Always looking for fun places to host your children’s birthdays near Orange County? I know for me, the stress revolving cost, location, their services etc. can make me pull my hair out. Here are a few places we have had our birthdays and our experiences. I am not affiliated with or partner with any of these places:
A place offering miniature golf, laser tag, arcades, bumper boats, climbing wall, batting cages, go karts, and small rides. Depending on the birthday package, you can select how many attractions you would like to include, but the basic package includes miniature golf and a play card that can be used for something of your choice.
Positives: Includes pizza and hi-c for each child, table with a host and package choices that include more attractions if you are interested.
Negatives: Weather can determine the outdoor activities. They still have an arcade, but the party includes the outdoor miniature golf and can also include the outdoor attractions. Once they eat, the kids can roam the entire premise so there is no control of where the children spread out to.
My 2 Cents: This is a fun place for any age, but for younger children parents should plan to come to supervise since there are no controls of where the children play or if they exit the premises. Boomers has a deal for 4 hours of unlimited use of Miniature Golf, Go-Karts, Bumper Boats, Rock Wall, King Arthur’s Carnival ,Flame Thrower, Laser Tag and Lil Go-Karts so if young kids has access to these, it is hard to track them. However, it may be perfect for older kids who do not require such supervision.
Chuck E Cheese (Orange vs Foothill Ranch)
A pizza place that has games tailored for children. Redemption games pay-out tickets that are then put into the ticket eaters and can be used to redeem prizes. With a birthday party, the group has time to play and a time for a Chuck E Cheese show in the eating area.
Positives: All kids of all ages love this place. From video games, to ski ball, photo booth and small rides, the place is open to the public but has a system where children and parents get a stamp so no child is released without a parent with a matching stamp. Parties include kids pizzas, drinks, paper products, tokens, show and a host. Can bring in own cake and ice cream.
Negatives: For young children, supervision is still needed since it is open to the public (no private room).
My 2 Cents: Great for kids up to 9 years old. Some older kids may enjoy it, but they might prefer John’s Incredible Pizza. The cheapest package I found for a birthday party with 10-20 kids was at Chuck E Cheese. I prefer the Foothill Ranch location due to the cleanliness, how modern it is and the layout. The Orange location was smaller and an older facility. If you are hosting at Foothill Ranch, parents who drop off their children can shop at the many shops surrounding Chuck E Cheese (Michaels, Hobby City, Target, Wal Mart etc etc).
Bowling alley. To be honest, we took advantage of their ‘special’ that they sometimes offer (through their e.mail or through groupon) so we automatically got the Deluxe Package for a great price.
Positives: Includes a table behind your assigned lanes with the option to pay for a private party room. Different weight bowling balls and a metal rack to roll the ball down for smaller kids who can not ‘bowl’ the ball themselves. Cake can be brought in and they supply ice cream
Negatives: Although you are assigned lanes for our party, it is still an open area so you must make sure kids do not wander to the arcade games or off the premises.
My 2 Cents: With the deal we got, it included pizza for the children. I am not sure how much it costs if you bought the basic package but bought additional food through them. Consider the age of the kids when booking a bowling party. When attending a party at age 4-5, many of the children were not interested in bowling a second round. But a fun way to celebrate, especially for older kids and through teenage years.
John’s Incredible Pizza (Buena Park)
Check out the facility Kids of all ages have fun with the options of Bumper Cars, Twister, Frog Hopper, Bowling, Laser Tag, Incredible Express Roller Coaster, Glow Golf and over 100 of the latest Video and Redemption Games. Redemption games pay-out tickets that are then put into the ticket eaters and can be used to redeem incredible prizes from John’s redemption counter.
Positives: Most of the packages comes with their all-you-can eat buffet which has desserts too, so a cake is not necessary. A private party room and host is included.
Negatives: The play are is open to the public so supervision may be necessary for the younger children. The private party rooms fit a maximum of 16 guests, but some rooms can open a wall to host 32 guests max. With the buffet style, younger children may need assistance with food, instead of simply being supplies with food.
My 2 Cents: This place reminds me of Chuck E Cheese but on a much bigger scale. I can see that Johns Incredible Pizza may cater to a larger age group with some of the different rides and arcades it offers. The kids had a lot of fun and it was nice with a buffet. The only downside was the party room. Although there are open public areas to eat, the room itself was tight. Once you can no longer stay in your private room, there are public eating areas but one of the areas is closed off so the arcade area is not visible from the room. Fun place if you like Chuck E Cheese, but want a little more variety for older children.
Indoor obstacle course, play structure, climbing wall and bounce house.
Positives: Different sections for kids to play in, including a small section for kids 3 and under, climbing wall, shooting gallery that shoots out nerf balls, a structure to walk through tubes/down slides and through nets and a separate bounce house. Wrist band system so no child can leave without matching wristbands. Very clean and host included with a private party room. There is a small area to eat snacks and it has wi-fi.
Negatives: The play area is open to the public so it is harder to track where the kids are.
My 2 Cents: I think kids under the age of 9 may enjoy this place best. The party room is rather small, but it is a basic party room. Kids had fun climbing through the play structures. Some very young kids got scared in the shooting arena, when the middle structure shoots out a blast of air that pops out a bunch of nerf balls into the air.
Live interactive laser tag with high tech equipment. It combines hide-and-seek with the laser tag over multi-level arenas.
Positives: Private party room and fun way to interact with guests. Parents have the option of bringing their children in for a tour prior to booking the party and paying the deposit.
Negatives: Recommended age is 7. The 2 games are mixed in with other parties so if the age difference is large, it may be overwhelming for the little kids mixed in with older kids.
My 2 Cents: Arty attended a 7th birthday party here. A few of the boys were scared of the dark and some did not like battling slightly older kids. But the kids who didn’t mind the dark and the environment thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Is a great place to simply drop off your kids for the party and pick up afterwards.
Irvine’s museum with interactive play for children. A miniature city that includes a café where they can prepare their favorite foods, a garden where they can plant and pick fruits and vegetables, a stage to dress up and dance, a small workshop with tools and much more!
Positives: Private party room for 1 hour, unlimited time in the museum until closing following time in private party room. One return pass for all party children, two hosts, you can bring in your own food. There are other options for birthday parties.
Negatives: Although the package includes 30 guests, accompanying parents count as one guest, so if you are inviting little children, you must account for the parent also. The museum is mixed in with the public so it is difficult to track where the children are. The basic package does not include any paper products.
My 2 Cents: Kids absolutely love this hands-on museum. It is especially great for kids ages 2-7, although older kids may still find it fun. It is a more expensive place to have a birthday party especially since guests include accompanying parents. However, it is educational and fun and the museum is small enough that you will still run into your guests within the museum. And what a party favor in itself with one free ticket to return at a later date.
Pump It Up (Lake Forest vs Irvine)
Pump It Up is a great inflatable private jump place with a required 34″ height. Both locations have primarily the same types of inflatables, ‘themed’ parties and a host.
Positives: Private party (not mixed in with the public), kids play in one room and then get transferred to second room with different play things in it, have a host to help you throughout the event, not weather dependent. Can bring in your own cake, cupcakes, prepackaged chips, pretzels, candy, vegetable trays, and fruit trays to your party. Their DEALS are worth considering: Lake Forest Deals Irvine Deals
Negatives: Must order food through them, unless you get the Early Bird Special which allows cold food items in the morning.
My 2 Cents: My friends and I prefer the Lake Forest location due to the layout. The Lake Forest facility does not have any views blocked by any inflatables for parents observing, so it is much easier to see younger children at play in one of the two rooms. In the past, I found that Lake Forest prices are slightly cheaper and have more deals offered. It seems kids much younger than 3 don’t always enjoy Pump It Up it as much due to them being frightened of the noise or even the jumping.
This three story indoor play area has bouncers, slides, and obstacle courses which will keep your children active and entertained. Private parties are held on weekdays and weekends and include designated play time, set-up and clean-up, paper products, and more depending on the package selected. Face painting is also included.
Positives: Many party options to choose from which includes a set amount of adults. With a private party option, your party has access to two play rooms without mixing in with the public. There are options that includes food and drinks. Free wi-fi for adults to enjoy. Each room has something for the children to enjoy, from bounce houses in one and the nerf air guns. It is fun to play in one room for 45 minutes, and switch to the next room with different play structures.
Negatives: If you choose a party option that does not include food, you can only bring in one approved side dish.
My 2 Cents: The place seemed a little older, but it was fun for kids of all ages and the kids would not notice this compared to other jump houses. Good for ages probably up to around 8-9. The prices for the packages seemed cheaper than other bounce houses.
The indoor inflatable destination has inflatable jumpers and structures that include some of the tallest and longest indoor inflatable slides in the area. During a 2.25 – 2.5 hour private birthday party, adults and kids can run, jump, slide, and zip. Depending on which room is chosen, guests will break either mid-way or at the end of playtime for food, cake, and other activities.
Positives: Private room with not only a large inflatable slide, but has a small area for 0-3 year olds, a mini zip line, air hockey and other fun things in the room to enjoy. There are options to bring in your own food for a fee, but there are many add-ons and options in the birthday packages.
Negatives: nothing other than things to consider in My 2 Cents
My 2 Cents: Some young kids (age 3) were too scared to enjoy the large inflatable slide, which was the main attraction in the room. There were still some things to play with, but it was pricey for a party that not all kids enjoyed. Long sleeves and long pants are advised since many children got rub ‘burns’ from sliding down the slide. I thought the food was a bit pricier at this facility, but it was nice to have the food area look out to the play area, so kids can eat and play and see each other. I like the private room but overall, it was a pricier option.
Trampoline, obstacle courses, swinging from a rope, jumpin in the foam pit are only some of the things kids (and adults) can enjoy. Fully hosted by two coaches.
Positives: Private party (entire gym is solely for your party) Great for any age. Parents do not have to interact and can observe from upstairs. Coaches organize games and help kids out on the floor. They set up the table and provide all paper products. You bring in whatever food you want and they will serve the kids.
Negatives: Only available for parties on Saturdays and Sundays
My 2 Cents: Great place for both boys or girls and for a larger age range of kids than other jump houses. I have known boys and girls turning 10 and above to still have parties here, while my kids at the age of 4-6 had parties here. A bit musty scent in the gym when they first open, but still a great place for a party! They are organized and truly serve the children. Make sure to book at least a month ahead since they fill up quickly.
my2centsmom 