Could be SO much better…read more Just moved here from out of state recently. My 4-year old son misses his friends, so I wanted to take him to a place where he could play with other kids. I searched online for an inflatables place and was surprised there weren't more of them in the Northeast suburbs. Pump It Up wasn't too far, so we went there. My GPS took us right to the building, but I had to drive around a bit to find Pump It Up. It's in an office building complex and it's at the far end of the building. We went inside and the reception area is nice. They have a vending machine for snacks and before you go in, the parents and kids have to watch a safety video, which is short and helpful so everyone understands the rules. Then we are led to the rooms with the inflatables. The place seems clean, but it's too dark to really tell. I didn't think they were overstaffed today. There was one person at the front desk and two staff in the play area. They seemed attententive. One of them helped a boy find his family (because it was probably too dark in there for him to see). As Eva B. stated in her review, there are two rooms with inflatables and three inflatables in each room. Not a lot of variety. There weren't a lot of kids there, so over-crowding wasn't an issue. Each room is pretty dimly lit (think of a movie theater before the previews start). There are two very uncomfortable benches for parents to sit in each room. One room was pretty warm and the other was cool - they were connected by open doors so the kids could go from room to room. One of the rooms has an air hockey table that appeared to be free, although it was so crowded all the time, we didn't go over there to check it out. The inflatables places I'm used to going have tables for the parents and wi-fi access. They also have snack bars. You won't find those things here, I'm afraid. Some parents were even sitting on the floor because the benches are so uncomfortable. This place only has 4 open play sessions each week for only an hour and a half each. At $6, it seems pretty expensive. Still, we'll probably go back simply because of the lack of options. The staff is friendly and my son had a good time.

I've always been skeptical about expensive birthday parties for kids. However, after attending a…read moreparty at Pump It Up in Oakdale, I'm convinced that they are worth their value. The parking was very easy, pulled right up to the door, walked right it (moms with young kids know how nice this is, especially in snow & ice). The staff greeting us warmly, and showed up around, took my son's jacket and gear, and then the birthday present. We sat in a nice waiting area, watched a safety video, and then the kids got started jumping. I felt at ease for an hour chatting with other parents as we watched the kids, it was safe and so much fun for them. It wasn't crowded either.Then we all went into the party room, ate pizza and cake. The staff has the routine down like a well-oiled machine. They gave the kids friendly instructions and got them to participate during each transition, they even wrote down each gift and the gifter for the parents, so the parents could take pictures and watch the birthday girl enjoy. We ended exactly at 3:00 as it said on the invitation said. The airlines could take a few lessons from their staff: friendly, fun and on time. I had so much fun and so did my son that we've decided that it is worth the splurge to have his next party here.

The streak is broken…read more After 48 years of living in the upper Midwest, I finally went snow tubing for the first time ever this winter at Green Acres. True to the song, Green Acres is the place to be. I don't have anything to compare it to, but I had a blast! (Provisionally, I'm giving it 4 stars, in case there is a 5-star tubing place out there.) It's a bit of a free-for-all: grab your own tube (of various sizes), grab the rope (wear gloves!), let go, find a clear spot (no lanes!) and fly down the hill and look back up to avoid other tubers as you head back to the tow rope. Not quite a free-for all: they separate single riders and chained riders, for safety. I appreciate this. Also, you'll need to pick a predetermined two-hour block of time before you go. Two hours of tubing was more than enough, by the way, even with a warming break and a bathroom break, you'll go up and down the hill many times and be wet and tired by the time you're done. "Keep Manhattan, just give me that countryside!" Well played, Oliver Wendell Douglas!

If you're looking to go snow tubing please DO NOT go to Green Acres in lake Elmo. My family had fun…read morebut I had to force myself to have fun so I don't ruin everyone else's mood. We initially reserved for 20 people, 12 ended up showing up because of other circumstances. I inquired to only pay for 12 but they said we have to pay for all 20 because that was their policy. I inquired if they can just resell the 8 tickets because it's going to waste. They even called me at 11:08am saying that if I don't confirm their text then they're going to resell ALL our tickets...why couldn't they resell those 8? The manager says it's in the policy. I could not find the policy anywhere and asked if they could show me and I'll close my mouth and walk away. They had a waiver which says nothing about it. I again inquired as to where I can find the policy that says I have to pay the remainder. The supervisor responded with " the policy is the text I sent you and I'm not going to argue with you about this, you can either leave or go out there and have fun." Supervisor couldn't even confirm to me that it was an actual policy and got defensive when I kept inquiring about it. I simply crumpled a piece of paper and walked away. What was supposed to be only $80 for me my wife and two kids stacked up to $240. Not professional and left very bad first impressions that they only care about your money. Clerks were younger and good sports. Not wasting another cent on Green Acres. First and last time.

What a grand idea! This place had it all. Plenty of food options and music to entertain. Not…read moresure if this is a regular event but certainly one that you should keep on your calendar. The variety was nice. The lines were long so plan to wait for your food. Mear park was full of people and parking was surprisingly plentiful despite being the weekend and a Saints game going on. Highly recommend.

This year marked my second consecutive year of attending this festival and I have to say...it gets…read morebetter every year! The variety of trucks is great (even for gluten free vegan!) And the park is beautiful. Everyone seemed to be having a blast! My only issue is that with such a popular event the lines can be quite long and the park can be very crowded. Can't be shy; push your way through and get a little rough!