Wisconsin Guide and Deals

Eight enormous inflatables tower above the sock-clad youngsters visiting Jump Zone's indoor park. Decorated with kid-friendly themes such as Batman, fire trucks, and the rainforest, inflatables accommodate kids ages 2–12 as they hop in bounce houses, slip down slides, navigate obstacle courses, and hatch plans to open up 401(k) accounts. Meanwhile, a toddler play area entices children ages 2 and younger with a pirate-themed inflatable. Along with its inflatable fun, Jump Zone enthralls guests with an arcade and offers to host parties complete with an inflatable throne for guests of honor. Parents enjoy free admission when they enter with a child, at which point they can watch their youngsters play, surf the facility's free WiFi, or join their kids for a bite in the café.

Following a mission to educate guests on preservation and environmental responsibility, Bear Den Zoo provides a safe, caring home for a wide range of farm animals and exotic species. Black bears, ring-tailed lemurs, giant tortoises, and exotic pheasants play and preen inside constructed habitats as guests look on from a safe distance, observing their mannerisms and learning to convincingly imitate them. In addition to providing guests with information on each animal, the zookeepers coordinate hands-on demonstrations that allow guests to interact with more social animals.

During the fall, the zoo opens its surrounding trails for evening hayrides and late-night adventures in the haunted woods. Tiki torches guide the way, and various ghosts and goblins spook guests amid the roars of nocturnal wildcats lamenting the lack of a reliable Internet connection in their cages.

One of the reasons why Ultrazone Laser Tag's owners are so enthusiastic about the activity is for the team building it fosters among its participants—and for the chance to win. At the 4,500-square-foot facility, laser taggers track each other down through dark, narrow tunnels with glowing violet, red, and neon orange black-lit murals that change the feel from room to room.

The movie-set-like scenery places players amid such backdrops as a surreal forest or a spaceship motif that prepares gamers for inevitable teatime with aliens. As firing begins, strategy and teamwork guide players through the adrenaline-fueled game, which can help to build strong bonds during a birthday party, a corporate event, or a fun day out with family and friends.

On June 30, 1904 Col. William and Anna Vilas donated a tract of land to become a public park and free recreational space in memory of their son, Henry, who died due to complications from diabetes at a young age. They added numerous improvements over the decade and in 1911, the Henry Vilas Zoo gained its first animal exhibits. Today, the zoo covers 30 acres and features a number of creatures from around the world, ranging from the vanishing chimpanzee and endangered red panda to locals such as the great horned owl and american alligator. The zoo also remains one of the few free AZA-accredited zoos across the country.

Leading up to and following the zoo's centennial, the ReZOOvenation project has expanded the visitor areas, replacing the entrance and gift shop and adding a tropical-rainforest aviary and big-cat complex. A variety of annual events are scheduled, including Halloween at the Zoo, with costumes and stops for sustainable palm-oil candy, and earth day, when children can plant trees to help lower the global temperature just enough for icicles to form. The zoo’s many conservation projects also engage the public in protecting the environment and its inhabitants by installing solar-energy panels, sponsoring trips to save endangered orangutans, and collecting old cell phones.

Playnasium inspires imaginations inside pint-size frames as kids cavort on sock-clad feet about the approximately 1,800-square-foot facility. Geared toward children aged 6 and younger, the indoor playground showcases a wealth of active options to entertain children as snow and wintry winds roost in outdoor jungle gyms. Kids whip up imaginary snacks in play kitchens, safely leap around in a net-enclosed bounce house, and draft declarations of their pillow fort’s national sovereignty from the coloring area's diminutive picnic tables. Staffers clean and disinfect the entire playroom daily with nontoxic and eco-friendly products to protect budding tots. Playnasium serves up piping-hot coffee to keep parents' tummies toasty, and lunches may be brought from home to refuel tuckered-out tykes. After scheduling an appointment ahead of time, verifying their children's health, and filling a knapsack with a day's supply of snacks, parents can drop their kids off for up to 4 hours of Playnasium-provided childcare and go tend to adult duties.

Playnasium shutters its doors during birthday parties, granting hosts and their guests unfettered access to the facilities’ attractions. Plates, napkins, and utensils will be provided to accompany food and cake brought by the client. The facility’s dedicated staff lends a hand to parents by helping to set up the room prior to the party and cleaning up any messes or leaky big-wheel motors afterward.

Knucklehead's Bowling & Indoor Amusement Park's 80,000-square-foot facility is bursting with a dozen family-friendly attractions. In the bowling alley, a light show illuminates pins and balls to the tune of festive music and a black light adds an eerie neon glow to cosmic bowling. You can also bowl under conventional lighting, of course, opting for automatic bumpers to prevent gutter balls and marshmallow pins to muffle noisy strikes. Elsewhere, go-karts zoom around a track, bumper cars collide, and visitors swing hand-over-hand through a weblike ropes course. A roller coaster zooms throughout the space, and the arcade whirs and flashes with video games such as Dance Dance Revolution and Madden, as well as traditional games that award prize tickets to their deftest handlers.