Things to Do in Wauconda

Having honed his aviation skills in helicopter cockpits for 45+ years, the head pilot at Midwestern Helicopter leads a team of FAA–certified pilots in performing helicopter tours, charters, and pilot instruction. They steer a fleet of three Robinson R-44s and two R-22s over cityscapes and country vistas with photographers, pollinators, surveyors, or sightseers onboard, continuing a crash- and speeding-ticket-free record begun with the company's inception four years ago. The flight team acquaints new flyers with immediate actual flight experience during introductory flights and helps students to achieve private, commercial, and flight-instructor certification during FAA courses. As authorized merchants of Robinson aircraft, they can also hawk helicopters or perform maintenance on various models inside heated hangars without having to first notify the aircraft's next of kin.

At Woodwind Farm, trainers Bonnie and Megan Kittredge guide both riders and horses through professional instruction in a large indoor arena. In addition to honing horses’ show skill, the duo acquaints human students to riding fundamentals during group and private lessons for adults, teens, and children as young as 4 years old. Instructors with more than 120 years of combined experience preach the need for safety and proper horsemanship, helping beginners get comfortable in the saddle and experienced riders improve their form. The farm also instills a love of riding in its youngest students with children's birthday parties and the Showstoppers youth group, which raises funds for charitable organizations and keeps rebellious young horses from associating with gangs of streetwise chickens.

Chuck Masny describes himself as an “eternal student of the martial arts,” always learning more about his chosen disciplines despite the black belts in Goshin jiujitsu and American karate that already encircle his waist. Chuck brings his insatiable appetite for refinement to his classes, encouraging his students to ask why a technique is performed a certain way or to adjust motions to suit their unique physiques. This allows students to determine what mix of fitness exercise and self-defense training best suits their needs.

Chuck’s youth programs focus on developing not only the physical fitness skills that will grow into combat ability, but also the mental skills important to a child’s scholastic success. Kids practice listening and self-discipline and engage in a “bully-proofing” program in which they learn how to deflect insults by mentally transforming their bodies into rubber. Adult classes swing the focus to the practical underpinnings of self-defense, studying why and how certain moves and combinations work to arm students against real-world violence. Chuck also schedules cardio-enriched kickboxing classes, which incinerate calories in a furnace powered by flying fists and feet.

Booming top 40 hits echo throughout Just for Fun Roller Rink’s two vast arenas, amping up the entertainment as skaters glide and showcase moves in open-skate sessions and parties. The glittering of disco balls and the surreal glow of black lights transform the colored wheels of rental roller skates, speed skates, or roller blades into vibrant blurs as they spin across polished floors. While smooth movers hold hands and stack themselves into speedy human pyramids, video-game enthusiasts can get their fix at the arcade games along the side of the rink, and food enthusiasts can whet their palate with pizza, hot dogs, and snacks. Come Saturday night, the rink transforms into a live-music venue for local bands, and on holidays and special occasions such as New Year's Eve, Halloween, and Insomniac-Appreciation Day it puts on all-night celebrations.

Aloha Falls Miniature Golf channels the exotic vibes of a waterfront locale with waterfall- and beach-themed mini-golf courses. The harder of the two layouts, the Waterfall Course runs alongside misting cascades and challenges players with tricky bridges, ramps, and sudden drops. For a less-competitive outing, guests can traverse the Beach Course, which features fewer obstacles and sand ideal for etching only mildly threatening heckles such as “Your mother is terrible at badminton!” Aloha Falls also engineers group fun with a variety of party packages for birthdays, corporate outings, and fundraisers.

Lake Arlington's surface ripples in the breeze as shouts, cheers, and drumbeats echo across its shores. Ornately painted boats, carved into the likeness of Chinese dragons, glide across the water to the rhythm of 40 paddles turning in unison. The male and female boaters at Chicago International Dragon Boat Festival split into four racing divisions and follow the roots of a traditional eastern sport as they paddle, drum, and steer in coordination with their teammates. Spectators view the proceedings from tiered grandstands, which enable them to see the full scope of the race without having to rent a jetpack. They can also revel at an outdoor beer garden, listen to live entertainment, and usher their kids to participate in interactive activities in the Dragon's Nest. Competitors plunge into challenge races to benefit causes such as public services and breast-cancer research and rush to complete the most pushups after the race during the Workout of the Dragons.

This year's event benefits the nonprofit organization Salute, Inc., whose staffers work to support soldiers and veterans through fundraisers. Great White North assembles the event in partnership with local Windy City Dragons, in an effort to pay it forward to local charities while spreading enthusiasm for the sport. Their staffers also design each boat, specializing in the crafting of ornate vessels bearing the likenesses of colorful Chinese dragons and glorious Burt Reynoldses.