Located at Man-O-War and Boston Road, Sky Zone offers “Ninja Warrior” training courses, trampoline dodgeball, freestyle trampoline jump areas and more. Photo by Chris Radcliffe
March can be a bit of a seasonal tease – spring break is on the calendar but spring temperatures often arrive late to the table. With cabin fever usually having set in pretty heavily, finding new and intriguing activities to keep the family busy can be a challenge. With that in mind, we’ve compiled a list of nine great places to take the kids– and the young at heart – any time of the year.
Age requirements vary from place to place, so check with each location to be sure it’s appropriate for your family. Many of these spots also offer great options for hosting birthday parties and other celebrations, which we’ve tried to outline as much as possible.
Adrenaline Trampoline Park
1937 Star Shoot Pkwy. • (660) 259-1027 • Mon.-Thurs.: 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; Fri.: 10 a.m.-10 p.m.; Sat.: 9 a.m.-10 p.m.; Sun.: 11 a.m.-7 p.m. • www.jumpadrenalinelexington.com
Adrenaline Entertainment Center on Starshoot Parkway offers an array of airborne opportunities for thrill-seekers of all ages, from an indoor climbing wall to trampoline dodgeball and basketball to balance beam battles taking place over a pit full of foam cubes. Patrons can also experience the closest thing to human flight with trampoline virtual reality.
For the little ones, AEC offers a “Kid’s Court” area, specifically designed for kids 6 and under (with guardian supervision). For the older and more adventurous, AEC features professional-level performance trampolines, allowing users to get in touch with their inner daredevils – scraping the sky like LeBron on a trampoline basketball court or experiencing the thrill of free-fall with a safe, foam pit landing.
AEC offers party reservations for groups of all ages and sizes (seriously – groups of over 100 are welcome with advance booking), with packages that include pizza, bottled water, plates, cutlery and more.
MB2 Raceway
2040 Creative Drive, Suite 300 • (859) 425-6549 • Mon.-Thurs.: 12 p.m.-9 p.m.; Fri.-Sat.: 11.a.m.-11.p.m.; Sun.: 11am - 8pm • www.mb2raceway.com
Looking for some fast-paced excitement to pull you through the winter months? MB2 Raceway has you covered.
Hand-built in Italy with speeds topping 45 mph, MB2’s all-electric go-karts are the fastest vehicles you can steer without a state-issued license.
For those who prefer their momentum to be spiked with a bit of competitive spirit, MB2’s state-of-the-art timing system keeps track of lap and race times, in real time, for all four of their locations. This allows drivers to see how they stack up against friends and competitors in both Kentucky and the company’s home state of California.
While participants must be at least 12 years old and 57 inches tall to drive full-sized karts, junior karts are available for younger drivers, with a 48-inch height requirement.
Private parties ranging from kids’ birthdays, to corporate outings to bachelor/bachelorette parties are welcome with advanced reservation. Package and pricing details are available on the MB2 website.
Foam Warz is Lexington’s destination for Nerf-based combat. Photo furnished
Foam Warz
2551 Regency Road, Suite 101 • (859) 317-9992 • Mon.: 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m.; Tues.-Thurs.: 5-10 p.m.; Fri., 5-11 p.m.; Sat.: 11 a.m.-11 p.m.; Sun.: 1- 7 p.m. • www.lexfoamwarz.com
If paintball is a bit much for your liking, but you find laser tag lacking a certain “oomph,” Foam Warz eagerly awaits you.
Located on Regency Road next to Coffee Times Coffee House, Foam Warz is Lexington’s destination for Nerf-based combat. Consisting of two different obstacle-filled arenas for play, Foam Warz provides a safe, family-friendly environment for people of all ages to engage in yellow-foam-ball battle.
Participants are outfitted with eye protection and a single-shot Nerf blaster (bigger,
badder blasters are available for an additional cost). A standard “open play” round of Foam Warz lasts one hour, with more specific games (i.e., capture the flag, freeze tag, etc.) available as well. For those who enjoy day-glow colors and darkness, blacklight games are held every Friday and Saturday. Every round is monitored by an in-house referee to keep games running smoothly.
While Foam Warz is definitely targeted toward kids, parties and functions of all kinds are welcome, with a party room available for private events and cake noshing. A participation waiver is required to play, and children under 18 must have a guardian sign for them.
Now much more than just a roller rink, Champ's Entertainment Complex has expanded over its 40 years operating in Lexington. Photo furnished
Champ’s Entertainment Complex
297 Ruccio Way • (859) 268-3888 • Hours vary by activity; see website for details • www.visitchamps.com
Serving Lexington’s need for self-propelled speed for over 40 years, Champ’s Entertainment Complex has evolved into something more than the roller rink you might remember from childhood.
Upon moving to its current location on Ruccio Way, Champ’s reimagined its old-school offerings of skate rink, arcade and snack bar into an enormous, multi-faceted entertainment multiplex. While the heart and soul of the operation are still definitely on eight wheels, Champ’s now offers two floors of amusements and experiences for all ages.
Joining the rink and arcade on the first floor is The Casino Vault, Kentucky’s first laser maze adventure. The snack bar of yore has grown in The Shady Vine, a full-service restaurant featuring appetizers and pizza (beer and wine are also available for grown-ups). Upstairs guests will find a 9,000-square-foot laser tag arena, as well as an 18-hole blacklight mini-golf course, both themed to resemble a long-lost ancient city.
Open daily, Champ’s offers multiple ways to play, with individually priced attractions as well as all-inclusive day passes available for those who prefer to gorge out on fun. Various birthday party options are available to suit just about any need, and a six-week “skate school” is also available for kids 10 and under.
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Urban Ninja Project offers a wide range of activities, from the ever-popular obstacle course to weekly classes in gymnastics, kickboxing, capoeira and more. Photo furnished
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Urban Ninja Project offers a wide range of activities, from the ever-popular obstacle course to weekly classes in gymnastics, kickboxing, capoeira and more. Photo furnished
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Urban Ninja Project offers a wide range of activities, from the ever-popular obstacle course to weekly classes in gymnastics, kickboxing, capoeira and more. Photo furnished
Urban Ninja Project
1820 Bryan Station Road • (866) 923-5569 ext.1 • Hours vary; see website for class and open gym schedule urbanninjaproject.com
Hiding in the shadows of High Acres shopping center is the Lexington’s premiere play-oriented gym: Urban Ninja Project, a martial arts-inspired, community-focused gym for students of all ages and disciplines. With an open area more closely resembling an obstacle course than a standard weights-and-elliptical establishment, Urban Ninja Project encourages creativity, exploration and free movement as part of a fun, active lifestyle. While maintaining a focus on health and wellness, the facility serves also as an interactive space for kids and adults alike to simply let loose, with everything from rope swings and trampolines to giant tires, warped walls and a plethora of other found and repurposed materials.
In addition to helping kickstart the career of any budding “Ninja Warrior” contestant, Urban Ninja Project offers a wide variety of weekly classes geared toward beginners and seasoned ninjas alike. Professionally trained staff lend their expertise on kickboxing, parkour, capoeira, sparring and much more. The facility is available for private parties, with options for open gym, Nerf wars, gymnastics and more.
Urban Ninja Project welcomes all interested ninjas, regardless of experience or skill level, with a full list of class descriptions and times, open gym times and party options all available on the company’s website.
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The new Warehouse Block area business Color Chaos is a unique and colorful experience geared toward adults and older kids. Photo furnished
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The new Warehouse Block area business Color Chaos is a unique and colorful experience geared toward adults and older kids. Photo furnished
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The new Warehouse Block area business Color Chaos is a unique and colorful experience geared toward adults and older kids. Photo furnished
Color Chaos
309 N. Ashland Ave. • (859) 687-8732 • 10 a.m.-10 p.m., seven days a week • (bookings must be made at least three hours in advance) • www.colorchaos.com
Located on North Ashland Street, Color Chaos is a new team experience from the crew behind the popular local “escape room” business Breakout Games.
Geared primarily toward adults and older kiddos, Color Chaos offers an adventure full of flashing lights, laser mazes, fog and onslaughts of colorful paint. Wearing hazmat suits to safely enjoy the paint explosion, participants test their mental agility and physical determination during the hourlong, five-game experience, which simultaneously emphasizes team-building collaboration and fierce competition.
Rooms are designed to hold two to six players at a time, though larger groups can be accommodated by splitting up the group into more than one room. Bookings must be made at least three hours in advance.
Children 12 and under must have an adult guardian in the room with them, while those ages 13-14 must have an adult on the property. Due to its physical nature, the game is not designed for small children.
While Color Chaos doesn’t have a specific room available for parties, the Color Chaos team is eager to make birthdays a special experience – let them know it’s a special occasion at the time you book.
Malibu Jacks
2520 Nicholasville Road • (859) 687-0401 • Mon-Thurs: 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Fri.: 11 a.m.-midnight; Sat.: 10 a.m.-midnight; • Sun: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. • malibujacks.net
Since officially unveiling its new location in the former K-Mart building on Nicholasville Road last year, Malibu Jack’s has become Lexington’s pre-eminent entertainment playground.
Geared toward the young and young at heart, the Malibu Jack’s facility boasts state-of-the-art rides and games designed to engage and entertain thrill-seekers and fun-seekers of a variety of ages. While a full list of attractions is too long for print, highlights include an electric indoor go-kart track, a 4-D motion theater game where participants can “shoot” zombies or werewolves, a roller-coaster simulator, an actual roller coaster, bumper cars, virtual reality, modern and classic video games and 16 full-scale bowling lanes. With all manner of inflatables, the Bounce Beach section of the complex is designated solely for kids 10 and under (with parental supervision, of course). Attractions operate on a refillable play card system.
Culinary options offered include B.D.’sMongolian Grill, the Malibu Grill and Brooklyn Pizza.
Indoor patios are available for private parties, with multiple packages available. Kids’ birthday parties aren’t the only welcome reservations, however – sports banquets, team-building functions, lock-ins and more can be accommodated. Late night weekend hours ensure that even the oldest and busiest kids can have a good time.
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Along with wall-to-wall trampolines for kids bouncing of the walls, Sky Zone offers instructor-led workouts and Saturday night dance parties. Photo by Chris Radcliffe
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Along with wall-to-wall trampolines for kids bouncing of the walls, Sky Zone offers instructor-led workouts and Saturday night dance parties. Photo by Chris Radcliffe
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Along with wall-to-wall trampolines for kids bouncing of the walls, Sky Zone offers instructor-led workouts and Saturday night dance parties. Photo by Chris Radcliffe
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Along with wall-to-wall trampolines for kids bouncing of the walls, Sky Zone offers instructor-led workouts and Saturday night dance parties. Photo furnished
Sky Zone
3644 Boston Road #130 • (859) 629-4455 • Tues.-Thurs.: 4 p.m.-8 p.m.; Fri.: 4 p.m.-10 p.m.; Sat.: 11 a.m.-11 p.m.; Sun.: 12 p.m.-4 p.m. • www.skyzone.com/lexington
Located in the Mill Pond shopping center at Man-O-War and Boston Road, Sky Zone offers far more thrills and spills than your neighbor’s backyard trampoline – and way more foam padding, too.
Open to all ages, Sky Zone focuses on physical challenge and hang time. Playing a game of airborne trampoline dodgeball, testing your skills on a legit “Ninja Warrior” course, catapulting from a trampoline into a giant foam pit and bopping around in a freestyle jump area featuring wall-to-wall trampolines are just a handful of options available.
More than just a fancy bounce house, Sky Zone also offers trampoline-based, instructor-led workouts twice a week. On Saturday nights, the center transforms into a dance club in the sky, with lasers, black lights and music to get up and down to. Tuesday and Saturday mornings are set aside specifically for toddlers and their parents.
Sky Zone takes reservations for children’s birthday parties, grown-up group functions and full facility rentals. Prices, party options and the ever-present safety waiver are all available to peruse on the company website.
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L’Escalade Climbing Gym is Lexington’s premier venue for indoor rock climbing, with options for kids and adults of all ages and skill levels. Photo by @wilkinsonvisual - www.wilkinsonvisual.com
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L’Escalade Climbing Gym is Lexington’s premier venue for indoor rock climbing, with options for kids and adults of all ages and skill levels. Photo by @wilkinsonvisual - www.wilkinsonvisual.com
L’Escalade Climbing Gym
916 N. Broadway • (859) 523-0518 • Mon.-Fri.: 10 a.m.-10 p.m.; Sat.: 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sun.: 11 a.m.-7 p.m. • www.lefclimbing.com • info@lefclimbing.com
Sometimes you gotta get up to get down, and there’s no better place in town to do that than L’Escalade Fitness Climbing Gym.
As one would guess from the name, LEF Climbing Gym is Lexington’s premier venue for indoor rock climbing. Located at the corner of North Broadway and North Broadway Park, the climbing gym is open to all skill levels. From the greenest beginner to the seasoned rock veteran, LEF has you covered, offering four different climbing methods (bouldering, auto belay, top rope and lead climbing). Newbies are required to take a bouldering and auto belay orientation class before being let loose on their own. Advanced classes are available, too.
Due to the nature of climbing, LEF features a handful of additional requirements before you make it to the top: Children must be accompanied by someone 14 years or older (lead climbing is off limits for the kiddos under 14); and climbing equipment such as shoes, harnesses and rope is also required. Everything you need is available to rent on location. As with most physically challenging activities, a safety waiver must be filled out to participate.
Not only is LEF available for birthday parties (with experienced professionals on hand to supervise), the gym also organizes age- and skill-tiered climbing clubs (6 years old to adult), kids’ climbing camps and, even, a competitive youth climbing team.