View Park-Windsor Hills, CA Outdoor Activities

iFLY Hollywood’s state-of-the-art indoor wind tunnel lets acrophobic and aerophobic adrenaline junkies experience the sensations of skydiving under safe conditions. iFLY Hollywood will suit you up with a helmet, goggles, flight suit, earplugs, and a can of gravity repellent, before an instructor teaches you the basic maneuvers and hand signals. Once you've learned a lesson, you'll be unleashed into the vertical tunnel’s artificial wind current for two one-minute rotations of air time at terminal velocity (real skydives usually allow for about 40 seconds of air time). The entire process lasts about an hour, including waiver signing (flyers under 18 must have a parent or guardian sign), a 15-minute class, and a flight slot during which your group takes turns flying. In addition to the flight experience, the multimedia package includes a DVD with a recording of your flight.

Indoor skydiving is accessible to a wide, family-friendly age range, meaning that Grandma and Grandpa can celebrate their 60th anniversary with more than the traditional cake shaped like Andy Griffith. iFLY Hollywood’s free observation deck allows for maximum show-offiness, so invite along an audience of hard-to-impress friends, lovers, and butlers to marvel at your simulated plummet through the heavens.

Nobody in Santa Monica has a snow-covered slope in their backyard to practice slalom runs. Some think they can just march up a mountain and dominate a black diamond on courage and instinct alone. Instead, they wind up face first in snow, wishing they’d practiced.

In order to prepare skiers and snowboarders for the real deal, and to spare them from slushy, frostbitten shame, two-time world ski champion Bob Salemo devised his innovative Virtual Snow training system. In a controlled indoor environment far away from menacing ski lifts and snowballs tossed by mountain goats, winter-sports enthusiasts perfect their maneuvers in fun training drills led by skilled instructors and the clever teachings of Salemo himself. The faux ski-course simulator, which resembles a large conveyor belt, mimics the smooth surface and wily turns of a downhill slope as its snowy surface rolls beneath the feet of students on skis or snowboards. Future Picabo Streets or Shawn Whites not only expand their abilities to new levels, but they can also practice tricks without bailing out and shake off any bad habits they learned from sleet gangs.

Strapped under 30-foot wings, students at Windsports Soaring Center work with instructors to fly as far as 100 yards on their first day. Windsports Soaring Center also offers comprehensive hang-gliding instruction along the shores of Dockweiler Beach, allowing students to test their solo skills for flights of up to 100 yards—approximately 25 times longer than the Wright brothers' first pet boa constrictor. In addition to helping students trespass on bird territory, Windsports Soaring Center also sells flying equipment and coordinates flight trips for experienced gliders.

Eco Dive Center’s dedication to water conservation shines through in its educational programs as it teaches its students not only about SCUBA diving, but how to properly care for and respect the underwater world. It’s much more than just a water-safety school and aquatics emporium, although it does house dive gear from renowned brands such as Bare and Oceanic in its 5,000 square-foot store. Eco Dive has led underwater cleanup expeditions off of Santa Monica Pier, removing hundreds of pounds of trash in the process, and has enlisted the help of school children to spruce up local beaches. It has also partnered with area non-profits such as Heal the Bay, an organization that educates the public about reducing water pollution and administering splints if waves sprain their ankles.

Star-Surf’s lead instructor passes on more than three decade’s worth of wave riding experience to fledgling surfers through private lessons, group lessons, and surf camps held throughout the year. For each lesson, students are supplied with a soft foam surfboard and a wetsuit if needed, then paired up with a dedicated instructor who tailors the session to the individual, never forcing him or her to hang ten if they’re only comfortable hanging nine. Instruction covers topics important to the surfer just starting out, with an emphasis on safety and proper etiquette as well as the basics of paddling, popping up, and selecting waves.

As owner and wrangler-in-chief at Westside Riding School, Dorte Lindegaard guides horseback expeditions and riding lessons across 180 acres of panorama-filled paths in Will Rogers State Historic Park. Trail rides depart from Jimmy's Barn and plod up mountain trails in pursuit of Inspiration Point, where riders experience spectacular views of the Los Angeles basin, the Pacific Ocean, and Catalina Island. Upon finishing the 2-mile trek and nailing their dismount, riders can visit the Will Rogers ranch house, where the celebrated humorist, actor, and horse whisperer lived with his family and talked shop with Kentucky Derby winners over gourmet oats and champagne troughs.