Amusement Parks in Iowa

Fun lovers frequent All Play Des Moines for its mix of popular games and novel attractions. Game cards can be used on a long list of games (listed here) from all-time classics such as air hockey and skee ball to new-fangled favorites such as Dance Dance Revolution, Guitar Hero, and NASCAR Racing. Step inside Iowa's only laser maze, a light-beam labyrinth where players can indulge spy-mission fantasies ($3), or take the vertical aptitude exam that is the climbing wall ($3). Though food and drinks are not covered by today's deal, overzealous mole-whackers can replenish their strength filling up on pizza, burgers, and more inside Fanatics, a full bar and grill that shares the floor with All Play.

For 20 years, indoor fun park Planet X has been mesmerizing families with its sheer number of activities. Guests of all ages can zap their least favorite cousins during laser tag, release pent-up road rage in bumper cars, practice their putting on the mini-golf course, challenge themselves to climb a craggy indoor rock wall, and immerse themselves in flashing lights in the expansive arcade room. And those are just a few of the activities at Planet X. Planet X fuels the merriment with its own Pangea Pizza?made-from-scratch pizzas sprinkled with fresh, hand-sliced toppings?and Full Moon ice cream. This handcrafted, organic-milk ice cream satisfies sweet teeth with more than 24 ultra creamy flavors and nearly 80 toppings. The fun park hosts sports-team celebrations and church gatherings, holiday and birthday parties, and even corporate team-building activities. Its party space gives patrons a bird?s-eye view of the action.

The shifting seasons bring beauty and bounty to Ditmars Orchard & Vineyard, from the baby buds and bursting petals of spring to the branches heavy with peaches, apricots, cherries, and apples during summer and autumn. In 1994, the Ditmars family laid 300 trees into the ground as a family project, but slowly expanded their hobby into a full-time orchard, now cultivating almost 4,000 trees. In the summer, fat juicy strawberries nestle in rows ready to be picked, and in fall, fields overflow with acres of bulbous orange pumpkins ready to become jack-o’-lanterns or a horseman’s fancy new hat. Amid fiery foliage and crisp autumn air, families adventure through the onsite corn maze and attend fun fall festivals that feature face painting and hayrides. Kids can clamber over tractor tires and whoosh down slides in the orchard’s large playground. Guests reenergize at the country kitchen, where lunch selections include apple cider, frozen fruit pies, and fresh-made chicken-salad sandwiches, as well as native Iowa wines available by the bottle or glass.

Bowling balls tumble down Perfect Games’s 24 lanes, which are situated beneath a row of flat-screen TVs. In between frames, players lounge in comfy couches or make their way to the sports bar for a quick round of billiards. Black lights illuminate each lane's invisible-inked diary entries at Friday and Saturday cosmic-bowling sessions, and the laser arena’s two floors remain aglow at all times, as participants snake through labyrinthine corridors brightened with splashes of red, orange, and green paint. Elsewhere, an arcade enthralls gamers with titles such as Time Crisis 3 and Guitar Hero, and a bounce house shelters leaping tykes aged 7 and younger. Kingpin Pizza reenergizes visitors with its extensive menu of paninis, pasta, salads, and made-from-scratch New York--style thin-crust pizzas cooked in a Roto-Flex oven whose rotating stone shelves can bake up to 100 pizzas every hour.

Kids bounce off the walls of inflatable bouncers, cascade down air-filled slides, and squirm through plush obstacle courses at Pump It Up's indoor playground. Designed with safety in mind, this staff-supervised funhouse excites children's imaginations while they burn off extra energy at open jump. Also designed as a party venue, the interactive party experiences involve interactive themes such as Pirate Quest and Superhero Training Camp, which challenges kids to decode secret messages as they listen to an adventuresome soundtrack. To fuel parties, parents can purchase pop, pizza, and cake, alongside balloons and goodie bags. Strengthening both imagination and body, Pump It Up also offers Jump-N-Art summer camps, where kids replicate Picasso's creative process of painting, then getting dizzy in an inflatable mansion.

Established: 2012 Reservations/Appointments: Required Staff Size: 2?10 people Average Duration of Services: 1?2 hours Brands Used: LaZer Runner Pro Tip: Dont wear flip flops or high heels Handicap Accessible: Yes Parking: Parking lot Most Popular Attraction/Offering: Laser tag Recommended Age Group: All Ages