Coastal Tumblegym hosts 90-minute birthday parties, usually on Saturday or Sunday afternoons, featuring a certified professional instructor 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.

Located within the Racine Center for the Arts, 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 for guests to sign, and lots of laughs. They'll clear glaze the pieces and fire them for you. A great way to spend an afternoon!

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.

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.

LunaPops has been described as “a Willy-Wonka land of icy treats” and now you don’t need to find the golden ticket to celebrate a birthday party or other special event at LunaPops. LunaPops offers several party packages depending on the child's age and the size of the group. All parties include a tour of the kitchen to learn how LunaPops are made, an opportunity for the birthday child to invent a special flavor and then an opportunity for the group to make two or more flavors of LunaPops, a craft or game activity, helium balloons, a tower of mini cupcakes to enjoy with a LunaPop during the party, and some of their very own LunaPops creations for all your guests to take home.

This fun-filled indoor playground is a perfect spot for kids up to age 12, rain or shine. Filled with inflatable "moonwalk" type structures, slides and bounce houses, 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 TVs, complimentary computer workstations and free Wifi. A popular destination for birthday parties, Monkey Joe's has 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, except for the birthday cake. The facility is open 10 AM until 6 PM every day of the week. 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. Call for details about party packages.

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 $3). 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 $7 per additional child. Adult guests with the party are admitted free and their skate rental is also free. If you'd like the rink all to yourself, Scooter's also offers private birthday parties for 2 hours for $150.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Wow, 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 combinations, such as cashews, Oreo and Butterfinger. You can also choose from 24 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.

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.

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.