UPDATED: Jan. 28, 2018 at 9:30 p.m.

As the biggest mall in New York state, Destiny USA is home to more than 250 sites for shopping, dining and entertainment, and about 26 million people visit the mall each year.

Besides the standard restaurants, retail stores and outlet sites Destiny offers, there are plenty of other options for indoor entertainment during the bitter cold winter, including a go-kart track, an amusement park and an escape-the-room attraction. Here’s a breakdown of some of the coolest places to keep warm this winter.

RPM Raceway

Madeline Foreman | Contributing Photographer

The RPM Raceway is an adult go-kart facility that offers a quarter-mile racetrack with electric vehicles that can reach speeds of up to 45 mph. The go-karts are safe enough for racers to use with no prior experience, but lessons can be scheduled for those interested in honing their skills.

RPM Raceway has three levels of racing difficulty: juniors, non-licensed racers and adult riders. During the winter months, the number of racers increases because of the large dirt racing community in the area, said Tim Farrance, the manager of RPM Raceway. The sound of the cars attracts people strolling through the mall, too, Farrance said.

The raceway offers monthly promotions. A “Beat the Winter Blues” promotion will be active for the rest of January. The promotion gives members a 50-percent discount on their next race if they put up the fastest lap time.

“If you’re a thrill seeker or speed enthusiast, (the raceway) is the safest way to go fast without getting a ticket,” Farrance said.

The raceway is open from noon to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, noon to 11 p.m. on Fridays, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sundays.

WonderWorks

Madeline Foreman | Contributing Photographer

WonderWorks is one of Destiny USA’s most popular entertainment sites, with more than 100 hands-on exhibits and activities, including LaserTag Combat Zone and Canyon Climb.

Laser tag gives groups a chance to compete against other opponents in a black-lit maze. Tickets are purchased in groups of three games.

Canyon Climb is the world’s largest suspended indoor ropes course at 70-feet tall with three separate levels. There are about 80 obstacles for its users to overcome throughout the course. It’s WonderWorks’ most popular attraction, said WonderWorks manager Nicole Montgomery, adding that the park’s best quality is its inclusive age range.

“(Anyone) can have a good time and get a really good value for the money they pay for fun memories and entertainment,” Montgomery said.

WonderWorks as a whole is open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays. Laser tag hours are the same Fridays through Sundays, but Monday through Thursdays laser tag hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Escape the Mystery Room

Madeline Foreman | Contributing Photographer

Escape the Mystery Room is an activity in which participants are locked in a room for 50 minutes and have to solve puzzles and riddles to get out of the room before time runs out. There are nine rooms with ranging difficulty levels in Destiny’s escape-the-room attraction.

In the Escape From Alcatraz scenario, participants are locked in a prison cell and tasked with following clues to break out of jail between the guards’ shift change.

The attraction is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.

CORRECTION: In a previous version of this post, Tim Farrance was misnamed. The Daily Orange regrets this error.

Published on January 28, 2018 at 8:45 pm

Contact Amanda: aebyrne@syr.edu