All About Fun

All About Fun is a pretty small location which works for little ones. They’re able to go where they want to while parents can see them at all times. There is one door to enter/​exit so they could never leave without their adult. It is basically the best set up playroom. There are small «rooms» each dedicated to a different theme ie. grocery shopping, pet dr, music room, dress up. It is more for smaller kids although I could bring my older kids and they would enjoy it-​I def see it as suiting younger kids primarily. The kids have a blast there when we go and its reasonably priced. Its an excellent playdate place!

I really need to open my own version of one of these «kids villages,» because I’ve been to enough of these places to know what’s needed to get it right. Today, most of these indoor kiddie playgrounds are nothing more than a leased space with a bunch of old, busted up toys thrown into them. I appreciate that the proprietors of these places probably don’t have a ton of cash to invest up front, and instead rely on a collection of used toys handed down from their own family and friends’, or perhaps picked up at a garage sale on the cheap. But parents are putting down hundreds of dollars to rent out these spaces, and there should be a reasonable expectation of quality and value for that money — especially given how many other similar businesses exist nearby.
All About Fun is definitely near the bottom of the barrel as far as these places go. A tight, cramped space jammed up with broken and chewed up toys, worn out costumes and masks that didn’t seem particularly clean, and just this overall sense that my kids were playing in someone else’s garbage. A room that was supposed to be all about music had a busted drum set with only one drumstick that looked like it once served as a dog toy; a cheap, flimsy keyboard/​electronic drum kit that only partially worked when played with; a bunch of inflatable guitars that served no musical purpose whatsoever; random percussion accessories that appeared years old… I mean, c’mon. Invest a little more money in your business for crying out loud.
Kids being kids of course, they all managed to keep themselves entertained. It wasn’t as if they didn’t have fun. And the girls running the show did a good job of dancing around and doing the limbo with the kids while the music blasted and the bubble machine did its thing. Extra points for having a small area where parents could congregate and enjoy free coffee.
I really don’t know why someone hasn’t figured out that there’s a market for a higher end version of your typical «kids village.» I’d rather pay more money and give my kids an opportunity to make music with real musical instruments, or enjoy dress-​up with a wardrobe full of quality costumes and accessories. And for the boys, I’d get a real air hockey table and some commercial arcade/​boardwalk-​style games. Perhaps most importantly, I’d figure out how to attach a bar next door for all the poor dads who get sucked into these nightmarish events like I do. (And why does the pizza ALWAYS suck at these places?!)
So while I wouldn’t recommend All About Fun as a place to host your next kid’s party, if you do find yourself here, definitely find time to sneak out over to the liquor store just a few steps away in the strip mall across the parking lot. There’s a great little bar in the back that isn’t the least bit scary. A little nip or two might make your experience here a little more bearable.