Theme & Amusement Parks in Groton

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 Pre-K and Play Classes, where instructors lead games and activities. Special events include Create and Bounce, which lets kids bounce and paint the day away so their parents can do grownup things, such as eat marshmallows with a knife and fork.

A full quarter mile of outdoor track snakes across the grass, sending racers on an adrenaline-fueled grudge match of hairpin turns, pedal-pushing straightaways, and close finishes. A speedy fleet of go-karts sends drivers flying down the track in vehicles such as the swift 9-horsepower Interceptor, or the two-seater Tornado, which allows children to ride alongside their parents to learn proper three-point turn technique. An on-track scoreboard displays racers’ lap times with accuracy up to a 1,000th of a second, and printed results enshrine automotive achievements and bragging rights for display. Inside, a beeping, blinking arcade pits gamers head-to-head in pro-racing simulators, bouts of Guitar Hero, or rousing tournaments of air hockey.

A gigantic gumball machine. It’s not the first place one expects to see children ricocheting about. But when it’s inflated and part of Jump n Jammin Play Gym’s 13,000-plus-square-foot fun house, it makes a lot more sense. Inside their climate-controlled facility, parents chase after their sock-clad kids as they race from air-filled obstacle courses to inflated trains and circus tents during open-jump hours. After all that exercise, kids lope into the game room to hone hand-eye coordination playing Wii games such as Mario Kart on 47-inch LCD-screen TVs. They can also twist handles at foosball tables, smack a puck during air hockey, and bang drums during games of Rock Band, a video game that fosters rhythm and an appreciation for feathered hair. The kaleidoscopically colored facility can also be a birthday kid’s personal wonderland with party packages, and during the summer, Jump n Jammin’s team adds slip ‘n’ slides and splash pools to parties and organizes summer camps.

Laser Planet's sprawling facility hosts a trio of attractions: laser tag, black-light mini golf, and an arcade. Competitors don vests and equip their laser-emitting weapons before heading into the multi-level laser-tag arena, where they'll be met with techno music, fog, and strobe lights, as they navigate corridors and attempt to tag the other team in a game of PowerPoint de la muerte. Or, they can head to the mini-golf arena, where black lights illuminate bright colors, aliens, and astronauts positioned around the 10-hole course. Elsewhere, a video arcade presents digital challenges, as players grab joysticks and mash buttons gleefully. Additionally, Laser Planet also offers a host of parties and events, ranging from all-night lock-ins, to corporate team building, to birthdays.

Spooky, undead monsters and lively tunes combine to create a jovial atmosphere inside Monster Mini Golf's 10,000-square-foot, glow-in-the-dark course. As players navigate the 18 mind-boggling holes, a DJ spins tunes to awaken tone-deaf monsters, occasionally doling out prizes to golfers for reasons ranging from "craziest hair" to "smoothest celebration after a hole in eight." And after a wacky session of putting, guests can flex their thumb muscles inside a decked-out video arcade lined with both classic and modern games.

Children scale to great heights in a safe, colorful, and climate-controlled environment at Bounce Town. The 7,500-square-foot play space features five commercial-sized inflatables, with the Coral Bay Splash inflatable reaching higher than 18 feet and the 16.6-foot Batman standing watch over the action. Visitors also explore their vertical limits with a run up the 16-foot indoor climbing wall. Children and parents can both strap into harnesses to ascend the colored handholds and footholds, striving towards the top where the wisdom of the wise and reclusive light fixtures reside.