Things To Do In Glendale

Everything from hands-on activities to appearances from storybook characters abounds at The Everything Kids Fest, a two-day celebration of the whimsical minds and innocent hearts of children. Among the many activities, kids and their families can construct new worlds at the Legoland California build arena, explore their fantasies at the Peter Pan pirate playground, and absorb animal-kingdom gossip from sheep, chickens, and goats at the petting zoo. Meanwhile, fairy-tale favorites such as Beauty from Beauty and the Beast, Tinker Bell, Cinderella, and the Fairy Godmother perform perform on the main stage. Local plush athletes including the Coyotes' Howler and the Suns' Gorilla ruffle each other's foam during competitive events.

At Jambo! Park's two locations, children uncork bottled up energy as they spring across an indoor playground sprawling with jungle-themed rides, family-friendly games, and towering play structures. The fun factory's Phoenix locale manufactures raucous laughter and endless enjoyment with myriad attractions, including the Safari Train, a circle of spinning swings, and high-flying rides atop gravity-defying elephants. Families can settle disputes over who's the favorite child in a pirate-themed laser-tag arena or club their way through the greens of a mini-golf course. The Mesa location supports the same brand of excitement with a lineup of attractions illuminated by a brightly lit carousel. Miniature pilots control their altitude as they circle around the Jets Abouts ride, and responsible drivers exchange car-insurance information after collisions on the bumper-car track. A three-level play structure festooned with tubes and slides welcomes climbers and sliders, and more than 90 nonviolent video games jangle merrily in the arcade. Adults can wile away the time in the Lion's Den, which is furnished with plasma televisions, pool tables, and foosball tables.

UltraStar Cinemas cossets moviegoers in cushy seating as they enjoy Hollywood hits alongside buttery servings of popcorn. Film buffs can peruse the current showtimes by location to handpick an action-packed flick, romantic comedy, or chilling thriller featuring inexplicably aggressive hamsters. The concession stand outfits moviegoers with snacks, drinks, and buckets filled with warm kernels, keeping stomach grumblings to a minimum during showings and providing crunchy projectiles in case of sudden younger-sibling attacks. UltraStar Play it Again Cinemas also offers a selection of Hollywood hits for patrons to enjoy in high-back reclining chairs alongside snacks from the concession stand.

Freshly splattered paint drips down the mazelike barricades and buildings that speckle Fightertown Paintball Park's two large fields, each of which pose their own scenarios and challenges. Players in full complements of rental or personal gear dive behind abandoned buildings in the urban landscape of Field 1, seeking advantageous flanking positions and picnicking sites by sneaking through the streets. Players deploying onto Field 2 descend into fox holes and trench combat, which teams can navigate by communicating through secret messages composed of paint splatters. The arenas host open-play sessions as well as long scenario events.

Since 1986, Theater Works Peoria's mission has been to shower northwest suburban Phoenix with engaging entertainment, produced by members of their own community. Directors mount productions of Broadway plays and musicals, holiday classics, and adaptations from film, literature, and Bazooka bubblegum wrappers. A bevy of youth programs line up a parallel season of plays, workshops, and camps.

A flurry of paintballs whiz through the air, splattering their targets with brightly colored pigment. Players at Westworld Paintball Adventures explore either indoor or outdoor fields, where they can unleash a paintball-pelting fury, rain or shine. At Splatter Ranch’s outdoor enclave, paintballers find cover in gullies or clusters of shrubbery as majestic cacti stand guard a safe distance away. The field and on-site pro shop spread across 20 acres of terrain, which is peppered with a few buildings where players can duck into or play Rochambeau for decoy duty.

At the indoor arena, Xtreme Pursuit, players kick up clouds of dirt as they chase each other around a 33,000-square-foot facility and take shelter in bunkers and buildings amid specialized lighting, a sound system, and fog machines. The facility is air-conditioned and open year-round, with a pro shop supplying equipment to players.