Theme & Amusement Parks in Bear

Inflated structures, slides, and games fill the climate-controlled environs of the numerous BounceU locations that speckle the nation. At each site, staff members closely monitor all activities as little ones traverse obstacle courses or pull on oversized inflatable boxing gloves. The crew also invites parents to join in on the fun, letting them bounce alongside their kids or make sweeping edicts from atop a bouncy-castle throne. In addition to open sessions, the indoor-play haven sets the stage for the Preschool Playdate program, where instructors lead games and activities. Special events include family-bounce night, which lets parents join in the bouncing or relax in the party room and do grownup things, such as eat marshmallows with a knife and fork.

Fog floods the 6,000-square-foot arena as youngsters race behind glowing crates and walls to escape lasers, thus fulfilling the business's Active Play Active Kids philosophy of getting wee ones on their feet and keeping them moving. At the nine-hole indoor golf course, glow-in-the-dark games take place with the aid of illumined putters and firefly caddies. The laser maze's 30 crisscrossing beams put participants' coordination to the test as they navigate through, and the glowing Lightspace Play Floor accommodates up to four players trying to copy each others' dance moves. At the snack station, kids can recharge with pizza and nachos before challenging friends to air-hockey bouts in an arcade with more than 35 games.

Arnold's Family Fun Center's 200,000-square foot facility buzzes with flashing lights, bright colors, and adrenaline-fueled activities suitable for all ages. Guests use softball-sized bowling balls to bust birds masquerading as pins during rounds of duckpin bowling, and black-light mini golf plunges putters into the depths of an ocean reef as they fight radiant octopi and pirates. More than 75 go-karts speed around two racetracks, and bumper cars let drivers explore the safer side of road rage. Inside one of the largest arcades in the area, guests try their luck at more than 200 arcade games, including favorites such as Deal or No Deal, Big Buck Hunter Safari, and Guitar Hero. A bounce area keeps young feet busy, and a pizza and salad buffet refuel energy reserves before rigorous games of laser tag.

Arms folded across her chest, the young girl rides a spouting cascade of water through the pitch-black tube, squealing with each twist and turn afforded by the snaking confines. Just as it seems as though the darkness will never lift, sunlight pours onto her face as she is spit out into a crystal-blue pool below. This high-adrenaline ride is the reward for being brave enough to tackle the Midnight Run, one of Splash Zone’s numerous waterslides.

Nestled in the heart of Wildwood, the aquatic adventureland evokes whoops and squeals from visitors of all ages with more than 16 splash-laden rides and activities. The gentle ebb of Rivy’s River carries inner-tubing guests along at a relaxed pace, and the interactive water playground in Giggle Bay ensures that the young adventurers remain hydrated thanks to a constantly tipping bucket filled with 1,000 gallons of water. Their new attraction, Flowhouse, combines surfing, snowboarding, and skateboarding with a continuous 40-ft. wave for a new sport available for all ages. As aquanauts explore the waters, Splash Zone’s crew of certified lifeguards and sunglass-clad Saint Bernards remain on hand to ensure safety, and an onsite first-aid station offers remedies for a variety of ailments. Along with watery pastimes, Splash Zone offers sunbathing areas to facilitate leisurely tanning, and the Zone Grill where chefs forge fire-licked eats for hungry guests.

For four decades, Putt-Putt Golf and Games has hosted friendly competition with four putt-putt golf courses and an array of games. Colorful blossoms and rocky waterfalls add character to 18-hole putt-putt golf courses, and creative hole designs add challenge. Groups of partygoers can request a staff chaperone to guide them through the labyrinth and hand over a treasure map to the course’s bounty of nougat-filled golf balls.

In the Game Zone, visitors settle competitive challenges at an air-hockey table or face-off against digital emissaries in the Terminator Salvation arcade game. Outside, the Jump Shot is a trampoline basketball hoop that launches athletes toward slam-dunks in lower orbit.

Children crawl, climb, and careen through The Little Treehouse's sprawling wonderland, pausing only to dine with their parents at a café that Main Line Today named one of 2011's Best Restaurants for Kids. Socked feet scale sophisticated play structures and scream sonnets into pillow piles under colorful mobiles while high-quality wooden toys sow new synapses. Guests can stretch imaginations and limbs during yoga and movement classes, somersault through tumbling classes for different age groups, and schmooze with peers during seasonal and private events. Between romping sessions, tots can don bibs for a helping of organic, sugar-free applesauce at the café, where parents sip fair-trade coffee whilst navigating free WiFi and reminiscing about the steam-powered web browsers of their youth. The kitchen is open for lunch every day and for dinner Wednesday–Sunday, filling a wholesome menu with pasta, paninis, and brick-oven pizzas wrought with whole-wheat dough and local ingredients whenever possible. In clement conditions, adults can bring a bottle of wine to the outdoor terrace to watch their children play with bubbles and write chalk prescriptions for cootie remedies.