Has anyone been to Going Bonkers in Lewisville? I am trying to plan my son's 3rd birthday party in February and was wondering if anyone has been here or been to a birthday party here.
Or does anyone have any reccomendations for a birthday party that will that will have 8 - 12 chilren age 1 1/2 to 5 years old in the middle of February?
Thanks!
I would go to a place that you can have a private party like Pump It Up, Win Kids, or another place like those.
I wrote about my experience at Going Bonkers on Burbmom.net here: http://burbmom.net/going-bonkers/
(there are also pictures there).
Going Bonkers is one of our favorite places. It is huge, good for various levels of ages and has Wi-Fi. My three boys ages 3, 5 and 7 love it.
I took my son to a child's 3rd birthday there on a Sat. afternoon and will never go back-at least at a busy time-until my kids are much older. Complete chaos!!!
MB,
I agree with the majority of other moms so far, I would wait a few years until the age of the attendees is older. I took my twins there on their third birthday last June (not a party, just family time) and I felt myself feeling pretty stressed because it is so big and the other kids who are much older fly through the equipment like they are in a basic training excercise paying little attention to smaller children trying to navigate ladders and steps, etc. I'm not saying it couldn't be a great party but maybe a bit soon for the ages you have described. Best wishes to you wherever you choose to celebrate :-)
This place is way too chaotic for a 3 year old party. I've been to a 5 year old party there and that is the youngest I would consider. It's not private at all and I often found myself having to check to make sure my son was okay. The staff is terrible and does not supervise the children whatsoever!
Going Bonker is a fun place for the kids. I've attended a b-day party there before as well as gone just to let my daughter play. The only problem is that it can get really crowded there somethimes. I have not been in a while though, just in the early days right after they first opened up. Maybe it is much calmer now.
I would highly suggest the Little Gym. They do AWESOME b-day parties. Especially for that age group and yes your party will be private. The kids and guests fill have full run of the entire gym, no one else will be there other then the staff that's there for you. They also do a great job of making the b-day child feel really special.
Oh my gosh! My kids and guests loved it! I have 2 boys, 6 and 5 yrs old. My neices and nephews range from 2 to 9 - they all had a blast. The party rooms are a bit tight, especially if you will have adults attending - but an overall wonderful experience. We might just go next time and have all of the children meet us there and pay for them without doing the boxed party, since we have such a big group - but for a small group, I think the rooms would probably be better. And they have a pretty good menu - not just pizza. My kids can't wait to go back. They have an arcade, but none of our group even went up there - the kids really loved that their parents were allowed to follow them into the play area. I had so much fun, but discovered how badly out of shape I am. :)
It's a big place and some smaller children may get scared because it is like a huge maze. They can climb pretty high up and it is safe, but then they have to figure out how to get back down. Parents are allowed to climb too. There is a small separate area for crawlers and those younger ones. On the weekends, it feels like a zoo....lots of noise and kids running everywhere. Also you can't bring in any outside food or drinks, but there is a concession stand there.
We attended a birthday party there this time last year and the kids had a ball (the ages at the time were 3 to 4). I will say that a weekend birthday party will have to contend with more non-party kids than a weekday party since the play time is not private. However, that didn't seem to be a big deal when we were there. It didn't stop the kids from having a great time.
If you are looking for alternatives:
BounceU just opened a Carrollton location. We're planning to do my son's party there this year. http://www.bounceu.com/party-places-for-kids/texas/carrol...
For my son's 3rd birthday we used Adventure Kids in Plano. There are other areas if that's too far. http://web.adventurekidsplaycare.com/birthday.html
We've also enjoyed parties at The Little Gym in Carrollton but they also have other locations.
Good luck and I hope your son has a fabulous birthday!
We had my daughter's 6th birthday party there. I agree with the comments about it being a bit chaotic and busy for kids that young. For the age group you are looking for, I would recommend The Little Gym. We have had a few parties at the one in Carrollton (Old Denton and Hebron). You have the place to yourself, it accomodates a wide range of ages, and they handle everything. We've had great experiences there.
As for our Going Bonkers experience, I was very pleased with the party booking and host. I wanted to include siblings and they allowed me to pay general admission for younger siblings rather than the party rate per child. They called the day before and confirmed everything. It was a good experience and I would have a party there again.
Haven't had a party there, but I think it really would be a mistake to have a party for a 3 year old there. My son just turned 3 last month and does enjoy going there. He is pretty tough and the climbing and heights don't bother him at all... BUT it can get crazy with bigger kids, and i don't think they do private play time. I won't even take my son there without someone else to help me take care of my baby because I cannot in good conscience let him go up and play without my being able to watch him CONSTANTLY. You probably don't need that stress during a party. I know bigger kids don't mean to be cruel and just get overly excited, but I have seen them push little ones out of their way and climb all over them. I had to laugh last week when my son was sliding down the huge slide while others were climbing up it and he happily went under their bodies! Scared me silly at the time though! Anyway, for his birthday we did Chuck E Cheese. You could also do Little Gym, Pump It Up, or Wiggly Play Center.
You might consider Paradise Pond in Grapevine, located in the First Baptist Church. It may be more age appropriate for your group of kids, and their parties are private, so you would have the entire place to yourself. Also Little Gym does parties too, and it's a fun place too. I'm guessing they would be private. Hope this helps!
