Karina Bland
The Arizona Republic
Sep. 11 2007 2:22 pm
Sometimes a boy just has to go wild, and we parents would prefer he didn't do it in our living rooms. Here are 10 places where your son can be a wild boy, and no one will mind:
Christopher Creek
The mountain community of 200-plus residents in Tonto National Forest is about 21 miles east of Payson on the "Christopher Creek Loop" off Arizona 260, the Payson-Heber highway.
Details: www.christophercreekarizona.com.
A boy can go shirtless and get his shoes wet, tramping along the creek and carrying a stick without worrying about poking anyone's eye out. He can skip rocks, build dams and chase crawfish and garter snakes. In the early evening, he can walk along dusty roads to the Tall Pines Market, a country store advertising U.S. Postal Service above a "Fishing Worms Sold Here" sign, and take his time deciding how to spend the dollar in his pocket. There are plenty of places to hike, fish, horseback ride or just do nothing at all.
Axé Capoeira Arizona Academy
1644 N. Scottsdale Road, Tempe; 5153 W. Thunderbird Road, Peoria, inside Elite Combat Sports.
Details: (602) 614-7367 or www.axecapoeira-az.com.
Kids will love the movement and music of this Afro-Brazilian martial art, which incorporates music, acrobatics, dance and self-defense. Capoeira is good for building balance, motor coordination, speed and strength in a kid, as well as encouraging discipline and the values of loyalty, responsibility and self-confidence. Any boy with an ounce of energy won't be able to resist its flashy high kicks and incredible acrobatics, all set to a rhythmic thumping of a drum.
CrackerJax
16001 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale
Details: (480) 998-2800 or www.crackerjax.com
This is Arizona's largest family sports park, with more than 27 acres of activities, from mini-golf courses and video games, volleyball and batting cages. Cool off by commandeering a bumper boat and cruising the 6,000-square-foot lagoon with an island in the center and a waterfall tumbling over large boulders. Smaller kids can skipper their own junior bumper boat in a separate pond. Or take a spin on the 1,200-foot-long go-kart track, the longest in Arizona. The Jax Trax is a separate course designed for younger kids. Safety features include a safety belt and full protective bumper rail system on go-karts and track perimeter.
The Hole-in-the-Rock at Papago Park
Van Buren Street and Galvin Parkway, Phoenix.
Details: www.phoenix.gov/PARKS/papago.html.
Talk about your ultimate game of king of the hill. Boys can climb the well-marked trail, complete with steps, to the Hole-in-the-Rock. From below, the hole looks like a small opening, but it's really big enough for most people to stand in. Archaeologists believe that as early as 1100 A.D. the Hohokam may have used the hole as a solar and lunar observatory and for charting the seasons. From the hole, a boy can survey the 1,200-acre park that spans from Washington Street to McDowell Road, including the white pyramid tomb of former Gov. George Wiley Paul Hunt. The trailhead for the Hole-in-the-Rock is off the same road that leads to the Phoenix Zoo.
Alltel Ice Den
9375 E. Bell Road, Scottsdale
Details: (480) 585-RINK or www.coyotesice.com.
Kids can learn how to skate and play hockey at the official training center of the National Hockey League's Phoenix Coyotes, recently named a top 10 rink in the country by USA Today. With two NHL-size ice rinks, the facility features public skating, birthday parties, learn-to-skate classes and youth hockey. No need for mom and dad to freeze: Curl up next to one of the huge glass windows with a hot latte from Chilly Bean Cafe and watch and wave from where its warm.
Pecos Park Skate Park
17010 S. 48th St., Phoenix.
Details: (602) 262-6111 or phoenix.gov/PRL/skate.html.
Take your young concrete disciples here to skate, especially if they're just starting to get good on their skateboards. This park has a combination of advanced and beginner features including a street plaza, flat bars, grinding ledges and blocks, pump bumps, sloped ramps and bowls. (Your kid can explain those terms to you.) The skate park is open to both skateboards and in-line skates and nestled among five soccer fields, three basketball, three volleyball and two tennis courts and public pool, with waterslide and diving area.
If you live in the West Valley, Goodyear's Community Skate Park is a must-skate place for anyone who likes to go vertical on the board. Find it at 3151 N. Litchfield Road or at www.goodyearaz.gov/rec. Details: (623) 882-7525.
Arizona Fencing Center
535 W. Iron Ave., Suite 115, Mesa
Details: (480) 969-1424 or www.azfencing.com.
Slideshow: Arizona Fencing Center
Fencing takes skill, patience and practice, but it's so worth it because it looks so cool. Six-week introduction classes are the perfect way to gauge his interest in the sport. Basic fencing techniques are covered, including footwork, blade work, distance and timing. Students learn about all three weapons of fencing: foil, epee and sabre. Kids can start as young as 6. In your boy's eyes, this could be the start of his Jedi training.
Virginia Piper Enchanted Forest
At the Phoenix Zoo, 455 N. Galvin Parkway, Phoenix.
Details: (602) 273-1341 or www.phoenixzoo.org.
The huge wooden fort, with its slide tunnels and rope ladders, is officially called the Gnome Home, but it could be anything in a boy's imagination: a tree house in a jungle, an Alaskan exploration team's digs or a pirate ship. There are walls to climb, tunnels to squeeze through and ropes to hang from. Explore Rock Island and follow the shallow waters of Critter Creek as it snakes through the play area, but be mindful of pirates.
Phoenix Rock Gym
1353 E. University Drive, Tempe.
Details: (480) 921-8322 or www.phoenixrockgym.com.
Got a boy who climbs the walls? This is the place to do it. He can experience the vertical world of climbing as never before, scampering over 30-foot high walls with over 15,000 square feet of climbing surface. Fifty-six top-ropes provide climbing opportunities from easy routes to overhangs that will blow off their arm muscles. No experience is necessary. The staff will teach your little monkey everything he needs to know as well as rent him the necessary equipment: shoes, harness and helmet.
Laser Quest
3335 W. Peoria Ave., Phoenix, (602) 548-0005; 2035 S. Alma School Road, Mesa, (480) 752-0005.
Details: laserquest.com.
Consider this hide-and-go-seek with a high-tech twist or paintball but without the mess or welts. Players shoot each other with harmless lasers inside the dark, obstacle-filled battleground. Score points by tagging the sensors on other players' equipment. The multi-level arena features flashy lighting, swirling fog and heart-pounding music. Suit up, mom and dad. You'll be surprised at how much fun you'll have. Both you and the kids will be worn out afterward.
