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Fun kids' birthday party venue in Kansas City: Zonkers Family Entertainment Center in Olathe, KS

Zonkers is a fun place to have a child's birthday party in Kansas City.
Zonkers is a fun place to have a child's birthday party in Kansas City.
Photo credit: 
sxc.hu/ba1969

Looking for a fun place to throw a child's birthday party in Kansas City? My eight-year-old son recently held his birthday party at Zonkers Family Entertainment Center in Olathe, Kansas, and had a great time. Zonkers offers Kansas City kids three birthday party packages, all of which include unlimited rides and soft play, 10 tokens per child, a reserved party table and party attendant, birthday cake, soft drinks, table settings, and free printable party invitations.

Zonkers Family Entertainment Center, located on the north side of The Great Mall of the Great Plains in Olathe, Kansas, has arcade games, a huge soft-play “Sky Maze” climbing area with tunnels and slides, a batting cage, and a great selection of kids' indoor rides: a carousel, train, Yak Attack (kids riding the Yak Attack listen to music and go around and around, bumpety-bump, forward and backward), Banana Squadron airplanes, and—my kids' favorite—Python Pit roller coaster. In my opinion, Zonkers' Python Pit roller coaster is more fun than the Wacky Worm at Worlds of Fun. The Tiny Rhino Diner, inside Zonkers, serves pizza, hot dogs, burgers, chicken, pretzels, funnel cakes, nachos, and cotton candy.

Zonkers offers 3 birthday party packages for kids. Advanced reservations are required; it costs $50 to reserve a two-hour party time slot, but that cost will be deducted from your final bill on the day of the party. You'll need a minimum of 6 kids for your party.

The “Excellent Expedition” birthday party package costs $13.95/kid, or you can purchase the Mega Pack for $195.95 for up to 20 kids. This package includes unlimited rides and soft play, 10 tokens per child, birthday cake, soft drinks, table settings, free printable invitations, a reserved party table and party attendant, a free return pass for the birthday child, and a spin of the Party Wheel for the birthday child (he/she will spin the wheel to earn up to 1000 prize tickets).

The “Awesome Adventure” party package costs $17.95/kid or $295.95 (Mega Pack) for up to 20 kids, and includes everything from the Excellent Expedition, plus two slices of pizza and ice cream or candy for each child.

The “Ultimate Piñata” party package costs $21.95/kid or $395.95 (Mega Pack) for up to 20 kids, and includes everything from the Awesome Adventure, plus a treat-filled piñata for the kids to break, goody bags for each child, a personalized birthday cake, and ice cream and candy for each child.

Athletic kids might like to add an hour in the batting cage to their party package for an extra $20. Extra tokens cost a quarter each, or 100 tokens can be purchased for $20. Other available add-ons include party platters, party hats, goody bags, and flashing drinking glasses.

To save money on the birthday party packages at Zonkers, plan your child's party during the week, Monday through Friday. You'll save $3 per child or $20 off “Mega Pack” party packages during the week. A weekday party will also help you to avoid the large weekend crowds. In retrospect, I wish I'd planned my son's birthday party at Zonkers on a weeknight; on Saturday afternoon, Zonkers is packed. It was stressful trying to keep track of all the kids, and the kids had to wait in line for the most popular rides.

Zonkers is best suited for children 12 and under, but that doesn't mean teens and adults won't have any fun. A different party package is available for teens and adults for $9.95/person (minimum 10 people; and no weekday discount is offered for the teen/adult party package).

My family and my son's friends were perfectly happy with the Excellent Expedition birthday party package. The kids spent so much time in the Sky Maze and riding the Python Pit roller coaster, they had to rush to spend all their tokens and redeem their tickets for prizes at the prize counter. I paid $150 for my son's party at Zonkers, and felt the cost was worth it. The kids had a blast, and I didn't have to worry about cleaning up afterward.

Go here to get directions and read more reviews of Zonkers Family Entertainment Center.  Visit Zonkers' website for printable coupons and to see pictures of the games, rides, and party area. 

A Zonkers Arcade recently opened in Oak Park Mall in Overland Park, Kansas.  The new Zonkers Arcade does not have all the rides offered at The Great Mall location.  Click here for more information about the new Zonkers Arcade location.


Become a fan of Zonkers on Facebook or follow Zonkers on Twitter to enter drawings and learn about the latest deals.

For more kids' birthday party ideas in Kansas City, check out my article, “Best Kids' Birthday Party Locations in Kansas City,” in which I discuss children's birthday parties at Powerplay Family Entertainment Center, Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead, Wonderscope Children's Museum, T-Rex Restaurant, and more. Zonkers Family Entertainment Center deserves to join my list of “Best Kids' Birthday Party Locations in Kansas City.”

Prices quoted in this article are subject to change. For the most up-to-date information, please visit www.zonkers.com or call (913) 393-3535.

Zonkers Family Entertainment Center
20070 W. 151st St.
Olathe, KS 66061

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, Kansas City Family Entertainment Examiner

A resident of Johnson County, Kansas for 25 years, Maria Roth is a busy mother, always on the lookout for fun family activities in Kansas City. She and her children love puzzles, books, movies, and games. E-mail Maria -- she welcomes comments and suggestions from her readers.

Comments

  • John Myers 2 years ago

    Sounds like a great place!

  • Sherri-National Gen X Examiner 2 years ago

    Sounds like fun Maria!

  • Mike Oberg 2 years ago

    Zach's party was fun!

  • halina zakowicz- madison craft beer examiner 2 years ago

    Was this for Zach or Audrey? It does sound like it was a lot of fun.

  • montreal mental health & Montreal health exami 2 years ago

    great piece Maria,

  • K K Thornton 2 years ago

    I want to ride the Yak Attack, if only so I can say I rode the Yak Attack. Sounds like Zach had an awesome birthday. :)

    -Dallas Healthy Trends Examiner
    -Dallas Ethnic Foods Examiner

  • Jenny Wagner - Charlotte Interior Improvement Exam 2 years ago

    I wish we had something like this around here. It sounds awesome.

  • Langley - Charleston Dogs Examiner 2 years ago

    With a name like Zonkers it's got to be fun. Happy belated birthday to Zach.

  • Roberta Baxter 2 years ago

    What a fun place to have a birthday party. TX for all your work to highlight this for my use. Eugene, Oregon Dogs Examiner

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