After a long week, it’s tempting to lounge around at home all weekend. But these offbeat adventures are worth getting off the couch for.
Teatro ZinZanni. Teatro ZinZanni, with locations in San Francisco and Seattle, provides a rare combination of European cabaret, circus artistry, music, comedy, and interactive theater in a nightclub setting. Plus, you can watch the performance while eating a gourmet dinner. From $100 per person, including dinner. San Francisco: Pier 29, The Embarcadero; 415∙438∙2668. Seattle: 222 Mercer Street; 206∙802∙0015; zinzanni.org
Lily Dale. Since its inception in 1879, Lily Dale has been considered one of the world’s largest psychic communities. Affiliated with the Spiritualist religion, they’re known for clairvoyant demonstrations, mediums, healers, and lectures on psychic phenomena by scientific researchers, as well as readings by certified psychics. Other attractions include a Fairy Trail with authentic gnome houses and pink fairies on trees. It’s also the place for departed pets whose spirits commune at the Pet Cemetery. Guest houses and hotels—some open year-round—are authentically Victorian: no electricity, AC, or telephones. Though you’re roughing it, it’s cheap: Rooms from $49 per night; 24-hour passes cost $10, June–August; in the off-season Lily Dale is free and open to the public. Cost of passes does not include psychic readings. Cassadaga Lake, 5 Melrose Park, Lily Dale, N.Y.; 716∙595∙8721; lilydaleassembly.com
Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health. Not just a yoga retreat, Kripalu, located in the Berkshire Mountains of Massachusetts, provides training/certification in massage therapy and yoga, plus a myriad of New Age-type workshops like Shamanic Healing, Cherokee Bodywork, and Zen and the Art of Harmonica. They also have an incredible menu of massages and beautiful grounds, but beware the April snowstorms (happened last year), which can dampen outdoorsy enthusiasm. Accommodations are less than luxurious, but the foot massage is unforgettable. It actually cured my cold. Rooms from $ 176 a night, which includes lectures, workshops, and food (but not massage). Stockbridge, Mass.; 413.741.7353; kripalu.org
