Have you ever wanted to take your gaming and playing to the next level? Experience never before seen games and interactive technology with Activate, located in Paradise Valley.

This location has recently opened with multiple locations opening across the U.S. Activate first started in Canada and it became popular and now has many locations around the globe. I was very fortunate to be invited, and test out Activate for myself.

Harry Potter is one of the most well-known and best-selling fantasy novels ever. Warner Bros. Pictures even produced multiple movies fans can enjoy based on the books written by J.K. Rowling. As the Harry Potter franchise grew in popularity, it almost seemed that the books were coming to life. There were people left and right dressed up as the characters, theme parks built the wizarding world, and fans began playing the magical sport of quidditch.

I have been learning Japanese for 459 days and counting. This is my story on learning a new language.

I never really considered learning a new language. I always thought, “Why bother with the hassle when I already know one language. Why would I need to learn an entirely new one?”

Have you ever experienced history being retold, but with a little twist? Well, meet Matthew Windham. Windham is the writer and main actor for the play “Simply Silly Shakespeare.”

Windham is from Flagstaff, Arizona, and went to college at the University of Utah. At a young age he was signed up for theater. He was interested in theater and the art of writing. He loved writing and sci-fi growing up. Later on, Windham came up with an idea to bring theater to younger audiences.

 Have you ever been to the Heard Museum? There are thousands of items on display there.

Marcus Monenerkit, Director of Community Engagement for the Heard Museum, had an interest in different cultures and diversity. “My dad traveled a lot and sent us postcards. When I got older, I still had the love. My father was a Comanche and my mother kept me connected with my father’s side. My grandmother spoke fluent Comanche.” Monenerkit started working at the Heard Museum in 1998.

 Colorful, splash of color, vibrant, fun, joyful and interesting! These are the words I am using to describe the Crayon Experience in Chandler.

When I first walked in the big door, there was a lot of color. It reminded me of a rainbow, only a splash of color. When I arrived at the experience I saw a machine that wrapped a custom crayon. The employees gave me coins and I was able to put it in the machine. The screen allowed me to put a message on the wrapper. Another station helped put on the custom wrapper.

 I was given a special opportunity to attend the Barrett-Jackson and SciTech Event in Scottsdale at Westworld. When we went to the event, the first thing I noticed was the huge banner that said, Barrett-Jackson, the World’s Greatest Car Auction. 

 I had the opportunity to visit the Hall of Flame Museum. It is a fire truck museum. They have firefighter uniforms, smoke jumper uniforms and hot shot uniforms on display.

Mark Moorhead, employee at the Hall of Flame Museum, says the oldest fire truck at the museum is the Newsham Manual Fire Engine from 1725. Richard Newsham from England created it.

 The RMS Titanic was a British passenger ship that sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on April 15, 1912, after hitting an iceberg. I have been interested in this famous ship and wanted to know more.

The Titanic commander was Captain Edward Smith. He went down with one of the largest ships of that time. According to Wikipedia, the Titanic carried some of the wealthiest people in the world. The ship also carried hundreds of emigrants from Great Britain, Ireland, Scandinavia and elsewhere throughout Europe, who were seeking a new life in the States.

 Imagine taking your dog to the Desert Botanical Garden. I got to take mine because of a special event at the Desert Botanical Garden.

Susan Rubin is the special event coordinator for Desert Botanical Garden. The Desert Botanical was founded by Gustov Stark and a woman named Gertrude. According to Rubin, there are many botanical gardens all over the world. Some states include: Hawaii, Georgia, New York and there are even ones in Tucson and Globe, here in Arizona.