and special-event transportation options.

At South Levittown Lanes, automatic scoring systems tabulate scores on flat-screen TVs as bowlers send orbs spinning down well-waxed lanes. Bowlers can keep one eye on the game and one eye on the projection screen suspended high above the lanes, or traipse to the lounge area to shoot some pool. Guests can also pop in on weekend nights for glow bowling, which transforms the alley into surreal arena of neon illumination, much like the White House after hours.