Saturday, March 2, 2019

Olympia Gymnastics, Chesterfield



Location: 226 Chesterfield Industrial Blvd., Chesterfield, MO 63005

Website: http://olympiagymnastics.org/chesterfield.html

We went to their open gym and it was only $6 for each of my kids to play for an hour.  This is one of the more reasonable open gyms in town! They offer a ton of activities including the following:

  • Instructional Gymnastics: Ages Toddler - 18 years
  • Competitive Girls Team
  • Ninja (ages 4 - teen)
  • Tumbling (ages 4 - teen)
  • Tumble Tykes/Mom's Day Out
  • Field Trips
  • Kid's Night Out
  • Open Gym
  • Summer and Day Camps
  • Birthday Parties
  • Private Lessons

Nice little room with toys for bored siblings of kids taking classes











Coach Evan was great with the kids and set up different things based on their requests. He engaged them and challenged them and made it fun, even though we don't take classes here. They have multiple locations around town and also own My Gym and a Ninja facility. I highly recommend checking them out!

Thursday, February 28, 2019

Cactus Pete's Family Fun Center, Imperial



Location: 1045 Imperial Main St., Imperial, MO 63052    636-223-7206

Website: http://cactuspetesfamilyfuncenter.com/

Cactus Pete's opened in January of  2018. Their amenities include laser tag, a bounce house, maze, and video games. They also have a black light party room. They are closed on Monday and Tuesday, open evenings Wednesday through Friday, and open most of the day on Saturday and Sunday. Remember to bring socks for the bounce house!

This is a blurb from their website that explains their mission:
"Cactus Pete’s Family Fun Center was created by two guys from Jefferson County that were tired of driving their kids to South County, Fenton and St. Charles to play overpriced video and prize redemption games as well as laser tag. They decided to improve and expand on what a family fun center should be. Namely FUN, AFFORDABLE and MEMORABLE. Cactus Pete’s is the perfect place to bring your family or group – buy 4 or more game cards and receive 10% off your entire purchase. You can even bring your own food!!! Recommended ages 5 and up."

They do not serve food but they serve soda and BEER. They have more than 30 “top of the line” video, drivers, prize redemption, ticket & claw games. Featuring: Space Invaders, Despicable Me – Jelly Lab, Down The Clown, Jurassic Park, Aliens Armageddon, Big Bass Pro, Kung Fu Panda, Baseball Pro, Skee Ball, NBA Hoops, Sink It… All games are cleaned and disinfected after use and multiple times throughout the day. They also have a huge dodge-ball bounce house, and the Must See – “Area 51 – Alien Ooze Laser Tag”. Laser Tag is on the second floor and features the latest in technology. The “Cyber Blast Phaser” does not require a sweaty oversized vest and is light enough that kids of all ages can use it! Games are limited to 10 players per round so that participants can maneuver through the black light maze of effects and not spend all their time waiting for their phaser to activate after being shot! Over 50 computerized laser tag games to choose from.

All the games and attractions require credits to play. A credit equals roughly 25 cents and most of the games average between 4 – 6 credits. You purchase whatever number of credits you want. The credits are put on a card which you will simply swipe at the game or the attraction. The tickets you win are recorded on the game card. NO MORE LUGGING AROUND QUARTERS OR TOKENS! NO MORE STUFFING TICKETS INTO YOUR POCKETS AND UNLOADING THEM AT THE COUNTER. It’s all on our cloud based card reader system.

My impression is that this place is rather small but there's no other family fun center in the area so it's a nice addition for residents in the area.











Bounce house








Rewards area







Their claw machine has candy instead of stuffed animals










Sunday, February 3, 2019

St. Louis Zoo Children's Zoo, St. Louis UNDER CONSTRUCTION





Location: Forest Park, One Government Drive, St. Louis, MO 63110

Website: https://stlzoo.org/news/destination-discovery-update-2024

Construction is now underway at Henry A. Jubel Foundation Destination Discovery, the new experience for children and families targeted to open in 2026 at the Saint Louis Zoo. Today, the Zoo released a new, animated fly-through rendering video and updated images showcasing the planned experiences, attractions, and animal habitats within Destination Discovery.  

The new children's area should be open by 2026. 
                



Saturday, February 2, 2019

Bella Fontaine West Park, Moline Acres



Location: 9601 Duke Dr., Moline Acres, MO 63136

Website:  https://www.stlouisco.com/parksandrecreation/parkpages/bellafontaine   

This playground is west of the Bella Fontaine Park, and was acquired in 1975 with funds from the 1969 Bond Issue and the federal Land & Water Conservation Fund. It was partially developed in 1979. The final development was completed in 1981 with the addition of 4 softball fields and parking for 50 cars. It is connected to the main area by Maple Tree Trail that crosses Maline Creek by bridge and Highway 367 at an unguarded crossing.


There is just one play structure, and it has several slides, a rock wall, a pretend window, stepping stones, and lots of bars and poles.  There is a large pavilion nearby and lots of parking.