Theme & Amusement Parks in Wauconda

In 1976, busy California mother Joan Barnes wanted nothing more than to find a play place where she and her kids could enjoy age-appropriate, educational activities. Finding none, she developed her own innovative play environment within a developmental-based program structure now known as Gymboree Play & Music. Today, kids tumble and learn in more than 650 locations in 33 countries around the world, engaging in open play and classes designed to build cognitive and motor skills. As parents participate in their children's development, their kids learn to paint, play music, and interact socially outside of their preschool knitting circles.

Jump!Zone’s indoor playgrounds envelop kids aged 2–12 in an inflatable world filled with challenging obstacle courses, fun slides, and cardio-boosting bounce houses. While navigating the plush courses under the watchful eyes of air-filled dinosaurs and superheroes, kids burn off extra energy and participate in activities that may help develop motor skills. Jump!Zone’s energetic staff supervises all play as kids climb on pirate ships and trampoline inside princess castles. Specific inflatables may vary by location but often include towering bounce houses shaped like fire trucks or octopi as well as party rooms, games, pizza, soda, and other festive fare. The bouncy center also hosts birthday parties, fundraisers, and special events.

Xtreme Trampolines safely sends guests of all ages ricocheting off the floors, up the walls, and into the lower stratosphere on an expanse of springy flooring. The 45,000-square-foot indoor facility houses five giant checkerboards composed of commercial-grade trampolines ready for full-body bouncing. Angled trampolines against the walls give bouncers the opportunity to spring from fun new angles and keep anyone from crashing into something other than the arena's soft foam pit. On the dodge-ball court, players use the trampolines to add a new dimension to ball evasion, performing high-flying ducks and dodges to avoid opponents' throws. Though Xtreme Trampolines offers a unique activity, injuries are infrequent and usually minor, occurring at a much lower rate than they do during common team sports such as baseball, soccer, or rattlesnake toss.

Looking to put a new spin on a classic family activity, the minds behind Glowgolf decided to give the game a phosphorescent update. Incandescent courses place friends and family amid a tropical-fantasy golf world of neon orange, green, and violet surroundings. Players putt luminous orbs through vibrant treasure chests and glimmering windmills while negotiating tricky obstacles near walls portraying black-light-lit aquatic scenes. With more than 20 locations spread over 10 states, Glowgolf's fluorescent labyrinths challenge human players and traveling gnomes.

Designed for mature audiences, Realm of Terror's maze winds past zombies hovering over hospital patients and masked madmen adorned in scarlet-stained clothes. A creative team of filmmakers, makeup artists, and set designers collaborates on the gory, over-the-top attraction, which uses actors, strobe lighting, startlingly loud noises, and whispered Danzig lyrics to spook guests as they duck, climb, and crawl through. While waiting in line to enter the critically lauded haunted house, guests can sip beverages from an onsite bar, which is stocked with soft drinks and alcohol for visitors of drinking age.

Glowing monkeys scamper toward a neon waterfall, and a knight bearing a radiant yellow lance rides past a bright orange octopus emerging from the ocean. What appears to be a time-traveling session gone awry is really the evolving environment within Putting Edge’s indoor black-lit mini-golf course, which whisks players to deep seas, Aztec jungles, and medieval times. Since opening its original location in Canada, Putting Edge has now expanded to 17 North American locations, all of which invite guests onto its challenging 18-hole courses to seek victory over opponents and the forces that keep their teeth from not glowing as brightly as they could. Elsewhere, the facility houses private party rooms, concessions, and an arcade filled with gamer favorites such as air hockey.