Theme & Amusement Parks in Pasadena

Becoming a stock car racer requires commitment and hard work, but at MSR Houston, all you have to do to ride in a stock car is open its door. Alternatively, visitors can hop aboard 9 HP Honda go-karts, rounding the 0.7-mile karting track’s 17 turns and zooming down its quarter-mile straightaway at top speeds of more than 45 mph. These drives follow a precedent set by professionals; the 383-acre center is a sanctioned test site for the Izod Indy Car Series, Firestone Indy Lights, and Formula 2000, among many others.

It's not everywhere that a full speed collision results in peals of laughter—and it's kind of rare to see a roller coaster rise and fall under a roof—but at It'z Family Food and Fun expectations tend to shatter. The muffled crashes of bumper cars swell and dissipate near the soft clatter of a small roller coaster, while youngsters scale a nearby 20-foot rock-climbing wall and grip the controls of more than 150 blinking, buzzing video-game consoles. But this utopic play land isn't for children alone. Adults can tap into their inner kid during a game of laser tag or regret never having equipped their sedan with a nitrous booster after a speed-courting spin in a go-kart. One of the multi-state franchise's most popular features, though, is bowling. Each location spreads out regulation-size Brunswick lanes equipped with black lights, automatic scoring, and lounge areas brimming with comfort couches, as well as mini lanes for children and adults who need a height-affirming self-esteem boost.

To keep their guests fueled, the staff also operates a buffet, where visitors choose from more than 40 salad fixings, al-dente pasta in an assortment of signature sauces, and oven-baked pizzas topped with italian sausage, basil, and jalapenos. Four dining rooms enhance meals with different themes: the vintage diner with cosmic black and silver chrome, as well as a stage and film screen, or the cartoon-themed cafeteria with checkered floors, Technicolor walls, and red benches.

Shankz Black Light Miniature Golf has two locations that encompass 18 holes apiece, with each course set aglow in neon and covered with exotic creatures. As they travel through the indoor facilities, each putter must navigate around wrecked pirate ships, shoot between stubby dinosaur legs, and wrest their clubs from the mouths of tigers in what typically amounts to a 35- to 60-minute round of golf. To accentuate the course's glowing artwork and scenery, golfers can opt to put on a pair of 3-D glasses. Beyond the neon greens, Shankz also features the Balladium and Ballaster game rooms, in which competitors fire Nerf balls from air cannons at targets and at each other to score points and ward off encroaching Nerf army tanks.

The jungle would be a safer place if the chin-high grass, towering trees, and wild animals were painted on the walls and everything three-dimensional was inflatable. This dream of a danger-free nature preserve comes to life at Jump N Jungle. Voted the Best Kids’ Party Place in the Bay Area Citizen Reader's Choice Awards, the jungle lets kids leap toward the rafters on inflatable jumpers, test the bounds of gravity on giant slides, and navigate an unending labyrinth of mazes and obstacle courses. Both locations play host to weekend birthday gatherings by supplying invitations, plates and plastic cutlery, as well as staff supervision in the party room and play areas. Additionally, its childcare services include an educational curriculum for toddlers and preschoolers, as well as before school and afterschool activities for older children.

A massive gorilla snarls from the rafters above Putt-Putt Fun House's café, powerless to snatch the ice-cream cones and hot dogs from smiling kids' hands. Indeed, kids are control at the family fun center, leading parents through a variety of indoor and outdoor attractions ranging from mini-golf to laser tag. Waterfalls, ponds, and flowerbeds surround two 18-hole mini-golf courses, 22-foot climbing towers recreate the experience of scaling limestone, and bumper cars teach reckless young drivers to safely exchange insurance information.

Sky Zone's patented playing courts encourage guests to bounce off trampoline floors and angled walls during a slew of entertaining activities. After lacing up Sky Zone's special shoes, kids and adults can storm the courts for open jump, 3-D dodge ball or sky slam, where jumpers aim basketballs at hanging hoops. For more structured movements, instructors lead SkyRobics classes that can help burn up to 1,000 calories in one hour. Though not included with this Groupon, the facility welcomes groups for birthday parties, corporate events, and burning effigies of Isaac Newton.