Theme & Amusement Parks in Maumee

Inside a sprawling, 4,000-square-foot laser-tag arena, sharpshooters 7 years and older strap on chest pieces and unholster their electronic arms. Competitors crouch and weave through black-lit battlefields as they confuse enemies by flanking their position and producing duck calls to the tune of “Bennie and the Jets.” Guests can take a break to scramble up the sides of a rock-climbing wall, or they can sharpen their thumbs in the arcade arena. Q-Zar also hosts group birthday parties and team-building outings, during which coworkers can silently stalk each other in the dark before pouncing to intercept a trust fall.

At Whirlyball Novi, teams in motorized cars call whirlybugs spin and bump their way through one-hour bouts of a competitive wiffle-ball game that combines aspects of basketball, hockey, and jai alai. Bright red and yellow whirlybugs, powered by electricity and the tears of the defeated, race across a 4,000-square-foot court as their drivers toss balls to each other with plastic scoops. Referees keep track of each team's score as friends look on from the comfortable leather couches of the lounge. After matches, teams sip on drinks from the bar, feast on one of several meal packages, or continue calling each other "liver-licking kumkwats" over games of pool.

The roar of rushing of water echoes through the towering walls of Splash Bay Water Park, where slides, rivers, and pools stretch across a 35,000-square-foot indoor facility. Kiddie pools ripple with whippersnappers clambering upon play structures and tumbling off giant lily pads, and inner tubes careen down a lazy river. After snaking and weaving riders across the rafters, three lofty slides fire their passengers out into pools below, and adults can lounge under a warm waterfall pouring into the giant hot tub.

Red Cross–certified lifeguards survey the scene all the while, quick to blow whistles at horseplay or beluga whales that have snuck through the hot-tub jets. On the upper deck, a snack bar peddles snacks and drinks, and arcade games glimmer, hum, and dole out prizes. Dried off guests can take advantage of the park's onsite hotel, complete with family suites and a restaurant.

Jump City's indoor play land works hard to live up to its name. The vibrantly colored metropolis surrounds visitors with enough inflated slides, obstacle courses, and bounce houses to make any balloon animal regret its decision to move to the suburbs.

At Extreme Fun’s inflatable playland, kids bounce, climb, and slide across 27,000 square feet of springy tunnels and obstacles. With feet snug inside socks or thumbless mittens, young ones can explore the climate-controlled play area’s collection of sturdy inflatables, which include Nickelodeon characters, Superman–theme obstacle courses, and Finding Nemo stations that take kids through the cushy mouth of a great white shark. Extreme Fun also features a collection of interactive video games as well as a 550-square-foot inflatable basketball arena. Parents are welcome to join their young ones during bouncy basketball games to teach them basics of the game, such as defensive plays or how to stick out their tongue like Michael Jordan while dunking.

Stone Mountain Family Fun Center

Voted the best miniature golf course in Lenawee County by readers of the Daily Telegram in 2010, Stone Mountain Family Fun Center enchants putters with an 18-hole course teeming with rustic charm. As players roll colorful golf balls toward tiny cups, greenside waterfalls cascade into streams that run through watermills and underneath a covered bridge, where players can pass over the water or inconspicuously park their pint-sized golf cart. Caves and rocky outcrops await putters on certain holes, further complicating each putt.

Stone Mountain’s adjoining pizzeria features a menu of subs, salads, and 11 specialty pizzas, and the ice creamery invites patrons to indulge in 14 flavors of soft serve or to use the dessert as a cold compress on their putter’s elbow.