YESTERcades hit a very specific kind of nostalgia for me. Walking in and seeing Mortal Kombat II,…read moreThe Simpsons, TMNT, NBA Jam, Street Fighter II, Super Mario Bros., Duck Hunt, Skee Ball, and rows of pinball machines felt like somebody collected pieces of my childhood and put them all in one room. What made it even better was being able to just play. No pockets full of quarters. No deciding whether a game was worth another token. Just move from machine to machine and completely lose track of time. Even the junk food felt on theme. There is something incredibly nostalgic about taking a break from an arcade game for candy and snacks and then going right back to playing. As an adult, it was fun. As a 80's baby, it felt like getting to visit a version of childhood again, except this time I had no curfew and enough money for all the junk food I wanted.

Stopped by so spontaneously on a friday night and it was so fun! It's $10 per hour for unlimited…read morearcade game play with extensions beyond the time. Staff is great and the place is well maintained. There's something for everyone - whether it's to sit and chill in a booth, video games, air hockey, classic arcade and board games, and my favorite skee-ball. Family friendly, group friendly and BYOB!

People giving this place more than 2 stars have never been to a mini golf course with any variety…read morewhatsoever. I don't mean to be negative but it's just green turf with a hole and maybe some brightly painted rocks and a Ton of mosquitos...No theme to the mini golf course, no holes that had any sort of obstacles other than don't let your ball fall into the Gatorade-blue water. It is 18 holes, it is inexpensive and they did have bug spray when you got there. We had fun!

This place is a dump. Hasn't been updated in years. Greens were dirty and unkempt. I must say…read morethe smell from the BBQ restaurant inside was heavenly.

The kids loved it and had a great time. The staff were helpful and courteous…read more Convenient location

Excellent Retro Arcade with a great game selection and an excellent staff. Highly recommended!…read more Fun for all ages!

Super easy process, super fun, organized, clean. What more can you want out of a place. Just know…read moreyou're going to sweat, it is a workout! The only thing I would say is I wish there would have been some sort of warning that if you have a group bigger than 5. The 6 person won't count. So unless you're okay with breaking into groups or the last person not counting for points. I would just be aware of that. But the 60 minutes of fun they are offering is worth every penny.

This is our 3rd Activate location... been a few times to American dream, and also Canada (from…read morewhere it originates). Its a really fun option for families and/or friends. We prefer this to other activities like escape rooms, arcades, etc. Really great for working together or competing! And since there are levels, it should be fine for kids to teens to adults to seniors! This is a solid option, we we will be coming here in future instead of American dream. Free parking, and also better food options in the area. We came on opening day because opening weekend was 50% off. It was crowded (Saturday night)... more on that later. There seems to be more rooms than American dream which is nice. Also the staff here are great, really helpful. Lots of parking outside (the thing I hate most about American dream is having to pay for parking). Unfortunately it was so packed that we barely got to do 2 consecutive events in a room, since each time there is someone waiting. So we blew a lot of time changing rooms/ waiting. This will probably get better as the hype dies down, and also at an off peak time.

We've been here many times, especially during school breaks or when school is closed, and it's…read morealways a good place to keep our daughter busy for a few hours. I personally think it's best for babies through around 6 years old. My daughter has a few favorites here. She loves the pretend-play area, especially the makeup and dress-up section because she loves dressing up like a princess. She also really enjoys the farm area where she can pretend to milk the cow and feed it with a bottle. The little ride that goes round and round is another must for her every time we come. But the ball pit and slides are probably where she spends most of her energy. There are three different types of slides, and the kids have to go through some small obstacles and climbing areas to get to them. She loves doing the whole thing over and over and then sliding right into the ball pit. One thing I really appreciate as a parent is that the bathrooms have always been clean when we visit. They also have a little step stool for kids to reach the sink, which is such a simple thing but very helpful when you have a little one. My only suggestion would be to replace some of the dress-up clothes. A few of them are pretty worn out and not in the best condition anymore. Since that area is so popular with kids like my daughter, some new dresses would make it even better. Overall, we've been here quite a few times and keep coming back because our daughter genuinely enjoys it. It's especially nice to have a place like this during school breaks, days off, or when you just need an indoor place where the kids can play, pretend and burn off some energy.

I celebrated my daughter's 5th birthday here and we had a great experience. The space is perfect…read morefor kids from about 10 months to 8 years old. There's a designated baby area, a jumping area, slides, a dress-up section, a pretend play area, and even a cow the kids can milk, which was a big hit. The party room was nicely decorated by the party team and comfortably fit our group of 14 kids and 22 adults. They offer a catering menu, and we chose the pizza, which was delicious. Outside dessert is allowed at no extra cost. If you'd like to bring outside food, there's an $80 fee. They were also very accommodating with decorations. I was able to bring balloons, and since they didn't have the party theme I wanted, they allowed me to bring my own plates, cups, banner, and other party décor. The party package includes two hours total, with 90 minutes in the party room. Overall, it was a really good experience, and everyone especially my daughter had an amazing time. I would definitely recommend this place for a kids' party.

My family was invited to a birthday party at Kidz n Kaboodle, in which we thoroughly enjoyed…read more Located in Spotswood, we would not have known about this locally owned and operated business if it was not for our friends' event. Honestly, we were a bit reserved when we arrived to the location. The outside appearance of the establishment did not necessarily present any sort of grandeur, with the parking lot being a bit confusing to get to (Google Maps will put you in the parking lot of Kearny Bank which is reserved for bank customers only). We were not sure what this venue had to offer from the small outward appearance. Once we stepped inside, the entire vibe changed. The reception and front desk area were full of different party items, from decorations to toys, all of which can be purchased. This area is almost its own gift store and business within itself. We had to quickly separate ourselves from being overwhelmed in our exploration of this area. The entire venue was reserved for and catered to the guests of the birthday family (for a specific time block I would imagine). This was nice to be a part of because it definitely felt like everyone received a more private and intimate service (compared to larger, corporate venues), with nothing but the utmost dedication from the owner and workers in providing the best experience. One of the owners greeted us when we arrived, immediately making us feel welcomed. There appeared to be a formalized event agenda. This was nice because it helped corral and integrate guests together which facilitated mingling between both close friends and acquaintances (while not forcing any unwanted interactions). From start to finish, we felt that we were always doing something and never really felt that we were waiting for the party to end. This is a great reflection on the mamagement skills of the ownet and staff. If you are comparing Kidz n Kaboodle as a playspace to lets say Princeton Playspace, the venue is smaller in size. However, as a party venue, Kidz n Kaboodle is ideal. Our daughters were aged 5 and 2, and the various activities they had were appropriate for their age. There are about 10 distinct activity areas with a dining/social area. The dining/social area is a bit small (I believe there is a suggested cap on adults) and really meant for children. One of the 10 activity areas is a larger, indoor, "almost-obstacle course/playground" that offers monkey bars, some seesaws, ballpit, foosball, amongst other physical activities. The other 9 areas consist of smaller rooms and spaces, ranging from a small arcade to themed play areas. Overall, the size of the venue works out. We continued to be pleased with the friendliness of the owner and staff. They were incredibly attentive, while taking off some load of the parents (we still had to supervise, but the staff definitely helped more than required to ensure the safety of the children). This was a great bit of relief - as I am sure most, if not all, parents would appreciate. The staff was super sweet with the kids which was a nice change from the usual apathetic young adults that usually work these venues. All in all, a great venue to host your kids' birthday parties! Highly recommend, especially as a small, local business.

Honestly, I was very disappointed with my experience here. I went to a birthday party for my…read morenephew, and it was fun for the kids but not so much for the adults. For what they spent, it was a little ridiculous that they only got 6 pizzas total to feed over 30 people. The cotton candy machine was smoking and smelled like plastic, and the cotton candy produced from this machine tasted like plastic as well. It was very odd. For some reason, they wouldn't let us turn on the light in one of the rooms we were in. No drinks were provided for the adults, and the drinks for the kids were coming out of odd plastic jugs. Some homemade juice mixture, maybe? I imagine it was fine and mostly watered down juice to save money, but the jugs looked dirty to us. My cousin tried to give the 2 teenage girls working there a tip, but the one was in the back, so the owner said, "I'll take it." We assumed to imply to give it to the other worker, but she just stuck it in her pocket, and when the other girl came out of the backroom, she didn't give her the money. Why does the owner even need a tip? You own the place; you were paid $1100 for 2 hours of fun for the kids with watered-down juice, no drinks for the adults, and not enough pizza to feed even 10 people. Oh, and a smoking cotton candy machine whose smell made us naucious. Then to top it off, they tried to charge them extra sales tax. Who does that? -Edit Ok so I guess the very prideful and respectful business is going to argue with customers now, be condescending and call them liars. But what else can I expect from the company that I found to be completely unprofessional during my nephew's birthday party. But if you want to argue, Im game. Regardless of what the parents signed, I stated your pricing was ridiculous regardless of what the parents agreed to. $1100 for what? Honestly, that wasnt worth $700. Its a criticism of your pricing in general regardless of what the parents agreed to. I can have my opinion ma'am and they have theirs. Maybe they feel differently but I dont find the price reasonable. A dust of cotton candy? Sorry but that was a little bit more than a dust and I dont really care if it was burning actual plastic or not. It smelled odd. It surely didnt smell like blue raspberry. And you can quote me the entire safety manual but the machine looks like it was made in the 60s. Ive seen other machines that didnt create a "dust" and didnt give off that horrible smell so it was shocking to see your machine do these things. About the lights, you turned them off twice. My cousin and his wife's cousin turned them on and you turned them off. I was there ma'am, dont tell me there wasnt an issue with leaving them on. It was awkward with the lights the way they were, thats why 2 different people turned them on. You turned them off, twice. Now the tip, yes, the girls did get it. Because after you pocketed the money as if it was your own, my cousin made sure to give the other girl a tip. You did not give her the money he gave you when she came out of the backroom. Youve got nothing but 5 star ratings and Im not sure how. We could have went to Dave and Busters and got more for less and they wouldnt sit here arguing with us over a bad review. But hey, this is actually a great look for you and your company so if youd like to keep being condescending and arguing with me, Id love to continue.

This is a nice, smaller-scale indoor playground for children, located in what feels like the mall…read morethat time forgot. While there is a pleasant children's area with a small merry-go-round, a toddler train, and a few other rides, the mall itself has lost some key anchor stores and restaurants over the years. Playland is best suited for younger children, probably ages two to nine. It has two levels and a small dedicated play area specifically for toddlers. Adults can sit at small tables and chairs nearby, and they do allow you to bring in food, though the dining options in the mall are somewhat limited. On a rainy day, this can be a good place to spend a couple of hours. The current rate was $20 per child, with no charge for adults.

A small yet compact play space for toddlers and kids that is built with safety in mind - starting…read morewith the safety gate with lock at the entrance as the kids can wander off easily into the mall space. The place offers all basic play structures for kids right from ball pits, different slides, building blocks and easy to use obstacles all while keeping the entertainment and safety part non-negotiable. The entry fee is nominal (allows all day access and multiple entry for the same ticket for the same day which is cool) and the parking space is never a question of availability. Adults have seating space to watch the kids play from a safe distance.

I wish I knew this was here before today! It was such a great time. Reminded me of my childhood. A…read morelittle annoying that there was a leak in the roof but otherwise amazing experience. All employees were extremely nice and helpful.

We called this place was told they have a store one can buy skates ,we went there from Toms River…read moreand the shop was a joke not one skate in stock no way to try anything on and not knowledgeable at all total waste of time ... we didn't skate so I'm not going to complain about that but won't be back