While the City of Minot offers a surprisingly large amount of activities for people of all ages -despite the season- sometimes the drive to town can be just plain exhausting. If you’ve got little kids who just need an hour or two of play time out of the house, or maybe you’re still working on your winter driving skills, driving on a blustery Highway 83 doesn’t seem like too much fun. Either way, here are a few of the fun places to go right here on MAFB all winter long!

1. .Bowl at Rough Rider Lanes– The bowling alley on base is open, and perfect for ALL ages. They have bumpers for the littles and offer fun night events for the adults too. It is a perfect way to fill up a weekend out of the house this winter.
   Open Thurs 4- 9pm & Fri/Sat 5- 9pm.
2. Have a meal at The Bomber Bistro– This food service marks the restaurant itself, but within the building is a coffee shop, the B-Fifty- Brew, and a play area, Little Riders. The play area is filled with a playscape, crawling areas and large soft building blocks. This area is geared for kids under 10, but all ages enjoy a great time. Plus, Little Riders is open whenever the Bistro is, so take a weekday lunch or dinner and enjoy a meal that you didn’t have to cook while the kids run around.
   Also inside this building is the Minot AFB ESC which is a location for Airmen to take in a movie, do some gaming and enjoy company.
3. Run around at The Turf– Basically, this is a very large space, open 24-hours, where anyone can go to kick around a soccer ball, hang with friends or bring scooters and skates for the kids to roll around at any time. It is located adjacent to the Northern Lights Chapel, seen from Missile Ave. The Turf is available to rent for large events and there once was a sign on the door giving instructions about how to reserve. Although Beware: you may show up at any time, but there is not a good system in place to determine when the space is reserved, so you may show up only to have to leave because it has been rented, which is always a bummer for the kiddos. It doesn’t happen too much, but look out for it on busy weekends.
4. Splash at the Housing Office Play Area & Splash Pad– The MAFB Homes has a neat little facility that hosts an enclosed indoor playground for younger kids and a separate space for the indoor splash pad, which is fun for all ages. Although temporarily closed for repairs, a Resident Council Member said that they are fixing some issues but hope to get it re-opened before the end of winter 2023.
5. Have Lunch at Rockers– This one is geared a little bit more towards adults, but they are open for lunch for all M-F 11-2pm for all ages.
6. Find a good read at the Base Library– The winter is a perfect time to expand the mind and escape to an imaginary warm location. Books can do just that! Stop by the base library to find a new read, take a class or participate in their multitude of games and activities offered.
7. Take a Fitness Class at the McAdoo Fitness Center – The gym on base offers a wide range of classes open to AD and dependents. To find out what is happening when go to their website>>> https://5thforcesupport.com/calendar/
8. Swim at the Indoor Pool– The indoor pool is located in the rear of the McAdoo Fitness Center and is open to lap swimming and families too. They have some toys, small floats and even a small slide. They just extended their hours and as of Jan 6, 2023 the hours are: M/W/F 6am-6pm | T/Th 8am-6pm | Sat 10-2pm. The current hours allow the pool to be open even when the building is unmanned, but each adult will need an access card to get inside. The pool is closed outside of the set hours.
9. Learn a New Skill at Arts & Crafts– They have all sorts of classes including epoxy classes, acrylic painting and more! There are even specials sometimes for single Airmen or deployed spouses. Check out the website to inquire about classes today! https://5thforcesupport.com/arts-crafts/