Indoor recreation, pools ways to beat summer heat

When temperatures of summer skyrocket, acknowledging that it's "a dry heat" goes only so far. Locals find ways to cope .

Summerlin-area resident Pamela Schaefer made sure any activities with her now-grown children were accomplished before things heated up.

"We'd scheduled everything before noon," she said. "Whatever we were doing, it had to be done by noon."

Taking the Ice Box Canyon hike in the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area was an outdoor treat where she bent the rules a little.

"It'd be 20 degrees cooler there. It was a warm hike but worth it," she said.

Tia May is a stay-at-home mom and part-time photographer. She and her husband, Brett, have a daughter, Teagan, 5, and a son, Camden, 2½. They live in T he Vistas village in Summerlin and have four parks within walking distance. They use them after the sun gets low.

"We have great walking trails," she said. "But when it's over 100 (degrees), that's my breaking point. We may go out, but we don't stay long."

She takes the children to the Summerlin Library, 1771 Inner Circle Drive, or shows her Summerlin ID to get into T he Willows pool, even though the couple have their own backyard pool .

"They have a beach entry there, so he feels more secure," she said of her son. "Plus, there's a slide."

So, where can Summerlin-area residents go to enjoy summer without risking heat stroke?

Pole Position Raceway, 7350 Prairie Falcon Road, lets one race electric cars for that wind-in-the-face thrill. The adult cars go up to 45 mph, and each session is 15 laps or about 10 minutes duration, depending on the weight of your foot.

The children's electric race cars top out at 25 mph. Best of all, the air conditioning is kept at 74 degrees.

"There's no heat from electric cars," said John Yalda, manager. "And you don't get fumes like cars give off."

Nevada residents get a preferred rate of $20 with a photo ID. Hours are from 1 to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday. For more information, call 277-7223 or visit polepositionraceway.com.

King Putt, 7230 W. Lake Mead Blvd., offers indoor miniature golf with glow-in-the-dark courses. The jungle-theme spot has tongue-in-cheek cuteness that's enhanced by the black-light effect.

General admission is $8.50, and students, seniors and military personnel pay $7. Golfers 3 or younger are free with a paid adult. Play a second round on the same day for $4.

Summer hours are noon to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, noon to 1 a.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday. For more information, call 430-8145 or visit kingputtlv.com.

The Las Vegas Sportspark, 1400 N. Rampart Blvd., offers a variety of options under its huge roof. Soccer is the mainstay, but there's also basketball.

Soccer fees are $95 for adults and require a $25 membership fee, good for one year. The children's soccer is $99. For more information, call 233-3600 or visit iloveindoorsoccer.com.

Red Rock Resort, 11011 W. Charleston Blvd., offers bowling for all ages. Red Rock Lanes has 72 lanes at its state-of-the-art facility. A game room and deli snack bar mean no one has to walk through the casino .

A Summer Bowling Movie Camp is offered from 1 to 3 p.m. Wednesdays for those 18 or older . Get two hours of bowling, shoes, a hot dog, chips, a soda and a movie for $15. Upcoming movies include "Megamind," "Iron M an," "Cars" and "Up ."

Cosmic bowling is offered Friday and Saturday nights. For more information, call 797-7467 or visit redrocklasvegas.com.

The Suncoast, 9090 Alta Drive, has 64 lanes of fun at its bowling center, which was voted best bowling center in the valley by readers of the Las Vegas Review-Journal in the Best of Las Vegas poll in 2001, 2003 and 2007.

From 9 p.m. Saturdays until 2 a.m., the place turns into a disco with music, video and lights for c osmic b owling.

New for the lanes: Kidz Klub. Youngsters up to 14 can join free and get one free game of bowling every weekday from 3 to 5 p.m. Just pay for shoe rental. Additional games can be purchased for $1 per game.

Kidz Klub members must have adult supervision while bowling. For more information, call 636-7111 or visit suncoastcasino.com.

Movie theater s make for a great get away from the heat. Regal Cinemas is offering value days at select locations. Visit regmovies.com and click on the participating locations for show times and tickets. Actual discount, days and times may vary by location. Additional 3D or IMAX up-charges may apply. Holidays may be excluded.

In the Summerlin area, theater s include Regal Red Rock Stadium 16 & IMAX and Regal Village Square 18, 9400 W. Sahara Ave.

Some city parks offer water features operated through motion detectors. They spring to life when someone walks near. In the Summerlin area, two such parks are Bruce Trent Park, 1600 N. Rampart Blvd., and Mountain Crest Park, 4701 N. Durango Drive.

Tivoli Village's children's area is designed by Creative Play, a park and playground development company in Nevada. The playground features nature-inspired fun -- if the tree house looks like real wood, that's because it was molded directly from nature -- for children of all abilities.

"This playground goes beyond accessibility," said Malcolm Hunt, general manager of Creative Play.

It, too, has motion-activated sprays of water for cooling off.

Water features are fun, but nothing beats a cannon ball into a pool. Pavilion Center Pool, 101 S. Pavilion Center Drive, is an Olympic-size, deep-water community pool.

Open swim hours are from noon to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday. It's open from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Cost is $2 for adults, $1.50 for senior citizens and $1 for children. For more information, call 229-1488.

Bubble Swim School, 5300 W. Charleston Blvd., has open swim times for the public from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Saturdays. The cost is $3 for adults and $1 for those 12 or younger . It also offers free swim lessons.

Owner David Perkins said one can forget they're in the desert and 100-degree weather.

"In the water, it's a different world," he said.

For more information, call 368-7946 or visit bubbleswimschool.com.

The city of Las Vegas Durango Hills Community Center, operated by the YMCA of Southern Nevada at 3521 N. Durango Drive, has a giant outdoor pool capable of handling 800 people.

One does not have to be a YMCA member to access the pool. Open swim is offered from noon to 5 p.m. daily. Cost is $5, and those 3 or younger are free. The YMCA also offers swim lessons.

The YMCA's Sizzling Summer pass is available through July 31. Passes are good for four months of unlimited YMCA access. Cost is $109 for an individual and $209 for a family.

"For countless families, summertime means Y time," said Mike Lubbe, YMCA of Southern Nevada president and CEO. "Childhood obesity is on the rise, schools have transitioned to a nine-month calendar and people want affordable, safe options. We're ... happy to be a solution."

For more information, visit lasvegasymca.org and click on "membership," visit the front desk or call 240-9622.

Contact Summerlin and Summerlin South View reporter Jan Hogan at jhogan@viewnews.com or 387-2949.