Toledo Indoor Activities

Sifu Owen Matson trains students on the ving tsun kung fu techniques taught to him by a line of Moy Tung sifu and grandmasters. Matson's classes cultivate students' balance of body and mind through the practice of two forms: siu nim tao, a basic stance emphasizing hand techniques, and chum kiu, a shifting stance that bolsters stability in motion by focusing on footwork and encouraging students to pick fights with mailbox posts.

A well-weathered teacher, Matson began his training in 1999 under the expert tutelage of Robert "Moy Yat Tung" Squatrito, who helped him master the swift movements and powerful strikes of the kung fu discipline. After becoming a member of the Moy Tung's MY4 and ICC inner training circles, Sifu Owen traveled to Detroit to open his ving tsun studio.

Perfect for ringing in autumn with the calming clack of lobster shells, the Back East Feast offers a taste of Atlantic seafare in the heart of Michigan. The feast itself starts at 5:30 p.m., so before getting in line to load up on corn on the cob, guests can stretch their hunger muscles while listening to the live tunes of Hidden Agenda Band and drinking one of the house wines or a Miller Lite.

Most people are familiar with the idea of a silent attacker, but at Aikido Canada, eighth-level Dan Kevin Blok Kyoshi and his certified Dan instructors teach the quiet art of aikido self-defense. Instead of kicking, punching, and breaking boards, aikido classes demonstrate lock holds, pins, and takedowns to help children and adults alike nonviolently defend themselves. These moves help the student control an attacker without harming them or having to restrain them with Chinese finger traps. All of their classes allow students build their character with self-development and self-improvement, not the destruction of others. Kevin’s lengthy resumé includes such highlights as authoring four books, earning the Canada 125 medal for service to his country, and founding the Chudokai Aikido Federation International.

When Kelle Ilitch turned her dream Pilates studio into a reality, she spared no consideration. The airy blue space is instantly calming, although its abundance of high-tech Reformer machines makes it clear that she and her fellow instructors mean business. The space accommodates many class styles, from classic mat Pilates lessons—including specialized sessions for seniors and kids—to ballet-barre-based workouts. Like Pilates and cummerbunds made of cement, the barre workouts strengthen cores while lengthening and toning thighs. The staffers also teach Kinesis, a form of strength training that allows for an entirely free range of motion, making it easier to tone muscle groups across bodies simultaneously.

The Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s gifted tunesmiths squeeze euphonious notes through their woodwind, brass, string, and percussion instruments, building upon a 125-year history of symphonic sounds in the Motor City. The orchestra's performance of Franck's Symphony in D Minor pollinates the air with soaring French classics, swaying back and forth to the baton semaphoring of guest conductor Hélène Bouchez and the piano mastery of 17-year old prodigy Conrad Tao. A pair of Debussy compositions inaugurates the evening with ear-swooning melodies that bounce of the antique theater's ornate, golden structure, which was built in 1919. During the evening’s main and final piece, Franck's Symphony in D Minor, Chinese-American Conrad Tao showcases his full repertoire, which has earned him ASCAP’s Morton Gould Young Composer award for eight consecutive years, just two notches shy of earning him a free carrying case for a grand piano.

On November 19, 1928, the Detroit Historical Society opened the Detroit Historical Museum in a one-room suite on the 23rd floor of the Barlum Tower, earning it the nickname of highest museum in the world. These days, Detroit’s Cultural Center accommodates the museum in an 80,000-square-foot space, where interactive exhibits preserve more than 300 years of city history. Frontiers to Factories traces Detroit's transformation from French-frontier outpost to industrial city, while America's Motor City celebrates its automotive dominance with a changing display of classic vehicles and a 1903 Model T that guests can sit in. Streets of Old Detroit brings the 19th century to life with recreated cobblestone streets that wind past stores of the era such as a five-and-dime, a soda shop, and a barbershop for powdered wigs.

Thanks to recent renovations, the society has expanded its chronicle of Detroit with three new permanent exhibitions. Detroit: The Arsenal of Democracy covers the ways the city's industrial infrastructure adapted to demands of World War II, and The Gallery of Innovation includes videos about renown innovators and hands-on activities of trial-and-error. As The Allesee Gallery of Culture examines the city's cultural history, its Kid Rock Music Lab lets visitors create and share their own music using interactive displays. Outside, the Detroit Legends Plaza honors the city's sports, entertainment, and media legends with cemented handprints and signatures from stars such as Lily Tomlin and Martha Reeves.