Stafford, TX Outdoor Activities

As the indoor swimming arm of the Gigglin' Marlin Divers scuba-diving school, Gigglin' Marlin Swim School entices water persons with a saltwater pool of titanic proportions. The facility's 75-foot long, up to 15-foot deep heated saltwater pool plays host to a crowded schedule of activities. The watery fun includes swim instruction for those less than 1 year old as well as adults. Regular times are also set aside for lap swimmers and indoor scuba sessions in which divers explore the saltwater pool's mysterious depths.

Diving behind a stack of paint-splattered tires on the speedball field, the player catches his breath before unleashing fire on an opponent, who peeks out from behind a wooden spool. Next, they weave through brush-lined trails and take aim from lean-tos on the castle course or crawl through the tubes that throng the hyperball field. Before they commence these bouts on one of Brazos Splat Games' five fields, however, guests shield themselves in protective goggles and ready their semiautomatic markers in the netted staging area. Trained referees oversee 15- to 30-minute games that rotate through a variety of scenarios including Capture the Flag, Elimination, and Name That Rembrandt.

M2 Sports supplies adrenaline seekers the skills and gear to temper waves, powder, or concrete. M2's snowboarding division carries name-brand planks from brands such as Forum and Lib Tech, as well as all colors and styles of snow-ready gear. A Smith Holt men's snow helmet ($89.99) protects the brain’s ever-expanding library of memorized zip codes, and Volcom Believer men's snow gloves ($109.99) keep hands from making skin-to-snow contact. Skate enthusiasts can peruse an exhaustive array of decks, long boards, and protective gear, tuning out chatty crossing guards with Skullcandy’s iCon 2 on-ear headphones ($29.95), whose headbands are lined with rubber grips to prevent slips midride. M2 also equips wakeboarders with name-brand gear from Ronix and Hyperlite, and fosters future enthusiasts through lessons and summer wake camp held at a private lake.

Tanya Gorguraki and Chris Chung bring more than four decades of combined diving experience to the classes at Dive Zone Scuba, a wealth of expertise that help the facility earned a five-star rating from the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI). The diving duo conducts confined water pool sessions in a heated Olympic-sized indoor pool, allowing students to focus on learning proper dive techniques in a controlled environment away from the ocean’s inconstant currents and heckling fish. Each of their courses equips students with certification in a particular area of diving proficiency, unlocking underwater avenues related to open water diving, rescue, or specialty skills.

Houston's skyline looms over Urban Warzone’s downtown field, which recently grew in size due to a land purchase, framing a detritus-strewn paintball arena where players skulk and snipe gear-clad combatants. Under the watchful eyes of referees and sentient corporate executives in skyscraping offices, players can paint the entire town or a single disliked opponent with semi-automated sprays of paintballs. As battlers duck behind corrugated tubes and wooden bunkers, paintballs zip through the air, splattering the ramparts or leaving Rorschach blots on players' armor.

To create a personalized experience, each game has a dedicated host catering to the needs of private parties or scheduled events. Elsewhere, a covered picnic area shields onlookers from elements and provides an excellent venue for spectating or snacking.

The team at Alex Brazil Marketing & Promotions knows that getting a party started is an ever-evolving art. Sometimes, it requires aerial acrobats, other times, it requires a cash balloon drop. It all depends on the event being celebrated, which for the Houston-area event planners, can range from Halloween to the New Year's Eve Ball to Brazil’s Carnaval. The staff also pride themselves on creating heightened anticipation for any party they throw, ensuring a high-energy event packed with people. And to keep the energy flowing, their vibrant parties delight revelers with the sights and sounds of samba dancers, live music, and snake charmers who always perform with real reptiles, rather than snake-shaped pipe cleaners.