West University Place, TX Outdoor Activities

In its first annual festival, Houston Oktoberfest pays homage to the centuries-old German shindig by corralling more than 30 different beers from both local breweries and the Deutschland itself. German beers such as Hofbräu, Spaten, and Warsteiner swirl with crisp, effervescent flavors that pair deliciously with German morsels. Diners can also enjoy local seasonal pours and complement them by nibbling on autumn leaves. As participants mingle and sip, they can also swing their hips to the sounds of 10 different bands throughout the grounds. Louisiana’s Grammy-nominated Pine Leaf Boys headline the fest with a Cajun set complete with a squeezebox, raspy vocals, and fiddle, and Houston’s own The ‘71’s churn out hard-rock anthems such as “Confession.” The strains of traditional German music bounce off the nearby carnival area, which features games and rides for children, adults, and sentient lederhosen.

Paintball warriors can prepare for their next big adventure at Pro Edge Paintball, which houses an extensive selection of paintball guns, ammunition, protective gear, and other game accessories. Lonely trigger fingers can find suitable mates in the form of paintball markers from top brands including Spyder, Tippmann, and Luxe. Protective gear such as masks and goggles, pads, and combat-ready pants help clients run fearlessly into enemy fire, and new air-tank systems ensure paintballs fly fast and true. Pro Edge Paintball complements its exhaustive inventory with a repertoire of maintenance services to repair common deficiencies such as a crooked barrel or a pacifistic trigger.

Messages such as Are You Game? and Bang are scrawled in glow-in-the-dark graffiti on the black-lit walls of one of Indoor Tactical Sports' paintball and airsoft fields. The two-story facility, which declares itself the only indoor paintball arena in Houston, is air-conditioned to a crisp 65 degrees and houses a total of four fields where players can shoot at their friends with no-cleanup Reball paintball pellets or BBs from Airsoft guns. To ensure fair play, one referee for every 10 players patrols the fields and prevents participants from shooting their opponents in vulnerable spots, such as the working screenplay they carry around. In the gear shop, players can rent all the gear necessary to play, including guns, masks, ammunition, and air canisters. Visitors can also buy equipment or bring in personal guns and gear for repairs.

Buckhorn's buckets of imminent to-doables fills this 50-acre spread with numerous attractions, including a swimming pool, a fort, a viewing zoo, a giant sandbox, a volleyball court, a barn, a moonwalk, and a game room stuffed to the ceiling with ping-pong and foosball tables, a climbing wall, a putt-putt course, and a trike raceway. Use the included 10 tokens to pay for concessions like funnel cakes and hot dogs, or use them toward special activities like catch-and-release fishing (20 tokens for all day), kiddie horse rides (5 tokens per ride), paddle-boat rides (3 tokens for all day), and more.