Theme & Amusement Parks in El Mirage

Though the name is new, the fundamentals remain unchanged at Octane Raceway. The roar of Honda GLX 270cc engines still rises to the rafters in a 113,000-square-foot indoor space as European Sodi RX7 go-karts reach speeds of up to 45 miles per hour on the same two quarter-mile tracks that won four Best Go Kart Racing awards from the Phoenix New Times' under their former name. After a short safety briefing and proving their eligibility with a valid driver’s license and hip-hop interpretation of the Rules of the Road, racers don a head sock, full face helmet, and optional driving suit before jumping into their appointed vehicle for a 14- to 16-lap race against up to nine opponents. Surrounding television screens display each driver’s finishing place, and best and average lap time, which also appear online.

In addition to playing arcade games, billiards, and practicing drive-by high-fives on a Segway performance course, off-track activities include watching ongoing races from more than 40 TV screens at the Trackside Bar and Grill.

In 1966, Big Surf Waterpark founder Phil Dexter built his first model of a wave machine. With some help, and several models later—including one assembled inside an abandoned billiards hall—he perfected the contraption, making it the centerpiece of his newly opened waterpark in 1969. Dexter's invention instantly snagged press from Time, Sports Illustrated, and Life, and today, it remains Big Surf Waterpark's 2.5-million-gallon keynote attraction. Over the years, despite Arizona's lack of rain or gigantic sprinkler, the park has managed to grow around the wave pool, and its current 20-acre campus features dozens of slides, rides, and areas for all ages. Big Surf's real estate has also played host to entertainment events, including concerts from Pink Floyd, Elton John, and the Beach Boys.

The myriad classes, activities, and programs at Great Play operate with one focus in mind: to spark kids’ passion for physical activity. At Great Play’s core lies an interactive arena, which Arizona Foothills magazine awarded Best Kid's Entertainment Indoors and Best Birthday Party Spot for Kids, designed to facilitate physical fun. Projector screens spotlight the arena's walls while sensors and a directional sound system inject interactivity into the slew of noncompetitive games and activities that help boost kids' motor and athletic skills. Monitoring the arena's playing field and adhering to the SCORE training method is an upbeat staff that teaches youngsters how to swing a baseball bat, bribe slam-dunk-competition judges, and trap a soccer ball by breaking each skill into a series of positively reinforced smaller steps. The staff also tailors birthday parties to birthday kids’ likings and hosts Parents Night Out events that allow caregivers to drop off their children and hit the town while kids play in the gym, feast on pizza, and catch a G-rated flick on a 100-square-foot screen.

Named as a top indoor place for kids in Arizona by AZCentral.com, BounceU in Gilbert surrounds sock-clad kids with an arena of giant, colorful inflatables. Within the supervised fun house, young ones get their cardio up by navigating air-filled obstacle courses and slipping down plush slides. On the gigantic Spider Mountain, climbers hone the skills needed to one day scale the greatest inflatable of them all, Mount Everest. The blown-up hoops game challenges basketball skills, and a motorbike ride, crane games, and new and classic arcade games keep imaginations occupied. A private party room also makes the springy stadium an ideal venue for birthday parties, field trips, and fundraisers.

At Sea Life Arizona Aquarium, you can watch Ziva, a rescued green sea turtle, graciously share the limelight with the 5,000 other oceanic creatures that populate the aquarium's tanks, including white-tip reef sharks and cownose stingrays. Rays swarm in live feeding shows, sea stars wait in tanks to be touched, and crabs don't mind of you hold them in your hand or whisper sweet nothings in their ears.