These are some of the best birthday party places for kids! Celebrate your child’s birthday at one of these venues and let someone else take care of the set up, clean up and entertainment.
As parents, we all want our child’s birthday to be special. For some moms, having an in-home party is their go-to.
But there are some big benefits to throwing a birthday party away from home. After choosing the date and time, you can hand off most of the party to do list to the venue, so you can spend more time having fun and helping your child have a blast on their special day.
Whether you’re a new mom looking for some inspiration, or a seasoned mom of a teen, one thing is for sure- you’ll definitely find some inspiration below! We have birthday party ideas for kids of all ages.
Read on below for birthday party places. Many of these venues include everything you need, invitations, cake, ice cream, activities such as face painting and you have special reservations for busy days such as Friday nights, Saturdays or Sundays.
Birthday Party Venues for Kids Aged 5 and Under
When you are party host for one of your children’s first birthday parties you can let the venue take the stress out of the preparation for you. Simply google venues close to your home.
Bounce Houses
Let the kids have great celebrations while wearing them out at the same time and bouncing around for a good hour or so. Most of the Bounce venues have child helpers that assist at the party and at several of the Bounce section, ensuring that the kids stay entertained.
BounceU is a very popular venue, and there many locations around the U.S. Pump It Up is another indoor bounce house facility with locations throughout the country.
Gym Venues
There are gym-like venues that host birthday parties for kids – like My Gym, The Little Gym or the local YMCA. Many local parks and recreation departments also have gyms available.
You just need to arrange for the paper products and food. The gym usually assigns helpers that assist the kids during the course of the party.
It’s a great way for the kids to have fun, while being active at the same time. They’ll enjoy playing games, doing an obstacle course and keeping themselves entertained with the kid-sized equipment.
Fire Station
There are many local fire stations that let kids have their birthday party there for a donation. The kids will get educated and learn what firefighters do, while getting the opportunity to play the part of a firefighter themselves.
They will get the chance to sit in the fire truck, slide down the pole the firefighters use as well as try out a hose. Contact the local fire station and find out if they offer this option.
Swim Venues
There are many YMCAs, girls and boys clubs, and other local venues that have indoor swimming pools available to book out for party packages. These places usually also provide party helpers that will play games with the kids during their pool time.
Birthday Celebration Places for Kids Aged 5 to 10
Museums
Is your kid inquisitive? Then having their party at a local museum might be the perfect choice.
Many museums provide a private party room. Children’s museums gear activities towards younger kids but all types of museums offer birthday party packages.
Arts, crafts and ceramic studios
Do you have a budding artist on your hands? Then book your kids birthday party places at a studio that specializes in everything arts and crafts for your child’s special day.
You can get your kid’s party hosted at a place like Michael’s that offers arts and crafts parties. There are many local communities that have art schools or ceramic studios that you can book out for a birthday party.
Kids can do activities like making little vases, painting plates and so on. The best part is that the kids can keep their creations!
Bowling alleys
Everyone loves a classic bowling game, so why not host your kid’s birthday party at a bowling alley? Let the kids enjoy knocking down the pins, some of them may even make a Strike!
Kids generally enjoy any bowling alley place, but for the younger kids, a mini-bowling alley would be the perfect choice! Finish off the day with some pizza, soda and cake!
Farms and Zoos
Here’s a great idea for kids that love animals, host their party at a local farm or zoo (either a city zoo or petting zoo) for the party of their dreams. The kids will love seeing their favorite animals and get the chance to feed and pet them.
It’s also a good learning experience for them as they broaden their knowledge about animal behaviors and habitats.
Movie theaters
You can contact the local movie theater and find out the options of hosting a birthday party there. It would depend on your guest count, you may even get the option to rent out a few rows in the theater, the whole theater or even get your own private small room.
If your local theater has private rooms, they might also offer you having your own “party room”- the kids can get to play games and have refreshments such as cake before the start of the main event.
Birthday Party Places for Kids Aged 10 to 13
Indoor rock climbing venues
Do you have an active tween? Is your tween an adventure buff? Then throw them an indoor rock climbing party!
The tweens don’t need to be experienced in rock climbing, some of the venues actually offer party options with extra activities like small caves, slides and eco-themed games.
Chocolate shops
Who would say no to chocolate? Most local chocolate shops host birthday parties for children that are a bit older.
This would be a fun and educational party to have, as the children would get to see how chocolate is made. They would even get the opportunity to make their own chocolate.
Some of the local chocolate shops even have huge chocolate fountains – the children would love dipping their foods under the delicious chocolate waterfall.
Trampoline parks
Here’s a great way for tweens and teens to have fun while having a great workout as well. Most trampoline parks host birthday parties including tickets and they take care of everything for you.
One of the popular trampoline parks is Sky Zone, which has over 200 locations nationwide.
Spa party salons
Let the kids experience luxury while getting to feel like a princess at the same time. Each salon has its own package, but most salons offer a massage, a beauty mask, a foot soak, and tons of pampering of course!
Get the tweens/teens some plastic champagne-shaped glasses and fill them up with soda, sparkling water, or non-alcoholic “champagne.”
Best Birthday Party Places for Kids Aged 13 and above
Karaoke venues
Do you have a teen that loves singing? Or a child that dreams of being a famous pop star? Why not let their dreams come to life for the night? Fun entertainment makes this one of the best kid’s birthday party places.
There are several venues that offer and host karaoke parties – but you could always host the party at home with a small group of people. If you chose the latter option, hire out a local DJ – they would come to your home and run the party for you.
Then all you would need to focus on food and drink arrangements. A buffet is great for these types of parties.
Laser tag venues
Most venues that offer laser tag often have a private party room – which usually comes with a package that includes cake, food, games and other activities like bumper cars and so on. The kids will absolutely love suiting up and chasing one another around the laser tag venue.
Escape rooms
There are so many different themes to choose from when it comes to Escape rooms, you and your teenager will enjoy picking out together! Get your teen to pick something that they’re really into.
The teens will be put into different teams and they would have challenging puzzles to solve to enable them to escape from the room. It’s an action-packed way to celebrate your teens birthday.
After their battle of wits, they can end off the day with birthday cake and food! Companies like Escape the Room and Great Escape Room have various locations around the country, and they celebrate the birthday parties on-site.
Paintball venues
Paintball is great for active kids, they will enjoy the thrill of running around in their teams and getting messy. If safety is of a concern, you can look up some reputable local paintball venues that are experienced in terms of kids’ parties. There would be rules in place, precautions and a strong emphasis on safety, while having fun!
More Birthday Party Places to Consider
If you still haven’t found exactly the right place for your child’s party in the recommendations above, here are a few more to consider:
- Dave & Buster’s: While it is a sports bar, it’s also a great kid-friendly destination with all types of arcade games and food kids love (like burgers, pizza, chicken bites, and mac & cheese.
- Go-Karts: Most tracks have party rooms available, plus kid-friendly food available on-site.
- Concert: You just need to buy the tickets and provide the transportation, the performer takes care of the entertainment! Consider setting aside part of the budget for merch.
- Sporting Event: Like a concert, you just need to buy the tickets and provide transportation. Budget for concessions.
- Ice or Roller Skating Rink: Most skating rinks have birthday party packages and give you the option to bring your own skates or rent them on site.
- Mini Golf Course: Easy to play, fun for kids of all ages, and relatively inexpensive.
Questions to Ask When Booking a Venue
No matter where you decide to hold your child’s next birthday, there are a few questions to ask when you call to book so you don’t confront any unpleasant surprises.
- Are paper goods provided (e.g. plates and napkins)? What about utensils?
- What decorations (if any) are provided and what are you allowed to bring?
- Are balloons allowed?
- What type of adhesive is allowed to hang banners, streamers, etc.?
- Are food and beverages provided? Are you allowed to bring in outside food or drinks?
- What is the additional fee for special services and party add-ons?
- Are party favors provided? What is the cost?
- How early are you allowed to show up to setup?
- Who handles clean up?
- What are the minimum and maximum number of party guests?
- On what date do you need to confirm the number of attendees? Is it possible to add guests at the last minute or order additional food?