Algonquin, IL Indoor Activities

Even with a lot of spare time, it's tough to fit a basketball game, a streetcar race, and an appearance on The Price is Right all into the same day. At Spare Time, however, the harsh realities of a normal schedule doesn't apply—one can fit virtual versions of all three activities into a single afternoon. There, gamers virtually breeze from rounds of Deal or No Deal to the hectic mazes of Ms. Pac-Man or the quiet hunting grounds of Big Buck Hunter. Ensuring a fresh rotation of new experiences, the staff constantly updates the library with new selections of both classic and modern games. Beyond the arcade cabinets and pinball machines, visitors can also play games in pursuit of plush prizes, just like real-life stockbrokers. The arcade also hosts birthday parties and other events in partnership with the attached bowling alley, Don Carter Lanes.

Playnasium inspires imaginations inside pint-size frames as kids cavort on sock-clad feet about the approximately 1,800-square-foot facility. Geared toward children aged 6 and younger, the indoor playground showcases a wealth of active options to entertain children as snow and wintry winds roost in outdoor jungle gyms. Kids whip up imaginary snacks in play kitchens, safely leap around in a net-enclosed bounce house, and draft declarations of their pillow fort’s national sovereignty from the coloring area's diminutive picnic tables. Staffers clean and disinfect the entire playroom daily with nontoxic and eco-friendly products to protect budding tots. Playnasium serves up piping-hot coffee to keep parents' tummies toasty, and lunches may be brought from home to refuel tuckered-out tykes. After scheduling an appointment ahead of time, verifying their children's health, and filling a knapsack with a day's supply of snacks, parents can drop their kids off for up to 4 hours of Playnasium-provided childcare and go tend to adult duties.

Playnasium shutters its doors during birthday parties, granting hosts and their guests unfettered access to the facilities’ attractions. Plates, napkins, and utensils will be provided to accompany food and cake brought by the client. The facility’s dedicated staff lends a hand to parents by helping to set up the room prior to the party and cleaning up any messes or leaky big-wheel motors afterward.

Situated inside the historic Power & Light building, the Geneva Lake Museum replicates Lake Geneva’s Main Street from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Inside the museum, visitors stroll around admiring the turn-of-the-century Georgian and Italianate architecture that forms historic stores, a school room, and a 1920s dental workstation, among other spaces. Guests may walk into the rooms themselves and closely examine old-fashioned farm implements, a telephone switchboard, or Potawatami tools and arrowheads. Beyond Main Street, museum visitors can study up on Frank Lloyd Wright’s Hotel Geneva or the Chicago & North Western Railway. Sightseers can also explore Lake Geneva, the city’s namesake and a 7.6-mile body of water that empties into the White River. The lake is surrounded by a 23-mile public path, which makes the area attractive to Midwesterners who want to take a scenic day trip or ducks that want to train for a marathon.

America's Action Territory encourages familial bonding through amusements in session year-round indoors and seasonally outdoors. During warm weather, the park staff operates six outdoor activities, from bumper boats in a 75,000-gallon pool to paintball on a 20,000-square-foot inflatable field. Back inside, kids can enter the smoky, black-lit laser-tag arena to demonstrate who is most deserving of parents' love, or challenge their progenitors to skee-ball at the arcade. Between games, an eatery supplies patrons with refreshments such as sandwiches, chicken strips, and pizzas on crust made without gluten or lasers. It also offers a wine and beer list for adults, as well as free WiFi. For special occasions, Action Territory's team can also arrange birthday parties and organize group packages.

Disappointed by the relative lack of comedies at film festivals, independent filmmaker Jessica Hardy founded Chicago Comedy Film Festival last year as a much-needed outlet for comedic expression. Now in their second year, Hardy and her staff have picked another round of humorous flicks to the screen over the three-day, second-annual laugh fest, screening both independent feature films and shorts.

Films on Friday include Servitude, starring Kids in the Hall and NewsRadio actor Dave Foley as the manager of a Western-themed restaurant’s overworked staff. Earlier in the day is the screening of Close Quarters, a flick starring renowned local actors T.J. Jagodowski, Susan Messing, and Gregory Hollimon as they debate love, friendship, and jealousy—all over some coffee.

On Saturday, catch the Midwest premiere of Bad Parents, where Janeane Garofalo and Cheri Oteri play stressed-out soccer moms trying to communicate with their inanimate soccer-ball children. On Sunday, those with VIP passes can attend the award ceremony, as well as the after-party at Rockit Bar & Grill.