Things to Do in Welland

Hyper tubing and barrels surround an empty school bus in the centre of one of Sherkston Paintball's four woodland fields, while a two-storey tower stands tall among a huddle of lower-slung structures in another. Players can navigate through medium to thick brush in the aptly named Brush Field, or ambush the Attack & Defend field's 100-foot-long fort, which hinders blitzes with walls reaching more than nine feet and a tower missing a princess with scalable hair. Alternately, bunkers are the only obstruction on a new speedball field that's surrounded by a seating area for spectators.

Along with outdoor bouts every Saturday and Sunday throughout the year, Sherkston Paintball hosts annual events and tournaments including an epic Trailer Park Boys-themed battle. Players can also get the most up-to-date gear at the fully-stocked, on site pro-shop.

Flanked by deciduous trees that emblazon the landscape with deep ambers and yellows in the autumn, the course at Pelham Hills Golf and Country Club guides play along an emerald tapestry awash in natural beauty and obstacles. Water comes into play on 14 of the 18 holes, punishing overzealous shots on holes 9, 12, and 15 with the shooter's choice of a penalty stroke or a self-service swirlie. Elsewhere, mounds thwart easy play onto greens, and strenuous bunker positioning and elevated tee boxes reward deft club selection. Players who can keep their shots on the straight and narrow, however, will enjoy the fruits of generous fairways and numerous scoring opportunities afforded by pins awed into submissiveness. Course at a Glance:

• Par 71 for men and 72 for ladies

• Three sets of tees

• Total length of 6,617 yards from back tees

• Rating of 72 and slope of 129 from back tees

The Greens at Brock's par 58 executive course packs 18 holes of diverse obstacles into a dynamic, 3,000-yard layout. With nine holes measuring less than 150 yards in length, the course caters to players who can dominate their short-iron approaches, and four par 4s ensure that drivers don't start experimenting with fertilizer chemicals to stave off boredom. Lush landscaping greets players throughout the round, with weeping willows casting shadows across the seventh hole and pine trees lining the short-grass corridor of the 15th fairway. Alongside the course rests an expansive driving range with covered and open-air stalls and hitting areas blanketed with natural grass, turf, and retro shag carpet. After fine-tuning tee shots, golfers can read the breaks at the mini golf course or stroll over to the facility's tiki bar festooned with sand beaches, a waterfall, and tropical plants.

The outdoor enthusiasts at Play Hard Niagara outfit visitors for romps on the water, beach, and street. Gear rentals ranging from sit-on-top kayaks to bikes equip explorers for adventures throughout the Port Colborne area, including trips along the old canal and Lake Erie shoreline. For a small fee, Play Hard's staff delivers equipment to nearby locations for full-day rentals. Back in Crystal Beach, the shop displays a multitude of recreational equipment, ranging from land-bound scooters to surf gear that stands ready to skim over a cresting wave or through layers of the upper atmosphere.

The dedicated guides of Niagara Fun Tours escort flocks of visitors around the Niagara region during scenic seasonal tours. Seasonal winery tours visit and taste at four wineries studding the Niagara Wine Belt, where settings range from mountain chalets to baroque and modern castle decor to rustic wood farmhouses. Visitors can also opt for a discovery tour to glimpse Niagara Falls. Guides often conclude their tours with stops at locales such as the fresh-fare-focused Kurtz Orchards marketplace or Chocolate FX, where chocolate artisans fashion often-unconventional taste combinations using traditional panning and moulding techniques. Oenophiles and sightseers embark on a new microbrewery and winery tour, a seasonal winery tour, or scenic tours of Niagara Falls. The four-hour winery-and-microbrewery bus tour makes stops at three nearby microbreweries along with two wineries in Niagara-on-the-Lake. Participants enjoy tastings at each location, have a chance to grab some lunch at Benchmark restaurant, and receive a sneak peek of at least one brewery's production facility. Niagara Fun Tours also provides round-trip transportation for each tour, loading guests into large shuttles that accommodate up to 48 passengers or into vehicles that accommodate up to 24 giraffes.

Niagara Go-Karts entertains entire families with the leisurely competition of miniature golf and the fast-paced fishtailing of more than 40 racing-style go-karts. Double-seated family karts let children 10 and older play copilot while parents practice high-speed chaperoning. For faster-paced driving, 13-horsepower engines propel realistic Formula 1 karts to high speeds under the control of drivers 14 and older. For the safety of all drivers, each kart features a roll bar, seatbelt, and outside bumper cage.

Outside of the driver's seat, a pastoral collection of wild flowers, safari animals, and indigenous astro turf decorates a mini putt course that's flecked with a barrage of amusing obstacles. All-day pricing allows for unlimited rounds from open until close.