Host Your Kid's Birthday Bash Out of the House

Before I had kids of my own, I thought it was extravagant for parents to spend money to celebrate their kids’ birthday anywhere other than in their own homes. 

I used to wonder what happened to good old fashioned fun in the family room? Why not enjoy a few games of Duck-Duck-Goose or Pin the Tail on the Donkey with a piñata and cake at home?

Now I know.

Nobody really wants a dozen 6-year-olds wired on fruit punch running around the house smearing cheese doodle stains on the walls and furniture. The fun of a piñata also carries the risk of resulting in bodily injury or a hole in your sheet rock.

When you have a birthday party outside of your home, you don’t have to spend hours making your house presentable, you don’t have to tuck away the breakables or move the living room couch to make room.  All you have to do is show up and make sure your children and the grownups that accompany them have a good time. 

There’s no cleanup, no muss, no fuss.  With our busy schedules, the value of that is priceless. 

And if you do the math and add up the cost of food and beverages, paper products, decorations and more, the difference in price between having your party inside or outside of the home is often negligible.

So, if you live in Parsippany, what are your options? Where can you go to have a reasonably priced birthday party that your child and their friends will really enjoy?

I don’t think this list is complete by any means, but it should give you a great place to start.

Bowling

Alleys in neighboring Boonton, Rockaway and East Hanover have gone to great lengths to make bowling more family-friendly than ever and the parties as easy as possible.

Cooking

Kids can roll up their sleeves and then roll out cookie or pizza dough at Chef It Up, Cookie Party or Sugar Mommy Cupcakes in Denville.

Crafting

Let the children explore their creative side aton Route 46, Brushes and Bisque or That Bead Place in Denville or Glassworks  in Morristown.

Gymnastics

Tumble, cartwheel and jump about at in Parsippany, Diamond Gymnastics in East Hanover  or Rockaway Gymnastics, where the birthday child gets an extra thrill on an extended swing.

Hotels

Try a slumber, spa or pool party at one of the many hotels in the area.  The here in Parsippany even offers a special slumber party package.  

Indoor Playground

Kid-netic in Montville offers the biggest indoor playground around. There are inflatable party places nearby too: Jump On In in Boonton, Jumpnasium in Fairfield and Pump it Up in Randolph.

Museums

The Community Children’s Museum in Dover and IMAGINE THAT!!! in Florham Park have private party rooms and lots of options for children up to the age of about 6 or 7. 

Pool Party

For slightly older elementary or middle school students, consider an indoor pool party at the Morris YMCA in Cedar Knolls or the Lakeland Hills YMCA in Mountain Lakes.

Rental Space

Consider using one of the local clubhouses or firehouses for a party instead of your basement or living room. The Lake Parsippany clubhouse and the on Tarn Drive are among the facilities that will rent you space.

Video Games

The local options for indoor play plus video gaming and more include Giggles Playstation in Rockaway and Chuck E Cheese in East Hanover  for the younger ones, Funplex in East Hanover for a wider range of ages and Power Play Gaming in Denville for kindergarten and up. 

Other Interesting Venues

Monster Mini Golf of Fairfield on Route 46 offers glow-in-the-dark indoor miniature golf, The Kid Connection in Lincoln Park offers a wide variety of themed parties for boys and girls, Spa Babies in Denville  has lots of girly glam and you can find rock climbing at Diamond Gymnastics or the Gravity Vault in Chatham.