Winter Springs, FL Indoor Activities

BounceU transports kids to an inflatable, climate-controlled playground in which they can bounce from side to side in a safe, secure environment. During open-bounce sessions, kids can imagine they're Spiderman while climbing the new Spider Climb, or pretend they're synchronized leapers in Michael Flatley's Riverbounce as they carom around the inflatable stadium, expending energy with every leap. Cosmic Bounce sessions give jouncing juniors a much-deserved break from earthly leaping, allowing them to play under the violet glow of black lights and special-effect lights moving in coordination with fun music. Each cosmic bouncer receives a complimentary glow-in-the-dark accessory upon entrance, which can be used to light the way in a dark tunnel or light half the face to recreate Colonel Kurtz's monologue from Apocalypse Now. When a cause for celebration arises, parents snag party rooms and private bouncing rooms for their buoyant revelers. During summer camps, kids pair their bounce-based brand of performance arts with imaginative crafts.

The attentive BounceU staff monitor the rebounding facilities at all times, ensuring the inflatable playground is kept safe, clean, and free of spiky objects such as mohawks and sea urchins. Call ahead or check the calendar for available open-bounce times. Frolicking children must be supervised by a parent and must wear socks to play. Parents of children younger than 4 are welcome to join the vivacious youngsters in the playground.

With more than 18,300 square feet dedicated to all manner of bounce, Rebounderz Indoor Trampoline Arena's original location in Longwood invites guests to leap and bound across more than 10,400 square feet of specially engineered indoor trampolines. After working up a sweat during rounds of air dodgeball or plunging into foam pits, bouncers can take a break with a game of ping-pong or hit the arcade games. A café refuels visitors and bakes up pizzas for birthday parties, which are an ideal way to celebrate kids for surviving this cruel world thus far.

SWAT team officers stormed the occupied warehouse, firing into the dark. They ducked for cover behind beams, barrels, and crates as the enemy returned fire. The enemy held the upper ground, and it quickly dawned on these officers that they were fighting a losing battle. Amid the sounds of combat, the squad leader called over a senior manager and asked him to tone down the difficulty—because the female laser-tag referees kept beating his squad.

Though Hard Knocks' skilled referees sometimes train local SWAT teams using laser tag, they also regulate matches between players of all ages in three indoor arenas spread across 30,000 square feet. As players fire, they duck behind cubicles, filing cabinets, and desks in a replicated office; dart through dining rooms, panic rooms, and kitchens in a replica suburban home; and battle inside a functional warehouse.

Players exchange infrared beams from a roster of replica guns, each designed to emulate real military weaponry in size, weight, and operation. Each gun blasts targets in limited rounds using eye-safe infrared light, a technology adapted from military combat simulations. Players test their marksmanship in 75 realistic laser-tag missions, some of which require them to practice espionage, defuse bombs, protect and rescue hostages, or chase squirrels out of their front yards. When not exchanging beams of light, players can engage in virtual melee or team skirmishes in a room filled with combat simulators or play pool and console video games in a 4,500-square-foot gaming lounge.

At Guruv Yoga’s two locations, students of all skill levels and ages can pick from a wide variety of yoga classes, which are offered seven days a week. Instructors boast experience in various disciplines, ranging from intense Bikram yoga sessions to calming morning classes designed to wake up pupils with uplifting music and a ceremonial pajama burning. A meditation room at the Lake Mary location adds to the studio’s calming atmosphere and provides a room for pre-class centering or private yoga sessions.

My Gym, which currently has more than 200 international locations, began more than 20 years ago as a structured place for children to play safely, acquire new skills, and romp off a sugar buzz. All classes are organized according to age level—starting as young as 6 months—and are designed to incorporate the latest physiological and psychological research. Tiny Tykes gets babies moving with help from their parents, Mighty Mites teaches toddlers self-reliance and beginning sports skills, and Champions, a class for kids aged 6 to 9, emphasizes the importance of using teamwork to master more complex sports skills and achieve group goals such as building a human pyramid to reach the cookie jar. My Gym's energetic instructors are experts at using music, dance, and gymnastics to build youngsters' strength and self-esteem while stimulating their giggle-plexes. The noncompetitive environment fosters creativity, and hands-on activities boost children's learning retention and fun quotient.