a gu ide to s imc ha hs

Ari Katz, 8, of Bloomfield
Hills and Tal Rubin, 8, and

Daniel Ylyaguev, 7, both
of West Bloomfield, are
ready for serious fun at
Zap Zone.

Minus The Mess

There are plenty of options for children's parties away from home.

Beth Robinson Kellman I Special to the Jewish News

T

he door closes behind the reveler.
The last goody bag departs in the
sticky, happy hands of its new owner.
The piñata's remains are scattered amidt hundreds
of penny candy wrappers. The party's honoree sits in
a pile of presents, gleefully ripping open packages,
scattering wrapping paper and launching little plastic
pieces far and wide.
Cake is crushed into the carpet. Mom is torn
between collapsing in the middle of the mess and
grabbing a broom.
She has spent the last couple of days frantically
picking up paper goods, balloons and a birthday
cake, cleaning the house for company and lovingly
setting up crafts, stuffing goody bags and hanging
decorations.
Junior's delighted, but the house is toast.
Mom may be wondering if next year might be a
good time to create birthday memories elsewhere.
Whether the celebrant loves to pelt peers with
foam balls fired from air cannons or dress up like a
fairy princess and ride around town in a pink stretch
limo, parents can turn on birthday fun without trash-

C5 8

celebrate! I

March 2010

ing the old homestead.
In a recent Facebook poll, parents listed little
ones' fave party spots. Unsurprisingly, the operators
of each of these mentioned venues clean up as one
of the services they provide. Many provide everything
from invitations to food. All have party package pric-
ing.
If the Facebook sampling is any indication, what
kids love best is to run around and jump onto and
off of just about anything. Poll leaders were Zap Zone
and Pump It Up, with Paradise Park a very close
second.
Ilanit Rubin of West Bloomfield hosted a Zap Zone
party for son Tars eighth birthday. "When I said,
`Where do you want to go?' he said right away, 'Zap
Zone.' He's been in parties there before and he loved
the laser tag." The Zap Zones in Farmington Hills and
Waterford have added inflatable Jump Zones to a
list of activities that includes laser tag, mini bowling,
glow golf, bumper cars and go karts.
Paradise Park in Novi also "has a little bit of
everything," says Cheryl Grove of Novi. Typically, she
says celebrations there are laser tag parties. Paradise

Park has both indoor and outdoor activities, including
miniature golf, climbing walls, a trampoline center, go
karts, soccer cages, laser tag and arcade games.
Of course, Pump it Up, with locations in Wixom and
Auburn Hills, is a perennial favorite. They move kids
through a session on their inflatables and have birth-
day treats in a party room with assembly line preci-
sion. Menashe and Aliza Shemesh of West Bloomfield
entertained daughters Ma'ayan, 5, and Leenoy, 7,
and friends for a double birthday party there. "It's a
no-brainer for the parents," says Menashe Shemesh.
"They (the kids) are getting wild. That's all they like."
Another popular venue for the active set is the
Goldfish Swim School. The Birmingham facility fea-
tures warm water and shallow pools, says owner Chris
McCuiston. There are also family changing rooms and
an extensive array of pool toys. McCuiston says the
hands-on staff allows "mom and dad to come in and
socialize with the other parents and watch their kids
have fun."
Foam Dimensions in Bloomfield Hills is another
place parents can "turn 'em loose," says owner Nick
Ladney. The facility features a two-story play structure