Wendy, Meet Boston: a roadmap for discovering adventure in the city

As we reach that time of year when the chill of fall and winter is fast approaching, we know that the freedom of shorts and sandals is well behind us. Luckily, the Boston area presents many entertaining indoor activities that are a perfect way to spend those cold days of a Northeastern winter.

One fun activity to do with friends is paintball. The Boston Paintball company has two indoor locations in the Boston region: Ashland and Chelsea. Don’t worry if you’re not a hard-core paintball player. Both locations allow you to rent all the gear there, so you don’t need to buy any of your own. The basic package that includes all the gear costs $35. Hours and more information can be found at www.bostonpaintball.com. It is recommended that you call ahead at least 24 hours in advance if you have a group of six or more. 

 Maybe paintball is too messy, but you still love to tap into your competitive side. Laser tag may be the perfect option for you. Lazer Zone, a laser tag company located in Malborough, has College Nights every Thursday evening from 5 p.m. until closing at 9 p.m. With your student ID you can play unlimited laser tag for a reduced price of $10, so get a group of friends together and battle it out against other Boston-area students (including some third graders). 

Another option is Laser Quest in West Roxbury, where getting your laser tag on costs $9 for a 15-minute game. Reservations are recommended and can be made by calling (617) 325-1005. 

If you love trampolines, then you must visit Sky Zone. With locations in both Boston and Everett, Sky Zone has a large arena-type area filled with trampolines. A thirty-minute jump costs $8, sixty minutes costs $12, ninety minutes costs $16 and 120 minutes costs $18.

Not only does Sky Zone have the opportunity for traditional, backyard-reminiscent jumping, but they also have some exciting games that you never thought of as a kid. For example, they have dodgeball on the trampolines most days. Gather some friends and enter one of their dodgeball tournaments. For an exciting new way to work out, you can take one of their SkyRobics classes, which cost $12. Sky Zone also holds an adults-only (ages 18 and up) session called  SKYJAM on Saturday nights from 10 p.m. to 12 a.m.

Don’t let the impending cold weather get you down. Being inside doesn’t have to be suffocating when you can still enjoy these and other great indoor activities in the Boston area.