Theme & Amusement Parks in Kingston

In 1976, educator, musician, and kinesiologist Robin Wes longed for a children's gym that prioritized personal growth over competition. Unveiled at a time when physical-education classes pushed students to focus almost exclusively on winning, Robin's program was swiftly adopted and is now used in more than 300 Little Gyms worldwide. Robin still pens original music to accompany lessons, which engage whippersnappers aged 4 months to 12 years with gymnastics, dance, karate, and parent and child activities.

Each of The Little Gym's classes introduces simple movements that sharpen motor skills and set brains whirring, allowing kids to progress at their own pace until they can finally build a computer out of macaroni and glitter. Staff members strive to build a base for lifelong social skills and self-assurance with each exercise, including activities rooted purely in fun, such as summer camps or birthday parties, which helped The Little Gym to earn title of #1 Birthday Chain in Parents Magazine.

Located inside the Poughkeepsie Galleria, Vendetta Paintball and Laser Combat challenges players to technologically advanced games of laser tag and paintball on a 22,000-square-foot indoor field. Designed to mimic live-action games of Call of Duty or Halo, Battlefield Live laser tag manufactures adrenaline with real-time hit feedback, realistic special effects, and equipment that can simulate 69 different weapons, ranging from AK-47s to banana-cream pies. The facility’s professional-grade indoor PSP paintball field lets gamers improve their hand-eye coordination while simultaneously turning rivals into walking tie-dyed targets.

Camp Iliff entertains and educates children with a broad array of childcare services and play facilities. Certified teachers help budding toddlers’ minds blossom and convenient afterschool programs provide children up to age 13 with bus transportation from many local schools. Kids celebrate birthday parties playing ticket redemption games or frolic on the forest playground, replete with a mirror maze, tunnel tubes, and slides.

A community recreation centre, City Centre Park keeps grown-up kids and actual kids on the move with its lineup of interactive facilities. Among those facilities sits Westshore Family Fun Park, which boasts amusement for all ages including a play-zone, a mini golf course, and a black-lit balladium. In addition to its year-round revelry, City Centre Park offers seasonal activities, too: during summer months, visitors may splash around at the water park, and during winter, they can skate across the frozen pond.

Nickel City Games boasts a miniature metropolis of more than 100 video, arcade, and redemption games, which obey their players' skillful hands for one nickel per play. Arcade athletes compete for prize bounties at redemption games such as skee-ball and basketball, which beget bright ribbons of tickets to be exchanged for hundreds of family-friendly baubles. Meanwhile, retrophiles oust invading pixel populations free of charge in classic arcade games such as Pac-Man, Contra, and Street Fighter. Staffers at an expansive snack bar proffer plates overflowing with hearty pizzas, fries, and chili, as a customizable party room hosts themed celebrations for children and round-table negotiations between rival Mortal Kombat characters.

Paradise Park started its life as a simple miniature-golf course in 1992. Since then, the park has grown with Lee's Summit, mirroring the suburb's population growth with additions that have turned it into a sprawling temple to family fun. Outdoors, guests can still show off their putts and best gopher impressions on the miniature-golf course, or head over to the go-kart track to face off against fellow drivers on a 1,000-foot road-inspired course. Inside the park's huge indoor area, kids play and learn at the Children's Edutainment Center or blast each other with air-propelled balls at the Foam Factory. A game room harks back to the arcades of old with token-fed classics such as Ms. Pac-Man, as well as offering new amusements including a SpongeBob SquarePants game.