Things to Do in Wabash

Duck behind bunkers, belly-crawl through the jungle, or peak over sandy dunes on more than 125 acres of obstacle-laden fields and heart-pumping terrain. Located in Anderson, just 20 minutes northeast of Indianapolis, White River Paintball offers indoor and outdoor fields. Play it up old school on the classic woodsball field or duck behind a real Sikorsky helicoper at the airstrip. Hide out in an abandoned building in Bedlam City or head to the fort to artfully reinterpret the Korean Conflict with a loaded paint weapon and a promise not to cry.

Although some would say a creative escape is sneaking out the bathroom window using only your wits and your pocket ladder, the friendly staff at The Creative Escape encourages you to escape via the customization of serving plates, piggy banks, saucers, and more. Decorate a dish or craft your own mosaic with pieces ranging from $14 to $50, with many items around $20. Select from a wide range of tools and paint colors as you craft a personal magnum opus that will be glazed and fired by the studio in one week's time.

Ben and Ari's accommodates competitors of all levels with a full arcade and pizza kitchen flanked by two 18-hole miniature-golf courses. Both courses mimic the terrain of their larger long-game counterparts, but eschew the giant windmills in favor of dips, bends, and wandering streams that swallow wayward golf balls. The fairways also wind around the centerpiece of a working waterfall, which trickles in the background of live bands during summer festivals and fundraisers. During the winter months, players stay warm in the glow of the arcade, which houses 45 nonviolent video games that allow kids to enjoy simulated road races, jet-ski joy rides, and post-apocalyptic zombie-infested worlds in which the only objective is to choose the right outfit for the prom. Guests can also cuddle up close with fresh-baked Marco's Pizza pies made from housemade dough.

Staring at a blank piece of paper can be intimidating, but browsing the blank, premade pottery at Kiln Creations draws hibernating creativity from its den, enticing the brain with shape, size, and bisque meat. Pieces range between $4 and $65, and all merry potters are assessed a modest studio fee—$8 for adults and $6 for children under 12—which covers everything required to design and fire a project, including time. Grab a blank plate and paint a meal upon it, stencil a cup with springtime flowers, or decorate a picture frame worthy of being hung inside itself. If the concept of whole objects is intimidating, spend time in the studio on a mosaic project and enjoy affixing a variety of vibrant tiles upon a wood base of your choice ($12–$65), then grout your gorgeous piece at home with supplied materials ($6–$8 studio fee applies).

Sharon Owens lowers the bulb of an ornament into the sharp blue flame of her workstation’s torch, heating the glass until it glows a vibrant yellow. Applying the skills she learned in her schooling at Purdue University, her three-year apprenticeship, and her studies with a host of artisan glassworkers, she presses her mouth to the piece’s hollow stem. Whatever shape it will take, only she knows.

This scene has been a regular occurrence at Inspired Fire since 2002, when Sharon founded her studio in her hometown of Lafayette. The workshop is equipped for all manners of projects, including 4 kilns, 12 torches, and, most importantly, air conditioning. The shop’s staff oversees classes for beginners and advanced glassworkers, as well as offering the space for crafters unable to find the “glass” setting on their microwaves.