Birthday Parties, sometimes I am so excited to plan a birthday for my kids and other times the thought of having a party makes me want to curl up in the fetal position. In fact, after we had a birthday party at my house for my son with his entire kindergarten class, I vowed to never have a birthday party at our house again! It was sooooo exhausting. Thus, we have created a list of birthday party places that you can take your kiddo and their friends. laces – A Complete Guide to the fun places kids love!
Birthday Party Places – A Complete Guide to the fun places kids love!
Why go somewhere for a birthday party vs. at home?
Here are my reasons why it’s better to have a birthday party outside the home.
- Clean up – There are no kids jumping on your couches, no floors to sweep, no dishes to do.
- Stress of Entertaining Kids – I do not have to be the entertainer – I am not the entertainer in the house, my husband is, and even he prefers the kid’s birthday parties somewhere else because it is not easy entertaining a bunch of kids
- Cost – What? you might say, sometimes I found my self paying more for our in-home parties because we ordered extra food that wasn’t needed, brought in entertainment, paid for decorations. It seemed like it was costing more or the same as heading out.
The Classics Birthday Party Places
Bowling
One very common yet fun option for a child’s birthday party is none other than bowling! One perk of planning a bowling birthday party is usually that there are quite a few locations to be able to choose from, so you’re not just subject to one and only one. Bowling alleys, such as, Brunswick Bowling, offer multiple birthday party packages, ranging in price and what is included. For the most part, all bowling alley birthday parties include pizza, soda, and shoes for a minimum of 8 bowlers, and a maximum of up to 16. In addition, you’ll want to book at least 3 days in advance to reserve your spot, as bowling alleys tend to be very popular!
Roller Rinks/ Ice Skating Rinks
Roller skating is making a comeback and is perfect for the birthday boy or girl. Skate on over to a roller rink and see what all the fun is about! With different packages available, you’ll be sure to find something that fits your every need. Keep in mind, when planning your birthday party; rates tend to be higher on the weekend (Fri/Sat/Sun), with midweek rates running at a lower price point. Regardless of the chosen day, it’ll be one to remember! You can find the nearest roller rink here!
Family Fun Parks – Mini Golf/Arcade
Oh, the days of mini golf and pizza. I remember when I was a kid how excited I was to go to the mini golf with friends for a birthday party. The only consideration is good weather as most mini golf is located outside.
Movie Theaters
If your child is really into watching movies or a movie is coming out they are super excited to see, don’t discount renting out a movie theater as a birthday party location! You don’t have to rent out the whole theater either as the movie theater will often simply reserve 15-30 seats at the best part of the theater for your party. Pizza and soda are included and are normally served in a private room. Popcorn is also included to enjoy during the movie! Often times, the movie theater company, such as Regal Cinemas, AMC, or Edwards Movie Theaters, will guide the birthday group during a ”˜behind the scenes’ on how a movie is displayed on to the big screen. The movie that is presented to the birthday party is your choice but must be chosen from the movies that are currently being shown in theaters.
Pizza & Arcade
Of course, there is always the classic pizza and arcade places. These places are great as they specialize in birthday parties and often have an assigned party planner so you don’t have to do anything. Plus, the pizza/arcade options have expanded dramatically since the days of when I was a kid and the main choice was Chuck E Cheese. Now there are massive establishments like Dave & Buster’s or John’s Incredible Pizza that has so much to entertain the kids.
New Popular Choices
Trampoline Parks
Jump on over to your local Trampoline Park for a stellar birthday party! Depending upon the package of your choosing, a private room, grip socks, and food will be provided for you and your party guests. If your children are a bit younger and smaller, a place such as Uptown Jungle would be a better option, as the ”˜playground’ is best set and scaled for younger children. You’ll need to make sure each attending guest that will be out playing and jumping signs a waiver specific to the facility.
Escape Rooms
One other really popular option for birthday parties is that of an escape room, such as The Great Escape, Brainy Actz, or The Great Escape. Dependent upon which room/party package is reserved, your child and their friends will be able to put their knowledge and team-collaborative skills to the test to try and solve the mystery at hand! Since some escape rooms can prove to be a bit scary or challenging for children, there are ”˜kid-friendly’ versions (ages 9-13) of escape room scenarios- simply ask for these when making your reservation! Here are the top 10 escape rooms in the nation according to Tripadvisor
Kart Racing
Last, but certainly not least, K1 Speed and Pole Position are here to fulfill your child’s racing dreams! Let them be the center of attention on and off the racetrack. With two private races, your child will be able to zoom and zip around the track with their friends and family, showing everyone what they’re made of! While a lot of these racing facilities differ in the way they make their reservations and what is included in each package available, the majority will offer the basics: two private races and a drink or snack voucher. Of course, there are many upgrades to pick from in case that isn’t enough for the planned party, such as a birthday cake or cupcakes, a private room for your party to enjoy, and even video game vouchers.
Indoor Rock Climbing
Another great birthday party place is indoor rock climbing. These places are popping up a lot lately and are a crazy amount of fun. Although, mom and dad, if you try it be prepared, it’s quite the workout.
Drive-Thru Dash Scavenger Hunt –
For this party you break up into two teams, in our case mom led one team and dad the other. The teams drive around the town trying to find items on the scavenger hunt with pitstops at local fast food joints. We started at the house, then met at In N’ Out for lunch and ended up at Wendy’s for dessert (my son loved Frosty’s) The kids had a blast looking for odd items around the town.
Smaller Party – Big Idea Options
Sometimes my kids want to do something big that costs a lot of money, well, in that case, the number of friends drops dramatically for our household budget. This can be a wide variety of activities that all cost a serious amount of dough, but when we reduced the number of kids the price of. the party was about the same.
Theme Parks
I am lucky to be in Southern California where there are a plethora of theme parks to go to and many a time my kids have wanted to take one or two friends to Knott’s Berry Farm, Disneyland or Universal Studios. While these options can be costly, when you only bring one or two kids it seems to be around the same price as having a big birthday party. Check out the local theme parks in your area as this has been one of our kids favorites
Sporting Event, Concert or Disney on Ice Tickets
With three boys, there were countless times they wanted to go to a football, basketball, or even hockey game with a friend. This was often a dad run birthday party experience. The boys have a blast talking about sports while mom gets to relax at home, ah sweet sweet heaven. If you don’t have a major league team, check out the minor league games around you, often times they are more fun because the team knows they have to entertain the fans to get them to come back.
On the other hand, my daughter used to love Disney on Ice, so I found myself taking a group of girls to see the Disney Princesses skate around (which was quite impressive by the way).
Party Options at Home
Game Truck
Ok, there is one option I did enjoy having at my house and that was a Game Truck, where basically a semi-truck pulls up to your house and the kids hop in for hours of video game entertainment. Perfect for my boys once they hit about 8 or 9 years old. Sure, every once in a while the kids came in for food and cake but there was barely a mess and I dod not have to entertain. Now that’s a win!
Visit from a Horse
One of my daughter’s favorite Birthday parties was when we had a Horse come and visit our house. All the kids enjoyed riding the horse around the back yard and our daughter’s smile was from ear to ear.
What are some of your favorite birthday party places you have been to with your kids? Let us know and we will add it to the list.
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