Things to Do in South Lyon

One empty school bus, twenty-seven abandoned cars, and a desolate two-story house are the only refuges for combatants roving an expansive urban field. Fourteen additional playfields set the stage for games, surrounding players in open fields and dense forests. It's at Futureball Paintball's 115-acre facility that friendly paintball and Airsoft battles unfold each day and have unfolded for more than 20 years. While vehicle carcasses characterize the urban landscapes, two airfields exhibit red inflatables that mimic the ruins of ancient bounce castles. Between games, a 5-acre picnic area serves as neutral ground to strategize and nibble snacks.

To ensure fair play, Futureball Paintball's staff leads brief orientations and monitors all action. They can also repair and upgrade guns.

After buying their first canoe in 1942, Chester and Stella Heavner were hooked. So were their friends. After constantly loaning out their red-canvas Old Town canoe, the pair invested in two more and started charging a nominal rental fee. In 1953, they made it official with a patch of lakefront property, eight canoes, and a trailer.

Today, Heavner Canoe & Kayak Rental is run by Chester and Stella’s eldest son, Alan. He and his staff manage an inventory of more than 200 canoes and kayaks, which they rent at three lakes along the Huron River. In addition to hourly rentals, they teach beginning kayak lessons led by instructors certified by the American Canoe Association and the American Red Cross. The sessions cover water safety, stroke techniques, and how to play dead when being attacked by a bigger kayak.

Brighton Beads & More helps beadists, metal workers, and other crafty artists fill their supply boxes and hone their crafts. Their experienced instructors teach novice and seasoned artists alike, helping them create custom art in a variety of classes. Students can sign up for skill-building classes, such as bead stringing, metalsmithing, or wire wrapping, or learn how to make specific pieces such as fused-glass mirrors or decorative chains. The calendar’s many offerings allow guests to work around brimming schedules or coordinate alibis for ice-cream-truck holdups. Brighton Beads & More also encourages customers to place orders for supplies they don’t carry and request custom classes they don’t offer, so their staff can attempt to leap through beaded rings of fire to accommodate those wishes.

The experienced instructors at Haverhill Farms forge respectful bonds between humans and horses while cultivating basic riding skills. Situated on 35 acres of windswept meadows and serene forests, Haverhill Farms welcomes riders of all skill levels for year-round use of its facilities. Two large outdoor and two indoor rings set the stage for professional instruction, which ranges from beginning horsemanship lessons to advanced jumping and dressage. The indoor rings feature heated observation rooms, giving onlookers a great vantage point from which to observe teachers demonstrating how to control the steed's stride and speed. Students also learn proper horse care, as well as how to use tongue clicks to signal sightings of undercover donkeys in search of work.

The Earehart clan, boasting fourth- and fifth-generation equestrians and members of the United Professionals Horseman's Association in its ranks, shares their immeasurable equine knowledge with visitors during Liberty Stables' horse-riding and driving lessons. Liberty Stables' 40-acre facility––which includes an observation lobby, tack and feed rooms, and indoor wash racks––has served as a fruitful breeding ground for world and national horse-riding champions over the last 20 years. The seasoned equestrians also house four-legged companions available for sale, specializing in such breeds as american saddlebred, shetland, and ponies painted to look like zebras.