Things to Do in Whitehall Township

Racing past the multilevel arena's black-lit arches, barriers, and pathways, phaser-wielding players navigate their way through a foggy arena in pursuit of opponents. Such battles are the main draw of Lehigh Valley Laser Tag, where participants aged 7 and older compete for victory in three games during each 40-minute laser-tag session. After arrival, a short safety video screened in the staging room explains the game's equipment and confirms there's no need to wait 20 minutes between eating and playing before guests strap on their vests and ready their phasers. The arena hosts regular team-versus-team game play as well as special format rounds, all of which end with reports that compare each player's score to the results of friends and teammates. Afterward, groups reenergize by noshing on fare from the snack bar or playing abundant video games in the arcade.

ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks hosts film and performing arts venues on four stories overlooking the dramatically illuminated blast furnaces of the former Bethlehem Steel Plant. On the first floor, the Frank Banko Alehouse Cinema projects independent, foreign, and documentary films on two full-size screens with 100 and 200 stadium-style seats. A full-service bar pours local Yuengling brews and other alcoholic beverages, and onsite chefs craft gourmet eats such as ham-and-brie paninis and beef sliders. Musical acts such as the Psychedelic Furs, Joan Osborne, and Rusted Root perform each weekend at Musikfest Café, where up to 1,000 concertgoers can spread across multiple levels of seating, or form a human pyramid to climb the exposed girders above the stage.

Since 1939, three generations of the Grim family have nurtured stalks of wheat, corn, and oats, and raised more than 3,000 chickens, on their picturesque farm. Now operating 10 greenhouses, each fall, they open up the premises to the public for activities including hayrides and a pick-your-own apple orchard, where guests can choose from varieties ranging from honey crisp to autumn galas.

During the farm’s Fall Festival, which runs from September 8th to November 4th, the grounds buzz with additional delights. Visitors can wend their way through a 6-acre corn maze during the daylight hours, or bring flashlights at night for an authentic taste of farming before the sun was invented. Alternatively, they can select their favorite gourd from the thousands that populate the pumpkin patch, or sample homemade apple cider donuts, apple cider slushies, or pumpkin ice cream.

Sleek hardwood and smooth brick floors are the stomping grounds of dozens of colorful yoga mats inside Lehigh Valley Yoga’s studios. Experienced teachers take the helm in each room as they guide students through poses during Ashtanga, Vinyasa, hot, prenatal, and kids' yoga classes. Students and firemen also congregate inside one of the studios for muscle-forming pole-fitness classes.

Founded by Pilates master Susan Fox, The Core Center is a 4,500-square-foot facility featuring a large space for group classes and two areas for equipment classes. Along with select members of her staff, Fox holds a license in Fletcher Pilates, a variation of the original Pilates method that emphasizes movements that emerge organically throughout the routine. The center also plays host to Zumba, Yamuna, and dance classes, all of which welcome students with two left feet as long as they bring their own pairs of left shoes.

Two former Air Force officers with a passion for teaching children put their minds together to create Bricks 4 Kidz. The lab integrates scientific play with LEGO projects that vary by week. Depending on the week's theme, kids might build and program a satellite, model the Empire State Building, or create an alligator whose mouth snaps shut any time mom tries to feed it peas. Each project combines the fundamental principles of science, architecture, technology, and engineering, thereby supplementing what children learn during the school day. When children complete their project, they transition to free play, tapping into their imaginations or imaginary friends to built whatever they want.