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Birthday PartiesGone are the days of simple birthdays with only presents
and cake. Today's kids look forward to gatherings that include numerous
physical activities from trampolines and gymnastics to skating and soccer.
If you're looking for an extra-special place to give your child a memorable
birthday party, look into these venues, offering colorful party rooms and
various services. Some include the use of the arcades, games and more. And
don't overlook your local bowling center; per-game prices for children
younger than 12 are often discounted (see the Bowling section in our chapter
on
Sports, Fitness and Parks). Carolina Beach Mini-Golf &
Batting Cages For a change of pace, plan your child's birthday party
at this beach town attraction. Let the kids practice their batting
skills, play miniature golf or try out some of the many different arcade
games. Everyone attending the party will get $1 off the regular price. A
deck with tables is available, but you need to bring our own party fare;
you can purchase ice cream and soft drinks in the arcade. Open
seasonally every day from 10 AM until late evening, Carolina Beach
Mini-Golf is set in a beautiful tropical environment with waterfalls,
streams and mountainous terrain. Coastal Tumblegym Coastal Tumblegym hosts 90-minute birthday parties, usually on Saturday
or Sunday afternoons (weekdays by special arrangement), featuring two
certified professional instructors to lead the children in various
physical activities. These may include mastering an obstacle course,
playing on a trampoline, running relay races, working out on gymnastic
equipment or traversing a 40-foot-long "Moon Walk" floor. Really popular
is a 50-foot inflatable Seaweed Monster that's 12 feet high; inside is a
slide and other fun stuff to climb on, over and under. Parents supply
food and refreshments. |
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Firebird Ceramic Studio Located within Wilmington's premier arts
facility, Firebird is a perfect place to foster your child's creativity.
Choose from a large selection of ceramic bisque and let the kids paint it
their way. The friendly staff at Firebird Ceramic Studio will be happy to
teach your child and their friends some special effects if you wish. All
birthdays include helium balloons, space for gifts and goodies, a
commemorative plate or mug for guests to sign, and lots of laughs. They'll
clear glaze the pieces and fire them for you. You can even choose to add a
meal to the festivities at Picasso's Cafe, downstairs in the sculpture
garden. |
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Jelly Beans Family Skating Center Indoor roller skating can be a great way to
celebrate birthdays, and Jelly Beans will provide everything you need for
the party, including place settings, ice cream, refreshments, even the cake
if you wish. A bonus is the host, who serves and cleans up afterward. Ask
about other provisions, too, such as pizza (additional costs may apply).
Choose among several skating sessions lasting two, three or four hours,
depending on the day and time. |
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Jungle Rapids Family Fun Park |
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Jungle Rapids offers several birthday packages
that vary according to age and price. Choose from packages that include
go-carts, laser-tag (for older children), a water park (seasonal), a
climbing wall, video games or minigolf. Packages feature play time and a
party in a private room with a host, pizza and soda. |
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Monkey Joe's 4310-101 Shipyard Blvd., Wilmington  (910) 392-5637 |
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This fun-filled indoor playground is a perfect
spot for kids up to age 12, rain or shine. Filled with eight inflatable
"moonwalk" type structures, slides and bouncehouses, kids can climb, slide
and bounce to their heart's content. Guaranteed to burn off excess energy
and result in a solid afternoon nap, Monkey Joe's is a safe and healthy way
to provide your child with a full day's exercise in an hour or so. Parents
can also get in on the fun and get a great workout themselves or relax in a
comfortable chair and watch. The adult area has flat-screen TV's,
complimentary computer workstations and free Wife. A popular destination for
birthday parties, Monkey Joe's has three party rooms complete with an
inflatable throne for the child of honor, and parties can be customized to
suit your specific needs and desires. Birthday parties must be reserved in
advance. Drinks, pizza, popcorn ice cream and general concessions are
available for purchase. No food or drink from outside is allowed. The
facility is open 10 AM until 6 PM Monday though Thursday and Saturday and
Sunday while Friday hours are 10 AM until 8 PM. The cost is $5 plus tax for
children 2 and younger. Monday through Thursday the cost is $7.99 plus tax
for children older than 2. Friday through Sunday it's $8.99 for children
older than 2. Adults get in free unless they want to play, in which case it
costs $5. |
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Scooter's Family Skating Center Party time at Scooter's is a great time for kids. The
birthday child receives a 30-day skating pass, special announcement and a
Scooter's T-shirt. The party kids get a skating pass and rental skates (note
that inline skates and speed skates cost $2.50). One slice of pizza per
child and soda are provided; all you need to bring is a cake or cupcakes.
The cost is $89 for up to 10 guests and $5 per additional child. Adult
guests with the party are admitted free; if they wish to skate, they'll need
to pay for their skate rental. |
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Ten Pin Alley |
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Ten Pin Alley will provide everything you need
for a happy bowling birthday party. All you have to bring is the birthday
cake, the birthday child and a bunch of their friends (10 person minimum).
The cost is $12 per child and includes one hour of bowling (two lanes per 10
kids), bowling shoe rental, four arcade game tokens for each child, your
choice of pizza or hot dogs and drinks. The birthday child will receive a
"Happy Birthday" bowling pin with balloons. Call ahead for further details
and to make a reservation. |
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Wilmington Railroad Museum Conduct a birthday party on a real caboose at the Wilmington Railroad
Museum. It's fun for the whole family: Thomas trains plus a hands-on play
area for the younger ones and a box car complete with hobos and a 1910
engine to climb aboard for children of all ages. While the kids are having
a great time playing on the trains and going on a scavenger hunt, their
parents can learn about the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad's fascinating
history. Everyone will enjoy the large model train layouts and gift shop.
So grab your engineer hat and railroad whistle, it's all aboard for a
trainload of fun. The cost is $65 for members and $100 for non-members,
which covers 10 children and 10 adults and includes a gift certificate to
the gift shop for the birthday child. Each child gets a paper engineer hat
and a plastic whistle.
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No discussion of kidstuff would be complete
without mentioning something for the sweet tooth. By sweets we mean not only
candy but also baked goods and ice cream. As you travel the coast, you'll be
tempted by all manner of strategically placed retailers who will dulcify
your day. What follows here are some of the kings and queens of
confectionery, the barons of bonbon. Read on at the risk of your waistline.
Your kids will love you for it. Apple Annie's Bake Shop Two locations mean that satisfying a sweet craving will seldom take you
too far out of your way. Baking everything fresh daily, Apple Annie's
offers a sumptuous array of cakes, cupcakes, pies, cookies, breads and
plenty more. This is one of those shops in which the air itself is
intoxicating. For birthdays and other special occasions, Apple Annie's
offers extraordinary custom creations. Kids cakes are out of this world!
Just give them a picture, drawing, photo or other image and turn a cake
into a personal statement — they can put just about any image on your
cake using a computer process and a sugar laser printer. They'll also
make three-dimensional characters for the top. The Scoop Ice Cream & Sandwich Shoppe365 N. Front St., Wilmington (910) 763-3566 A short walk from Wilmington's riverfront in The Cotton Exchange, The
Scoop is just the place to grab a hot dog, sandwich or salad and milk shake
for an on-the-go meal. Better yet, stay awhile and partake of such sinful
creations as banana splits and ice cream nachos. On cool winter afternoons,
stop in for a hot apple cider or cocoa and cookies. Especially popular in
warm weather are the soda floats, including Egg Creams, Boston Coolers, Leap
Frogs and Black Cows. Outside seating offers an extremely pleasant shaded
oasis in which to enjoy your lunch, snack or dessert in practically any
season, but particularly on deliciously warm days. It's a fine stopover for
the weary shopper. Vic's Corn Popper Popcorn in a sweets listing? You bet, especially if it's
Vic's freshly made caramel corn. Vic's is an award-winning popcorn
franchise, and you'll find more different kinds of popcorn than you may have
ever seen before. Squigley's Ice Cream & Treats With 4,050 flavors and taste sensations, this ice cream parlor offers
something for everyone. They will make any flavor combination you desire —
all that's required is imagination and a sweet tooth. A large board lists
customers' favorite picks, such as cashews, Oreo and Butterfinger. You can
also choose from ten toppings like blueberry, raspberry or peanut butter.
Squigley's offers dozens of regular flavors for less daring folk. With lots
of indoor and outdoor seating, Squigley's is a great choice for a tasty
treat during the day or after dinner. It's open seasonally. Brunswick County Frosty's Ice Cream, Antiques and
Shells Heading for the beach? Why not take a refreshing break for
ice cream? When you have crossed the bridge over the waterway and turned
right at the light, keep your eyes peeled for the shops in the fourth block
topped by the red-orange sloped roof. Nestled there is Frosty's. Inside,
round tables and white sweetheart chairs evoke the atmosphere of an
old-fashioned ice cream parlor. While the kids are slurping up sundaes,
biting into banana splits or licking luscious cones dipped from their
choices of 24 flavors, you can browse the antiques, seashells, starfish,
metal art and collectibles, including John Deere, Coca Cola and Tom Clark
Gnomes. Candy and drinks are available as well. It's open between late March
and Thanksgiving.
Calabash Creamery Do you know you can go to school to learn how to make ice
cream? Greg and Kristi Hansen did just that. Now they make their
"Distinctive Homemade Ice Cream" on the premises at the Calabash Creamery.
It's so good the creamery was featured in the August 2005 edition of
Southern Living magazine. You can watch how it's done either through
the viewing window in the dining room or by watching their video. You will
find delicious flavors you never heard of before. Try Cowabash Crunch, Sweet
Potato Souffle, Banana Pudding or Cantaloupe. Enjoy your choice from 24
flavors in the dining room while you listen to old-time player piano music
at the drop of a quarter. Or "set a spell", as Southerners say, in the
rocking chairs on the wraparound porch. Banana splits and sundaes are served
as well. Do you think you can finish the Kitchen Sink Sundae — 15 scoops of
ice cream and six toppings of your choice plus whipped cream and cherries?
Before you leave be sure to take advantage of a photo op with the mama and
baby cows, Scoop and Dip. Sandman's Candyland A summer paradise for your sweet tooth, Sandman's
Candyland is open Memorial Day weekend until September each year. Colorful
sand buckets with shovels for serving yourself line the shelves of the store
and are filled with every kind of candy imaginable. Stop in and start
shoveling — you'll leave with sweet treats to please the kids no matter what
their age. Dairy Queen (910) 328-3112 Ice cream, floats, sundaes, ice cream cakes and DQ's
famous blizzards make it hard to choose just one favorite. If ice cream
isn't your choice, DQ also serves hot dogs, grilled chicken and barbecue
sandwiches. The Sneads Ferry Dairy Queen is open year round with reduced
hours in the winter months. The Surf City store closes in the winter.
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