Wells Branch, TX Indoor Activities

After restoring a cluster of vintage theater speakers that he bought on eBay, Josh Frank used them to launch Blue Starlite Mini Urban Drive-In in the middle of Texas’ capital city. At the retro cinematic establishment, Frank and his staff beckon moviegoers to cool their car or jetpack engines while immersing themselves in feel-good flicks, many of which are time-tested pop-culture favorites such as E.T. and The Karate Kid. Two car hostesses stay on-hand to add to the nostalgic ambience, whisking concessions such as hot dogs, nachos, and pretzels to trays perched in open car windows or inside the mouths of especially hungry visitors.

Since 2004, Todd Gibbs has grown his team of enthusiastic instructors from one to seven, and collectively they take a fun approach to fitness. The instructors incorporate motivating music into their Pilates, Zumba, and boot-camp classes. Their robust, seven-day schedule features morning through evening classes that they cater to students of all skill levels by demonstrating modifications that make the exercises less or more intense. Todd's classes in Pilates are designed to tone the entire body, placing emphasis on conditioning the core to help people protect their fragile chandelier centers. Roger Moreno and Boni Natal, the staff’s certified Zumba teachers, lead Zumba cardio-fitness classes that set easy-to-follow dance steps to spicy Latin tunes, toning muscles and incinerating calories. Josh, the boot-camp instructor, guides students through intense workouts that combine weight training, calisthenics, and heart-pumping cardio moves.

Locomotion Inflatable Play disguises healthy servings of exercise with hours of fun and games at its colorful, indoor activity center. Inside, socked adventurers are set free to explore or count each of the facility's 12,000 square feet, which are covered in bouncy inflatables and themed play areas. Playrooms for toddlers keep younger guests separate from older kids, and a miniature town encourages its visitors to cook up their own scenarios at a theater, grocery store, and 1950s-style diner. In addition to open-play sessions, Locomotion hosts birthday parties, and also features a Stuffin' Station, where kids build their own stuffed lions, bears, and dinosaurs to play with when their imaginary friends are busy.