I love the beautiful pictures of well-planned parties with perfect decorations, perfect party favors, and even a perfectly laid out spread of food and snacks, but alas, it just isn’t in me! You can often find me at the grocery store on party day trying to decide what I’m going to cook for everyone! My girls each had a birthday celebration with family this year, but due to vacations and school breaks we needed to combine the parties they share with their friends for the first time. My older daughter turned 8 and my younger daughter was turning 6, so the challenge was on to find something that would appeal to both sets of kids.
My older daughter wanted to have their birthday party at Zap Zone, but her younger sister was a little hesitant to agree. My younger daughter had never played laser tag and wasn’t sure it was something she would enjoy. I decided to look into the offerings at Zap Zone and was happily surprised to find out they offer many different activities for children. We were able to plan a birthday party that both sets of kids could enjoy! We decided on a Triple Play Party package so that my older daughter and her friends could enjoy some Laser Tag fun (and my younger daughter could try it), and the younger set of kids would have fun activities to enjoy as well.
As for the structure of the party, when you arrive on party day, your party is assigned to one of several rooms. The kids all met in the party room and received a bracelet that was their “pass” for the party activities. Each party has a coordinator who gives you the game plan for when each activity will take place. The first activity for our group was the Jump Zone. The Jump Zone features four different inflatables for children ages 12 and under. This area by itself has enough different activities that kids of a wide variety of ages can have fun. The Jump Sessions are 15 minutes long. When I was planning the party, that didn’t seem like a lot of time to me, but it really was a good amount of time once we did it. The kids played hard for those 15 minutes! When we arrived back to the party room it was time for pizza. The Triple Play Package includes the party supplies (napkins, plates, cups) and pizza and pop for each participant.
Next up was Laser Tag. My youngest was still a little unsure about Laser Tag, but the parents were allowed to go in and walk along with their younger kids if needed, so it was a good chance to give it a try. The older kids seemed to really love the game, but I did end up taking my younger daughter and one of her friends out of the game early. We played a few arcade games while we waited for the rest of the kids to finish their laser tag game, and everyone was happy. When the kids filed out of the Laser Tag game, we headed back to the party room for cupcakes.
Last up was the Play Zone. The Play Zone is a soft indoor playscape where the kids can climb, crawl, swing, and slide. This was another area that can be enjoyed by a pretty wide variety of ages and was actually the favorite of both of my girls. As with the Jump Zone, a session lasts 15 minutes. The session did end promptly after their allotted time, but the staff never made anyone feel rushed and the kids had plenty of time to get their shoes back on at the end of the play session. In fact, none of the party felt rushed. There was even plenty of time at the end of the party for us to clear our things before they needed to set up for the next party.
If you’re looking for a party venue that can accommodate a wide variety of ages while keeping everyone entertained, Zap Zone is a great choice! Zap Zone Utica/Sterling Heights is located at 43680 Van Dyke Avenue in Sterling Heights. Birthday packages range from $13 per person to $23.95 per person. Party inquiries can be submitted online via their website or you can call 586-323-0030.
