Theme & Amusement Parks in Lansing

Little stockinged feet pad madly across a spongy blocks painted in primary colors, then bound up stairs with an extra spring in each step. Inflatable walls and air-filled slides cushion exuberant children, who lack the grace, depth perception, and night-vision goggles that prevent adults from running into walls or going down slides backward. Xtreme Bounce Zone houses six of these inflatable playsets, where kids can jump and slide with the abandon of commuters riding their hoverboards over a traffic jam.

A 52-foot obstacle course challenges kids' dexterity, giving them tunnels to charge through and inclines to clamber up, while side-by-side slides offer limitless racing opportunities. Toddlers enjoy exclusive access to their own bounce zone, where they can jump without fear of outshining their older counterparts. As tots ricochet off surfaces around the inflatable playground, parents join in the fun or sip complimentary coffee.

While visiting the Great Lakes Zoological Society's indoor reptile zoo, guests take in animal sights that tend to deceive at first glance. A rough-barked indoor tree, upon closer inspection, may actually be a snake craftily blending in. Lizards, tortoises, and tarantulas populate similar enclosures, resting atop logs suspended over ponds or within forest-floor greenery. The nonprofit indoor zoo houses more than 100 animals representing over 70 species, including reptiles, amphibians, insects, arachnids, and birds, that help teach visitors about their habitats. Along the way, guides invite visitors to meet colorful residents such as a reticulated python weighing over 150 pounds, two 90-pound Sulcata tortoises, and monitor lizards that extend over 5 feet.

Zoo staff members also lead groups deeper into the study of their creatures during classroom visits, where children learn about ecological conservation, how to identify dangerous animals, and the proper way to give a snake a handshake as they touch and handle some reptiles. On-staff instructors also teach group classes in subjects such as animal medicating, handling, and reptile husbandry. The nonprofit occasionally places its animals up for adoption, and works toward conservation efforts by rehabilitating, breeding, and rereleasing native Michigan species and global endangered species.

What began over 40 years ago as a bowling alley built in an old schoolhouse has since expanded into multi-level entertainment enclave known as RollAway Family Fun Center. In the second-floor roller skating rink, skaters glide across a glossy hardwood floor, cast in lights that flash to the beat of tunes spun by an on-site DJ. Below, on the first floor, players honor the center’s original purpose, sending pins a-clattering in the updated bowling alley. Guests can also settle scores or start fun, new blood feuds with games of laser tag and outdoor mini golf.