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A guide to indoor entertainment centers

When you break before the weather does, visit your local fun center

David Flomberg, Special to the Rocky

Published March 21, 2008 at 12:05 a.m.
Updated March 21, 2008 at 12:23 a.m.

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Crystal Denton, left, Madison Major and Rachael Sena pose in the Medal Master photo booth at Red and Jerry’s.

Photo by Ellen Jaskol

Crystal Denton, left, Madison Major and Rachael Sena pose in the Medal Master photo booth at Red and Jerry’s.

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Don't let the warm weather fool you - March is traditionally the snowiest month in the Mile High, and Mother Nature usually saves her wicked best for this upcoming week, when most kids are cut loose for spring break. But that doesn't mean there isn't fun to be had indoors. Denver's got a few options to that end that offer something for everyone - from the ankle biters to Uncle Harold. Whether you're looking to break out of the bar rut or keep the kids busy, we're betting that one of these will fit the bill.

Boondocks Fun Center

11425 Community Center Drive, Northglenn; 720-977-8000; boondocksfuncenter.com

One of three Boondocks Fun Centers (the others are in Idaho and Utah), this Northglenn amusement park offers plenty of distractions inside and out for adults and kids alike. Covering eight acres in the north metro area, the park boasts go-kart tracks, a stomach-churning flight simulator, batting cages, bumper boats and lots of other stuff.

* For the kids: Kids love to climb stuff, and the Kiddie Cove is designed for the under-6 demographic. For $3, your tyke can exhaust himself on slides, web ladders, a bungee wall, tubes and nets, all designed with soft materials. Then, enjoy the silence as he sleeps in the car on the ride home.

* Fun over 21: At the only destination on our list with batting cages, test your mettle against a 70-mph hardball pitch or impress no one with your marginal ability to smack a hanging, slow-pitch softball.

* Best way to drop $20: OK -- make that $25, and you get a package of unlimited fun (if you're over 60 inches; if you're vertically challenged or a child, it's only $16.95). The deal gives you access to go-karts, laser tag, bumper boats, putt- putt golf, the kiddie cove (48 inches or less) and a fistful of tokens. (Compare to individual prices: one turn on a go-kart runs $6; putt-putt is $7.) Even better, head over on a Tuesday after 5 p.m. and get an unlimited pass for $12.

* Don't waste the dough: A cheeseburger and fries at the Back Porch Grill here will run you almost $10 and isn't notably better than the nearest fast-food franchise.

Mr. Biggs (formerly Fat City)

9670 W. Coal Mine Ave., Littleton; 303-972-4344; biggcity.net

Anyone remember Celebrity Sports Center? Fat City came the closest to filling that void -- offering more activities per square foot than any of the other like-styled places in town. Mr. Biggs (another Mr. Biggs exists in Colorado Springs) looks to continue that trend after buying and renovating the southwest hot spot. Though it looks like the roller skating is a thing of the past, they're adding high-speed go-karts to a mix that includes amusement park rides, mini-golf, laser tag, a bowling alley and an arcade.

* For the kids: The three-story "Foam Factory" boasts 20,000 balls flying, falling and flinging all over the place.

* Fun over 21: The blacklit neon-tastic bowling lanes (40 in all) and full-service bar are definitely the draw for the adults. Sunday through Thursday, bowling's only $2 after 5 p.m., or $1.95 per game on the weekends (shoe rental is $2 and $3.75, respectively).

* Best way to drop $20: There's great bang for the buck in the arcade. Unless you're the worst video gamer in history, $20 can easily last you two hours on the collection of games that includes NASCAR racing, Dance Dance Revolution (the most fun one to watch others play), shooters, fighting games and more. Come in on Tuesday and enjoy unlimited video games and other activities for $12 from 5 to 9 p.m.

* Don't waste the dough: The Twister amusement ride spins you around in high-speed circles until you're just about ready to retch. It's all the motion sickness you can shake a stick at for $2.95.

Amazing Jake's Food and Fun

1400 S. Abilene, Aurora; 303-337-5253; amazingjakes.com

A recent addition to A-Town, Amazing Jake's isn't another American Furniture Warehouse. One of a chain of three (the others are in Plano, Texas, and Mesa, Ariz.), this joint is kid-centric, boasting rides, an arcade, indoor electric go-karts and bumper cars, laser tag, a climbing wall and the coveted pizza bar.

* For the kids: Amazing Jake's offers toddler-appropriate rides, several theme rooms and a top-shelf dessert bar. A big draw is the movie-themed room, where Disney and Dreamworks animated movies play on a big screen while kids chow down on pizza or pasta from the buffet.

* Fun over 21: "Our customer base should be in bed by 10," says restaurant supervisor Joel Bledsoe. Amazing Jake's heavily targets tykes, but adults can have fun, too - competitive racing games in the arcade will get anyone's blood pumping, and the limited bar (beer and wine) may take the edge off if you're spending the day baby-sitting your kids and 20 friends. There's a two-drink max, so no one gets loaded and then loads the kids in the van.

* Best way to drop $20: Instead of destroying the living room (and adding a $200 carpet-cleaning bill to the tab), get the kids out of the house and into Amazing Jake's for one of their specialized birthday packages: $9.99 per child includes invitations, a party server, favors and balloons, buffet, reserved tables or private room and 20 arcade points per guest. Add $7.99 more for unlimited access to laser tag, the rock wall, bumper cars, mini-golf and the kiddie rides.

* Don't waste the dough: For kids, the $5.95 cost of the indoor go-karts might be worth it, but adults probably will be left underwhelmed.

Red and Jerry's

1840 W. Oxford Ave., Englewood; 303-783-9724; redandjerrys.com

If Amazing Jake's is built for kids, Red and Jerry's takes aim at the kid inside the adult. A homegrown venue that sprang out of the dog-racing empire of Gerald and Inez Wagner (who owned Rocky Mountain Greyhound Park until it was sold to Wembly in 2001), the giant play place offers plenty of distractions, from live wrestling to a big arcade to two different sports bars to off-track betting.

* For the kids: The arcade's the draw here; classic racing games and ticket games like skee ball, coin drops, pop-a-ball, etc., are paired with new virtual options like boxing.

* Fun over 21: Off-track betting (dogs or ponies!) is the big draw here. Can't afford to get to the Kentucky Derby? Watch it live here, and get in on the action. In fact, Derby Day is huge at Red and Jerry's -- they charge a $10 cover and the place becomes a zoo. But that's not the only draw for the grown-ups. Daily drink specials, hundreds of televisions, cage fighting, dancing ... the list goes on.

* Best way to drop $20: Add a Jackson to your $10 cover on the Derby and reserve a table with its own monitors for the day. Worth every penny.

* Don't waste the dough: ... on any bet on the Kentucky Derby that isn't a quinella with Pyro and War Pass. The two have finished 1-2 twice already in the last year -- once at Belmont and then again a few weeks later at the Breeders' Cup.

Dave and Buster's

2000 S. Colorado Blvd; 303-759-1515; 10067 Westminster Blvd; 303-438-1500; daveandbusters.com

Dave and Buster's is the best known eatertainment joint in town - operating for more than a decade in its Denver location and approaching the 10-year mark in Westminster.

* For the kids: The Midway's the place to be, with an assortment of games ranging from racing to shooters, virtual horse ownership to sports games, trivia and more. Dave and Buster's also has one of the largest collections of ticket games - in which you test your skill (if you call rolling a ball toward a target a skill) to win tickets that you exchange for prizes ranging from kazoos and key chains to HDTVs and inappropriately large stuffed animals.

* Fun over 21: In the arcade, D&B offers plenty of options that appeal to the more mature gamer - from competitive racing games to video poker. In the bar/restaurant area, the bar is surrounded by a perimeter of high-end slate billiard tables along with a few shuffleboard tables and the virtual golf course.

* Best way to drop $20: The "Eat and Play" combo offers a dinner or lunch selection from among 11 entrees and comes with a $10 game card, all for $15.99. Or, drop $20 on an hour of virtual golf (best to bring your own clubs, the rentals are a bit dodgy) for up to eight people.

* Don't waste the dough: The ticket games don't offer a lot of bang for the buck, even though they tend to be a bit addictive. Still, spending what amounts to $4,000 for a PlayStation 3 is a little insane.

Comments

  • March 25, 2008

    8:21 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    pathfinder_lic_xfer writes:

    New Attraction at Mr Biggs
    http://www.mrbiggsffc.com/battletech.php
    Also see www.VirtualWorld.com

    These ten networked Virtual Reality Simulators are worth looking into.
    They are popular for individuals, birthday parties, and corporate teambuilding.

    The full simulator cockpit allowed me and my friends to meet each other on a virtual world. We booked a party to get a "boot camp" style instructions for the 60 controls and 7 displays. There is a lot to learn.

    We signed up for updates to receive notices for competitions and tournaments. The word is that these simulators will network with the Biggs simulators at Colorado Springs and maybe other sites around the US for huge LAN parties.

    The best price is to take friends and group together and get a $50 card for additional discounts. But, the best deal is a Boot Camp on an announced evening. Each person gets a personal trainer and hours of training and play for about the typical price of going to a movie.

    Dads should look at taking part with the kids. Instead of an X-box in the living room, my son and I were very interactive. There is a lot of stratigy involved so the dads can keep up with the X-Box generation during a competition.

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