Family Fun in Des Moines Area

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Top picks across Des Moines Area

Highly rated across categories

Des Moines Monsterama Pubcade

★★★★☆ 4.8 (212)

Family Fun Centers

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Ames North River Seasonal Ice Skating Rink

★★★★★ 5 (1)

Skating Rinks

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Ames Ames History Museum

★★★★☆ 4.9 (44)

Children's Museums

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Des Moines Columbus Park Sprayground

★★★★★ 5 (1)

Water Parks

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Urbandale Pump It Up Urbandale Kids Birthdays and More

★★★★☆ 4.4 (393)

Trampoline Parks

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Clive RezBlue Virtual Reality Des Moines

★★★★☆ 4.9 (462)

VR Experiences

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8 city pages

Show all Des Moines Area city pages

Des Moines 14 activities West Des Moines 6 activities Ames 4 activities Urbandale 4 activities Grimes 3 activities Clive 2 activities Altoona 2 activities Boone 2 activities

Planning notes

Des Moines Area has 37 family activities across 11 categories and 8 cities. Pick an activity to see top picks, or jump to a city.

Venue notes from Des Moines Area tracks

K1 Speed - Indoor Go Karts, Corporate Event Venue, Team Building Activities

Features electric go-karts capable of reaching 45 mph indoors, providing consistent torque at all speeds with no stalling risk
Offers specialized racing formats including Monthly Race Leagues, Drift Night, GLO KARTING, and K1 World Championship events

The Operating Room West Des Moines

Room features a unique 'drink flight' concept with slushies offered in curated selections, mentioned as a signature offering that draws customers even during hot weather
Pinball is a dominant attraction at this venue with 38 mentions in reviews, significantly outpacing other games and suggesting it may be a specialty focus compared to typical family entertainment centers

Perfect Games

Features a 2-story laser tag arena, which is a notable multi-level setup for a family entertainment center
The venue allows customers to bring their own birthday cakes to parties, offering flexibility uncommon in many entertainment centers

Spare Time Des Moines

Features an 'Elite Room' specifically designed as a sensory-friendly bowling experience, making it one of the few family entertainment centers with dedicated accessibility accommodations for children with sensory sensitivities
Laser tag requires a minimum of 10 people to play, which is notably higher than typical laser tag venues and positions it specifically for group events and parties rather than individual or small group play

RezBlue Virtual Reality Des Moines

RezBlue offers untethered room-scale VR experiences, allowing players freedom of movement without being tethered to equipment
The venue features large screens available for spectators to watch VR battles in real-time from outside the play area

More venue notes

Monsterama Pubcade

Features a distinctive monster/horror theme throughout the venue, creating a dark and atmospheric setting that complements the retro arcade experience from the 80s and 90s
The venue hosts organized pinball tournaments and pool leagues, indicating a competitive gaming community and structured event programming beyond casual play

Breakout Games

Urbandale maintains an exceptional 4.9-star rating across 6,206 reviews, indicating consistently high customer satisfaction for their escape room experiences
The venue offers 8 distinct themed escape rooms including CLUE, The Kidnapping, Kidnapping 2: Afraid of the Dark, Mystery Mansion, Wild West, Bomb Squad, Island Escape, and Operation: Casino, providing diverse difficulty levels and narratives

Kids Empire Merle Hay

Offers same-day re-entry with no additional cost - visitors can leave and return the same day by signing out with staff, maximizing value of their all-day access pass
The venue has specific accessibility accommodations for children on the autistic spectrum, including advance notice of surprise parades with loud music and elevated noise levels to help manage sensory sensitivities

Escape Chambers Des Moines

Operates a two-story laser tag arena with wireless rifle technology featuring realistic firing sounds and simulated recoil, along with padded drop steps connecting levels instead of traditional stairs
The venue offers multiple laser tag game modes including Team Slayer, Snipers, and King of the Hill within their 60-minute sessions

Gameday

Features a made-from-scratch kitchen with signature items like spicy deviled eggs ($9 for 6), charred wings, and a HUGE pretzel appetizer with house-made dips, indicating a more upscale casual dining approach than typical arcade venues
The venue serves as a sports viewing destination with multiple TVs for watching games, and offers a full-service bar with signature cocktails like Blue Porch Punch, combining traditional arcade/bowling entertainment with premium sports bar amenities

Chuck E. Cheese

Offers a free Kid Check safety program that uses matching stamps for children and adults to ensure safe reunification—a unique safety feature not commonly highlighted at typical family entertainment centers
This location features an Adventure Zone with both trampolines and an obstacle course, with the trampoline zone restricted to visitors under 56 inches tall, creating a specialized area for younger children

Air Lanes Bowling Center

Uses traditional free-fall pinsetters instead of modern string pin systems, providing a true regulation bowling experience with natural ball and pin reactions
Features cosmic bowling with nightclub-like atmosphere including special effects lighting and music, creating a glow-in-the-dark disco bowling experience

Clive Aquatic Center

Features a lazy river as one of its main attractions, mentioned in 19 reviews - significantly more than any other individual feature
The facility offers dedicated toddler time programming, mentioned in 6 reviews, indicating structured activities beyond standard pool hours

Altoona Aquatics Park

Offers exceptionally affordable concessions with all items priced at $4 or less, making it budget-friendly for families
The park features an island and open grassy sunbathing area, providing a distinct layout compared to typical water parks

Adventureland Park

Features a lazy river as part of its water park amenities, with 75 review mentions highlighting this attraction
The park operates seasonal special events including Neon Nights (Friday & Saturday nights July 10 to August 15), Oktoberfest, and Phantom Fall Fest Halloween event, plus entertainment shows featuring magic, lumberjack performances, and drone shows

Columbus Park Sprayground

Is located near multiple major Des Moines attractions including the Pappajohn Sculpture Park and Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden, making it part of a larger cultural and recreational destination area
The venue features both a kiddie area and splash pad, offering water play options for multiple age groups

Get Air Trampoline Park

Urbandale offers dedicated Toddler Time sessions with a 46" height requirement, providing a segregated jumping experience for younger children on Sunday mornings and Tuesday/Thursday mornings
The venue features Club Air, a specialized evening jump session with music and lighting effects, offered Friday and Saturday nights from 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM

Sky Zone Trampoline Park

Implemented a new wristband policy starting September 8th, requiring all guests to wear wristbands while inside the facility for safety and tracking purposes
The facility requires waivers for all guests including observers, with the convenience of online completion prior to visit

Pump It Up Urbandale Kids Birthdays and More

Offers 100% private party experiences where the entire fun zone is reserved exclusively for one party, ensuring no mingling with other groups
Features a Weekend Glow Jump special event with glow-in-the-dark capabilities, which reviewers specifically highlighted as a unique and fun add-on option

Blank Park Zoo

Operates active conservation breeding programs including a Cotton-Top Tamarin breeding program and a Turtle hatchling conservation program, demonstrating its commitment to species preservation
The zoo houses over 60 animal species across both indoor and outdoor exhibits, including rare species such as Snow Leopards, Amur Tigers, Eastern Black Rhinoceros, and Panamanian Golden Frogs

Blue Zoo Aquarium Des Moines

Aquarium features a fully interactive hands-on experience where visitors can touch and feed stingrays, starfish, birds, reptiles, and small fish, with stingray interactions being mentioned in 323 reviews and stingray petting specifically in 86 reviews
The aquarium hosts mermaid shows as a regular attraction, mentioned in 81 visitor reviews

Des Moines Children's Museum

Adults receive free admission to the Des Moines Children's Museum, making it an economical destination for family outings
The museum hosts Touch A Truck events in partnership with the City of Windsor Heights, providing interactive exploration of vehicles and equipment as part of its hands-on learning programming

Great Cats

Features 70+ animal species including rare animals such as Amur Tigers, Snow Leopards, and Eastern Black Rhinoceros
The zoo offers interactive giraffe feeding experiences available at scheduled times (11am, 1pm, 3pm) on weekends through Memorial Day

Ames History Museum

The museum features a unique vault that visitors can explore, described as 'uniquely interesting' by reviewers
The 'We the People of Ames' exhibit includes Civil War artifacts, U.S. Bicentennial items, presidential visit memorabilia, and World War II business artifacts

Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad & James H. Andrew Railroad Museum

The High Bridge is a notable scenic landmark featured prominently in train excursions, mentioned in 42 reviews, making it one of the most talked-about features of the attraction
Offers specialized Rail Explorers experiences where visitors can ride in pedal-powered rail cars, a unique interactive experience distinct from traditional train rides

Living History Farms

The museum spans 500 acres and features four distinct historical time periods: 1700 Ioway Indian Farm, 1850 Pioneer Farm, 1876 Town of Walnut Hill, and 1900 Horse-Powered Farm, allowing visitors to journey through 200 years of agricultural history
Uses on-site interpreters and historians who embody their time periods to deliver educational experiences, with review mentions highlighting staff expertise in bringing history to life through hands-on demonstrations like printing shop activities

The Zoo

Children's Underground features a story reader program available to enhance the visitor experience

Combat Live Laser Tag

Features 285 different weapon simulations that rotate weekly, providing constantly varied gameplay experiences
Arena course layout changes weekly and game modes are dynamically adjusted based on the arena configuration

The Fat Putter Des Moines

Putter features 3 different mini golf courses plus arcade games and brain buster puzzle games integrated throughout the courses
The venue operates as a 21+ only venue from 6pm to close, transforming into an adults-only entertainment space in the evenings

West Grand Golf

Offers a unique tiered pricing structure including free play for children 5 and under, discounted daycare rates at $9 per child, and group lesson packages, making it exceptionally accessible for families and organized groups
The course features cascading waterfalls, elegant fountains, and picturesque rock gardens with colorful blooms integrated throughout the 18-hole layout, creating a distinctive natural landscape setting for mini golf

Monster Mini Golf Grimes

Features custom artwork and murals paying homage to local Grimes culture and landmarks, making it a locally-themed attraction rather than a generic franchise experience
Offers a multi-entertainment complex with 18-hole glow-in-the-dark mini golf, laser maze, bowling, and arcade in one location

Skateland

Features an indoor skate park with a quarter pipe, drop-in quarter pipe, and multiple ramps and rails, plus an augmented reality interactive mural on the northern-most half pipe
The rink offers games approximately every 15 minutes during skating sessions to provide entertainment breaks for guests

Ames / ISU Ice Arena

The rink features a pep band and cheerleaders at hockey games, which is notable enough that visitors specifically mentioned it as their first experience seeing this at a skating venue
The rink experienced a month-long closure in May, after which hockey sessions were added back to the calendar

North River Seasonal Ice Skating Rink

Features separate dedicated rinks - one for hockey and one for general skating - allowing simultaneous use by different skating disciplines
The rink operates on a completely free admission model with extended hours from dawn until dusk throughout the winter months

Skate South

VIP glow room party packages include multiple entertainment and food amenities: food, beverages, airbrush tattoos, and arcade game cards all included in one package
Parties booked during rink opening result in significantly less crowded experiences, allowing private event guests to nearly have the place to themselves

Brenton Skating Plaza

Is an open-air outdoor skating rink with scenic views of the Des Moines river and city skyline, offering a unique skating experience with refreshing riverside breezes
The venue doubles as a concert venue that operates rain or shine, with surprisingly good acoustics and consistent sound quality from front to back despite being an open-air space

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Family Fun Centers in Des Moines Area

Skating Rinks in Des Moines Area

Children's Museums in Des Moines Area

Water Parks in Des Moines Area

Trampoline Parks in Des Moines Area

Laser Tag in Des Moines Area

Mini Golf in Des Moines Area

Zoos in Des Moines Area

Escape Rooms in Des Moines Area

Go-Karts in Des Moines Area

VR Experiences in Des Moines Area

Top picks across Des Moines Area

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Planning notes