Remember childhood summers? When you rode bikes around the block playing pirates or splashed around the pool as Ariel, goggles plastered to your forehead?
Yeah?
Those days don't have to be over!
In the spirit of keeping summer exciting, we came up with five adventures your childhood-self would totally thank you for.
Scuba diving
Plus you will be in a pool!
It seems far-fetched, but YES, you can learn to scuba dive in Tucson. While we don't exactly have a coral reef for you to explore, a pool will do. Bonus: You'll have to swim in a lake or ocean at some point to get certified. Seems like a pretty legit excuse for a tropical vacation.
The Dive Shop (1702 E. Prince Road, azdiveshop.com, 326-2424) offers a free PADI Discover Scuba class 6:30 to 10 p.m. the last Wednesday of every month. If you've got a swimmer at home older than 10 but younger than 18, they can scuba with you. Note: This is an intro, not the class to get open-water certified.
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Other places to get certified include Planet Scuba (4837 N. First Ave., planetscubausa.com, 209-2700) and 72 Aquatics (3110 E. Fort Lowell Road, 72aquatics.com, 887-2822).
Mountain biking
Veronique Pardee, right, leads a group of Joy Riders on the Richard Genser Trailhead at Starr Pass on Tucson’s west side.
If you want to hit a dusty trail, we recommend connecting with Bell Joy Ride Tucson, a mountain biking community for women. They group occasionally hosts workshops with REI and other community organizations, so watch their Facebook page for ways to get involved or join them on the trail.
Rock climbing
If she can take on this wall, so can you!
Speaking of Bell Joy Ride, the group is partnering with REI 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, July 27 to host a $20 rock climbing workshop at The BLOC Climbing + Fitness, 8975 E. Tanque Verde Road. This is a ladies-only event and the cost includes gear rental. You pay on site, not at registration. After the class, the group will migrate to Bear Canyon Pizza.
Click here to register.
Speed racing
Autobahn has eight locations across the country, and its main demographic is men between the ages of 18 and 40. But that doesn’t stop the speedway from hosting a ladies’ night every Friday.
This is less skill than sensation, but maybe you have an inner speedster waiting to be unleashed. Still fairly new to Tucson, the Autobahn Indoor Speedway, 300 S. Toole Ave., is a track with go-karts that go as fast as 50 miles per hour. You could make this outing a family event. Or go on Friday from 6 p.m. to midnight for ladies night and save $5 on your race.
Visit autobahnspeed.com or call 369-5720 for more information. A single race is 14 laps for adults and 12 laps for kids 8 to 12 and costs $19.99 plus a $7.95 annual license, which includes a helmet and head sock (for hygiene reasons). They also sell multi-race packages.
Archery
Time to tap into your inner Katniss Everdeen. PSE Archery Pro Shop, 2727 N. Fairview Ave., has hour-long classes that cost $16 and include gear rental. You and your kiddos age 8 and older can take these classes together. They have indoor and outdoor ranges.
Lessons are 6 to 7 p.m. Wednesdays and 4 to 5 p.m. Thursdays.
To learn more visit pseproshop.com/archery-lessons. Register by calling 884-9201.
Johanna Willett | This Is Tucson
Reporter
