Scientists agree that the only reason adults have children is so they have a socially acceptable reason to visit amusement parks, eat at novelty pizza arcades, and see movies with Shreks in them. Put some fun in the oven with today's kid-friendly Groupon: for $20, you get a five-admission punch card at Kidsville Playtown in Carlsbad (a $50 value).

Kidsville Playtown is a safe environment for young children to play, make friends, and learn about how communities work. Kidsville is structured like a small town, with play cars bustling down the drags of mini–Main Street, past brightly colored, playhouse-sized versions of local businesses. While the kids busy themselves in putting on a puppet show about the pitfalls of Keynesian economics at Kidsville Theater, Mom or Dad can sit in the adult lounge and check email on the free WiFi or enjoy a refreshing beverage from the concessions stand. Kidsville even offers Drop-N-Shop services on scheduled days, when parents are welcome to drop their children off with CPR and First Aid–certified attendants while they go out for the afternoon to do “adult things” such as drink lots of Red Bull (extra charges for Drop-N-Shop). Visit Kidsville's neighboring suburb, Babiesville, where kids 2 and under can bounce around in soft-foam blocks for free with paid admission.

Reviews

Carlsbad Patch featured Kidsville Playtown, and seven Yelpers give the business a four-star average:

• Kidsville Playtown is a preschooler's dream, and as a work-at-home mom, it may be mine too. – Rachel Lister, Carlsbad Patch
• I had to throw a last minute birthday party together for my three year old. I heard about this new place and looked it up. I am so glad I did. the staff was amazing. It was a stress free experience and my three year old had the time of his life. – LANIE D., Yelp