Theme & Amusement Parks in Woodridge

The delighted squeals of playing children reverberate off of Little Monkey Bizness’s brightly hued walls, imbuing the space with an atmosphere of joyful energy throughout the day. The indoor play space welcomes youngsters age 8 and under to scurry in for hours of unstructured play on its well-maintained equipment, and an art room keeps imaginations fired up. A separate space for babies grants kids aged 6 months to 1 year a safe space where they can practice their crawling skills. Private party rooms facilitate rousing renditions of "Happy Birthday," and an onsite café keeps tummies from grumbling thanks to a collection of kid-friendly snacks and adult-friendly coffee.

The family running Bounce U Up understands how important playtime is to a child's development, both mentally and physically. Because of this, they have created a space where children can not only expand their imaginations while scaling a plush wall and crawling through air-filled obstacle courses complete with tunnels and slides, but also burn off excess energy and hone motor skills. The center also accommodates groups looking to celebrate birthdays. Additionally, the center offers private Nerf War Parties—held after hours—where kids bring their own Nerf guns and roam the bounce center freely settling disputes over rights to the jungle gym.

At Fleetwood Roller Rink, skaters glide across a lustrous 75’x165’ floor under a rainbow of vibrant lights that have illuminated patrons for 50 years. Furnished with rental equipment, patrons can swiftly perform tricks or recite the complete works of Homer before refueling with pizza, hot dogs, and candy dispensed from a fully stocked snack shop. The full-service facility is a frequent site of fundraisers and events, and staff members can devise comprehensive birthday party packages that include such merrymaking accouterments as cake, balloons, and tax forms filled out in the style of Mad Libs. Skaters of all experience levels can sharpen their skills during weekly lessons and open skating sessions.

Canlan Ice Sports maintains three separate ice rinks for public play, sports programs, and special events. Public skate programs encourage local residents to take to the ice and practice hockey fundamentals during stick-and-puck sessions or get some exercise during unstructured adult rat hockey. Its youth-hockey program teaches beginners to skate and shoot. Figure-skating training camps for aspiring athletes and basic sessions for children teach skaters how to be more graceful so they can make grocery shopping more interesting for their neighbors by spinning and leaping down the aisles. Canlan Ice Sports also hosts local hockey teams including the Huskies Hockey Club, the Chicago Junior Bulldogs, and the Rampage Women’s Hockey Club.

Walls of terra cotta and sage burn with the glow from a pantheon of computer screens displaying intensely pixilated battles. Adjacent to pool tables and bags setups, slate tiles and dim sconce lighting frame gaming stations, which comfortably cradle players in leather seating with built-in speakers. The terminals eschew traditional arcade games such as Galaga and Pac-Man for the 3D stylings of modern consoles that include Wii, Xbox, and PS3, supplemented by a fully stocked shop where gamers can buy, trade, or rent new and used titles. Game Pazzo's vast number of screens ensures that no more than two players ever need to share one, and the venue's LAN provides an arena for friends to bond before trying on bridesmaid dresses. In the corner stands a stage for karaoke and Rock Band battles, with genuine converted guitars to make musical games as authentic as playing Donkey Kong with real barrels and an actual gorilla.

The in-house bar and café offers libations and grub for kids as well as grown gamers. Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday nights feature Rock Band and karaoke, Wednesday nights offer trivia matchups, and scheduled tournaments give gamers a chance to earn bragging rights and prizes after showing off prowess at games such as Call of Duty and StarCraft. Thursday nights also offer patrons a chance to qualify for the Karaoke World Championships, which can lead to a trip to Finland. Birthday parties and corporate-event packages are also available.