Theme & Amusement Parks in North Druid Hills

Street Games’ mobile fun vehicles roar up to parties and events with a full complement of activities in tow, be it video gaming, laser tag, or trapping the host in a giant inflatable Zorb ball. Up to 20 guests pile onto the couches of the mobile gaming theater, clashing controllers in front of high-definition screens hooked up to Wiis and Xbox 360s. Pixel fatigue can be cured under the hailstorm of light beams that rains down on forces locked in games of laser tag, officiated by a friendly party concierge, or by entering an 11-foot-diamater inflatable Zorb ball, which gives riders the sensation of running inside a hamster ball or being a the mayor of a giant snow globe. Water Blaster Wars cool off summer shindigs with cannons that spray up to 60 feet, and Strike Force’s Velcro vests and balls provide a low-intensity alternative to paintball and dodgeball.

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 Create and Bounce, which lets kids bounce and paint the day away so their parents can do grown-up things, such as eat marshmallows with a knife and fork.

Since its inception as a small park in 1990, Dixieland Amusement Park has grown to include more than 20 rides and attractions for kids and parents alike. From high-flying cable coasters to speedy go-karts, the park's attractions foster adrenaline-fueled joy, while the Digital Armory, a bustling arcade, transports visitors to a virtual world with motion sensors and laser tag. Dining areas pepper the park's walkways for between-ride snacks, and, come nightfall, fireworks fill the sky to entertain visitors and idling pigeons.

Roller skating often evokes images of ‘50s-era teens clad in poodle skirts and the black-and-white makeup that was customary at the time. But at both freshly renovated Sparkles Family Fun Centers, roller-skating proves itself as a 21st-century pastime by incorporating contemporary technology. From a DJ who spins family-friendly beats at both locations to the black lights that set the Gwinnett rink aglow on cosmic nights, modern-day touches pervade each space. The arcades are also stuffed with extra helpings of bells and whistles; skee-ball and electronically scored basketball compete for attention with racing video games that re-create famous auto duels or the 1954 Drake Relays. At nearby multistory indoor playgrounds, kids get back to physical recreation, scurrying across bridges and whipping down slick slides.

As drivers execute hairpin turns and speed along the straightaways, the sleek black-and-blue chrome bodies of superkarts screech across the winding, indoor track at Andretti Indoor Karting & Games. The featured attraction at the sprawling complex, the raceway boasts a junior track for drivers 8 and older and an adult track where racers 16 and older can quench their need for speed without fear of a traffic ticket from a cop disguised as a yield sign. The fun center also fosters adrenaline-charged fun with a high ropes course extending up to two stories above the floor and a climbing wall that, at its peak, rises more than 30 feet. The two high-flying attractions look out over the arcade floor, where visitors play classic games such as Ms. Pac-Man or modern favorites such as Big Buck Open Season, which digitally emulates the real-life experience of hunting today's super-intelligent, talking deer.

The constant clack of billiard balls fills the Sky Bar, where guests tipple frosty cocktails while looking down at the race tracks though a plexiglass floor. Beyond the sports-bar atmosphere of the Andretti Grill, a different kind of entertainment reigns at Bonkerz Comedy Club, where performers' standup routines tickle funny bones before they shrink into humorless elbows.