The Great Indoors

IT Adventure at Jordan’s Furniture in New Haven is far, far from your typical furniture store. In fact, it’s Connecticut latest hot spot for kids. That’s because, along with the expected chairs, couches, and kitchen and dining room sets, this Jordan’s also offers “the largest indoor adventure ropes course in the world.” Your family can get out and swing on a 60-foot-high ropes course on four levels with more than 100 activities, including zipping along the top of a water-fountain display. Pizza and ice cream, too.

The Connecticut Science Center in downtown Hartford is a world unto itself. With 165 interactive exhibits, four educational labs, plus daily programs and events, the Center offers endless exploration for children, teens and adults. From physics to forensics, geology to astronomy, visitors have the sciences at their fingertips. Special exhibits abound, as do fascinating programs, so you can plan on spending a good deal of time here when you visit.

Tap into their inner adventurer at Discovery Depot at Nature’s Art Village in Montville. Kids love to pan for gold in Thunder Creek, or explore the replica silver mine at this busy spot where plenty of activities, experiences and crafts will keep them fascinated for hours.

You can get a two-for-one experience in Wallingford, where both Prime Climb and On Track Karting are located. Prime Climb features excellent climbing walls for every level of expertise, while On Track Karting will put your kids into go-karts depending upon their size and ability.

There’s more indoor fun to be had at SportsCenter of Connecticut in Shelton. Here, the activities come in a wide range. Check out the ice skating and hockey, year-round mini-golf and a driving range, batting cages, bowling, laser tag, paint balling, arts and crafts, and arcade games.

The whole family will go crazy for Chelsea Piers Connecticut, a 400,000-square-foot sports complex with indoor facilities for skating and hockey, swimming, squash, tennis, trampoline, gymnastics, basketball and on and on. You’ll feel like you’ve arrived at an Olympics training center.

In Montville, Supercharged Powered by Mohegan Sun - Indoor Karting & Trampoline Park offers multi-level tracks where you can race all-electric, zero emission karts to get your adrenaline pumping, and an 8,000 square foot trampoline park too! Experience European-style indoor karting at Monza World Class Karting at Foxwoods Resort Casino.

For young ones, Kidsplay in Torrington offers a variety of hands-on and multi-sensory activities including mazes and bubbles that entertain and delight while encouraging the imagination.

One of the largest family entertainment facility, Nomads Adventure Quest in South Windsor offers laser tag, indoor mini golf, climbing wall, and so much more.

There are movies, and then there are 4-D movies. The cinematic experience at The Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk sends the action visually spilling off the two-story screen and over audiences in 3D, in addition to thrill-enhancing sensory special effects as bubbles, snow, wind, mists and more.