Play and Spin, a welcome addition to our area!

[rating=5] Over the years, I have taken my grandkids to many indoor ( and a few outdoor) amusement attractions. There are many , covering lots of video games, miniature golf (glow in the dark), rides and even ice skating, without ice. A new amusement or should I say Entertainment Center has opened in Niles. The name of this indoor attraction is Play and Spin and today, I took the girls, Sarah and Rebecca, along with their parents . My grandson, Adam, now 13, who over the years has joined us was off on a ski day, so he missed out on this experience, but his parents and sisters agreed, this would have been a favorite for him.

This center is located at 7631 N. Caldwell Avenue in Niles. For those unfamiliar with Caldwell it is the extension of Peterson west of The Edens Highway and if you were to stay on Caldwell, going north, it merges with Waukegan Rd just after Oakton, becoming Waukegan Road. From Glenview, 12 minutes. From the city, depending on where, not very far at all, and based on what we experienced today, worth the trip! The building is HUGE, over 50,000 square feet of fun and games. The arcade games are high- tech and far superior to any others I have seen in the other game places I have visited. Yes, they have skee-ball and basketball, but it is some of the newer high-tech games such as Pac-Man and  “Virtual Reality” games that will put you into the action. These are brand new and according to the girls, and son-in-law Michael WOW!

We started our morning by entering the Cyber Battle Laser Tag (where I did terrible) and the kids shot me down within minutes. This is a very cool experience. First we are given instructions of what not to do, and then what to do and one of the key ingredients on the to do list is  to “have fun”! We did. This is about 3 minutes of explanation and donning our vests and learning how to use the weapon and then 7 fun-filled minutes of running around, behind buildings, rocks, and other things to escape being shot and lining up your targets. The kids whaled on me, but let’s face it, they are far more into video stuff than this old man!

Our next stop- the Go-Karts. A 6,000 square foot track where we raced against each other and time. Being an experienced driver, who has been driving the streets of Chicago for over 50 years, this was my shining moment. Getting around the other drivers, even at speeds like 8 MPH worked for me. I think I passed Sarah twice during this almost 9 minutes of drive time. The girls loved this, but it was the Virtual Reality that drew them in. Here, with many choices of games, one steps into the game itself ( which we watch on a video screen above) and while we see them jumping about and reaching for the sky, they are having  the time of their lives. Both of the girls want to come back and hit the other games and they know that Adam will be in heaven.

From there, we went into the arcade to play some of the other games. Each person buys a card where they have their credits and where tickets earned are put into their account. Yes, there are no machines spitting out tickets, ticket counters and bags to carry around, just like our modern world, paperless! The games were different and geared for all ages. They even have a photo booth that Mike and Sarah fooled with. They could do several poses, the machine took the photos , showed them, the options, they selected which they wanted and the choice came out as a large print. The others were delivered in a strip so they could show us all just how silly they were!

When we entered the building in the am, I was surprised to see that above the main room area was a raised level where a manicure salon was situated. Why would a nail salon be in an amusement center? Why not? While the kids are at play, the mothers, instead of hovering over them, can sit back and relax, have a manicure or a pedicure, or both and some other salon services, yet see their kids or family in the arcade area. In fact, Jane had said this morning that my nails were terrible looking, so I made my appointment and after my family enjoyed a great lunch- salad, cheese sticks and pizzas, had my nails done. The salon is very clean with professional manicurists and some of their patrons just come for their services- no games or kids! By the way, the prices are wonderful!

Play and Spin also has a huge room for Ping-Pong ( and I understand tournaments) that is also a sports Bar with large screen TV’s- great looking room. Maybe pool tables are coming. The party room is another huge one, next to the restaurant and they have 6 smaller individual party rooms available. The party packages ( min. of 5) are pretty popular priced. From as low as $17.99 per person. Included with a party is the Host to make sure everything goes “on track”, $15 in games, 2 hours of continuous videos, two slices of pizza ( which by the way is delicious) and unlimited beverages. FYI- The Laser Tag and the Go-Kart attractions are each only $7, so you can see the value here.

There is also the redemption center where the kids can use the “coupons” they earned on their game cards to pick out the prizes they have earned. If they are planning to come back often, they need not  redeem today. Keep them on account , keep earning more and save up for the special prize that they really want. There are some great ones, for sure. By the way, in the snack area, they do have ice cream treats, which for some reason, we must have missed. Oh, yes. I just completed a diet where I lost almost 20 pounds.

Play and Spin is open EVERYDAY with plenty of FREE parking-

Monday-Thursday  noon until 8 p.m.

Fridays  Noon- 11 p.m.

Saturdays  10 a.m. until 11 p.m.

Sundays  11 a.m. until 8 p.m.

Questions, call 847-324-9721

Visit www.playandspin.com