Beat the heat! Five best indoor things to do during the hottest days of summer

Eddie Ritz, Palm Beach Post
·5 min read
Let your kids zip around Urban Air's indoor adventure park for a cool respite on a summer day.
Let your kids zip around Urban Air's indoor adventure park for a cool respite on a summer day.

Your skin is on fire, sweat is running down your back, and your deodorant is in a losing battle. We have arrived at that five- or six-week period where even die-hard, heat-loving Floridians wonder whether they'll ever stop sweating, or that seatbelt could be used as a branding iron, or a mesh tank top is work-appropriate.

It's time. Time to stay inside.

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Here are five things to do in Palm Beach County that are indoors and fun ways to beat the heat.

Get some indoor (trampoline) air

Defy offers trampolines, dodgeball, a ninja course and much more indoor fun.
Defy offers trampolines, dodgeball, a ninja course and much more indoor fun.

URBAN AIR 

Think large-scale playground for families! Yes this center has trampolines, but also: wall climbing, dodgeball, ropes course, battle beam, tubes playground, virtual reality, and a lot more. Height requirements vary per attraction.

Info: Admission is $15.99 for ages 5 and younger, and start at $25.99 for ages 6 and older. Accompanying parents pay half price, and Ultra Air Socks are required ($3.49).

Urban Air Trampoline and Adventure Park: 10560 Forest Hill Blvd., Wellington; 561-408-0809

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LAUNCH

Launch is open to all ages. It's got tampolines, a ninja course, and x-treme dodgeball opportunities.  Fight for supremacy with foam batons in the Battle Pit, hit the climbing wall and much more. Want something a little less active?  Try arcade style games.

Once you've worked up an appetite, they've got food too from pizza and salad to a create-your-own Sundae Bar.

Info: All-Day action passes are $35, see website for additional pricing; 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday; noon to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday; noon to 9 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday

Launch: 4340 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach; 561-544-7924, launchtrampolinepark.com/westpalmbeach

DEFY

Tampolines, dodgeball, ninja course? Check. Check. Check. DEFY also hosts a trapeze area and ziplines.

Info: All day passes for weekdays are $29.99 for ages 5 and older and $22.99 for ages 4 and younger; all-day weekend passes are $34.99 for ages 5 and older and $26.99 for ages 4 and younger. Open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday

DEFY: 964 S. Congress Ave., Palm Springs; 561-234-4514, defy.com

Skate the day away

Adult skater Michele Kelley and ice dancer and coach Temirlan Yerzhanov at Palm Beach Ice Works in West Palm Beach.
Adult skater Michele Kelley and ice dancer and coach Temirlan Yerzhanov at Palm Beach Ice Works in West Palm Beach.

PALM BEACH ICE WORKS

If you prefer blades to wheels and a floor that radiates cool all year round, this Olympic size rink may be the choice for you.

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Info: The rink is open to families for public skating for limited hours on the weekends. Days and times vary; check their calendar online at pbiw.org. Admission including skate rental $15; ice scooter rental (an assist for new skaters 3-foot-5 or shorter), $5.

Palm Beach Ice Works: 1590 N. Florida Mango Road, West Palm Beach; 561-656-4046

Immerse yourself in history and science at a museum

Richard and Pat Johnson Palm Beach County History Museum is located in downtown West Palm Beach.
Richard and Pat Johnson Palm Beach County History Museum is located in downtown West Palm Beach.

RICHARD ANDD PAT JOHNSON HISTORY MUSEUM

Located in the "unwrapped" and restored 1916 county courthouse, the Richard and Pat Johnson Palm Beach County History Museum is the leading source for county history  and features permanent People and Places galleries as well as temporary exhibits on a wide variety of topics to appeal to a diverse audience.

Info: free, $5 donation recommended, open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday

Richard and Pat Johnson Palm Beach County History Museum: 300 N. Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach; pbchistory.org

COX SCIENCE CENTER AND AQUARIUM 

Celebrate the amazing world of sharks today and tomorrow during Shark Preservation Week at the Cox Science Center and Aquarium in West Palm Beach.
Celebrate the amazing world of sharks today and tomorrow during Shark Preservation Week at the Cox Science Center and Aquarium in West Palm Beach.

The Science Center is the perfect place for kids. Enter the wonderfully puzzling world of Mindbender Mansion, an eclectic place full of brainteasers and interactive challenges. Or take a Journey Through the Human Brain. Or see the 10,000-gallon Aquariums of the Atlantic, holding some of Florida’s most beautiful native fish. Or experience the first and only public planetarium in Palm Beach County, with a new high-powered telescope giving stargazers have an improved option to see the wonders of the universe,

Info: General admission is $19.95 for adults; $17.95 for seniors; $15.95 for children 3 to 12; free for children younger than 3.

South Florida Science Center: 4801 Dreher Trail N., West Palm Beach; 561-832-1988

Find some escape, and adventure

Kate Colvin, foreground, works on solving a puzzle during an escape room event.
Kate Colvin, foreground, works on solving a puzzle during an escape room event.

You and your team are trapped in a room, with 60 minutes to escape. Find the clues, solve the puzzles, and win your freedom back! There are several rooms in the county, each with their own themes, and prices are generally in the $35-per-person range. Here are a few to choose from:

The Escape SoFlo: 10800 N. Military Trail, Palm Beach Gardens; 561-318-8973

West Palm Beach Escape Rooms: 209 S. Olive Ave, West Palm Beach; 561-660-5120

Master Escape Room: 1700 North Dixie Hwy., Boca Raton; 561-571-5381

Go for go-karts, laser tag and indoor games

Looking to find your inner warrior, or just want the feeling of stalking your friends and unleashing your laser on them? These places aim to please.

If you prefer your action behind the wheel, go-karts may be your thing. And we've got that covered too.

FUN DEPOT

This amusement center in Lake Worth Beach features a huge arcade, go-karts and laser tag. Single go-kart drivers must be at least 54 inches tall to ride.

Info: Admission is free. There are individual prices for each activity.

Fun Depot: 2003 10th Ave. N., Lake Worth Beach; 561-547-0817

BOOMERS

Need to beat the heat, but have some serious fun at the same time? Boomers Arcade Room can definitely fulfill those air-conditioned wishes.
Need to beat the heat, but have some serious fun at the same time? Boomers Arcade Room can definitely fulfill those air-conditioned wishes.

Though they do have outdoor activities, for the sake of staying out of the 90-plus-degree heat and 90% humidity, let's focus on Boomers' indoor fun.

Boomers Laser Tag: Your team enters a black-light battleground armed with light phasers. Keep your head down and your eyes open, because in this game, the hunter also happens to be the hunted. A vibrating chest plate tells you when you’ve been tagged, and a computerkeeps score. After the game, compare scores and see who the ultimate Lazer Tag champion is.

In Boomers Game Room, everything from starship battle group to basketball, snowboarding, dance challenges and other fun are there for the taking.

Info: Open noon to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday; noon to 10 p.m. Friday; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and noon to 7 p.m. Sunday

Boomers: 3100 Airport Road, Boca Raton; phone, boomersparks.com/boca

Palm Beach Post staffer Michelle Kelley contributed to this report. 

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Best indoor activities: West Palm Beach for kids, adults, escape rooms