Putt Putt, Go-Karts, and Arcade Fun at The Clubhouse

The first time my five-year-old played mini golf was three years ago. He immediately loved the game and kept his focus and enthusiasm through all 18 holes. He carried his own club the entire time with confidence and pride. Sure, he would hit the ball once, then pick it up and carry it to the hole each time - but, hey, he was two.

Now, both of my boys (five- and two-years-old) are big fans of mini golf. We frequent Wickham Farms for their Two for Tuesday special. We enjoy All You Can Play Thursdays at Adventure Landing. During our little vacation in Niagara Falls this summer, the highlight was dinosaur mini golf. Our kids just love playing. So it's no doubt they literally jump up and down when we tell them we're going to The Clubhouse.

The Clubhouse Fun Center is located at 70 Jay Scutti Boulevard in Rochester, NY. There are two 18-hole mini golf courses, a Go-Kart track, and an indoor arcade. It is open year-round, but the golf and Go-Karts are closed during inclement weather. 

Surprise, surprise: we always start with a round of golf. If you've never been to The Clubhouse, you'll walk through the arcade and out the back doors; there is an outdoor counter on the right where you can pay for your game. Then, choose your course. The one to the left (as you're walking out the door) is a bit more decorated - with a castle, giraffe, waterfall, and more - but is a bit more challenging for the wee ones. The course that begins right across from the outdoor counter is easier for younger kids, but it still has obstacles on each hole to keep things interesting.

After 18 holes, what could be better than a race around a track in a Go-Kart?! There are single Go-Karts for kids and adults over 58" tall, rookie Go-Karts for riders who are 48"-57" tall, and double Go-Karts that allow younger kids (at least two years old) to ride while a licensed driver controls the car. I'll admit, the first time I drove a Go-Kart was this past summer with my two-year-old by my side. I was ridiculously nervous until I watched ten-year-old kids driving around the track and I realized: if they could do it, so could I. Know what? It's actually fun.

Our last stop is inside to play some arcade games. The kids love when tickets come out of the machines; it might be more exciting for them than actually playing the games. They also love the Ticket Eater - standing at the machine and sliding a ticket into the opening as it gobbles up the string of them, waiting for me to hand over the next one, then finally pushing the big button at the end to get a white square of paper showcasing their accomplishments of the day. Fifty-nine tickets. Enough to trade in for a rubber bouncy ball and a Tootsie Roll. Awesome. Thankfully, they're still young enough that just about any prize will bring giant grins. For those who do not require immediate gratification, you can save your receipts and turn in a bunch for a larger prize (the receipts do not expire).

The Clubhouse is stroller-friendly, and there is a diaper changing table in the women's restroom. The Treehouse Cafe offers pizza, snacks, and beverages. Be sure to visit their web site to check pricing and to print coupons before you visit for tokens, Go-Kart rides, and mini golf games. Or, Like them on Facebook for access to more coupons. They also offer monthly (September = 10 free tokens) and weekly specials:

• Monday - play a game of mini golf at regular price and second game is free (10 a.m. - 5 p.m.)
• Tuesday - 60 tokens for $10
• Wednesday - large pizza, pitcher of soda, and 75 tokens for $25
• Thursday - 3 Go-Kart rides, 3 Mini Golf games, and 30 tokens for $30
• Friday - spin the prize wheel (10 a.m. - 5 p.m.)
• Saturday & Sunday - unlimited Go-Kart rides and mini golf games, and 10 tokens for $12 per person (10 a.m. - 12 p.m.; April 15 - October 15 only)

The next time you're looking to treat your kids to something fun and active, check out The Clubhouse. Be sure to Post A Comment and tell us about your experience. As always, thank you for reading.

Adventure Landing

Today is a great day to go to Adventure Landing with your kids. Every Thursday and Monday is "All You Can Play Day" from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. This means that you pay $8 per person for unlimited mini-golf, admission to the WOW! Factory, and 10 game tokens. They also offer this special on Saturday mornings from 9 a.m. until noon.

There are three different mini-golf courses at Adventure Landing. Golf is usually $5-7 per game, per person. So if you play on two of the courses, you've already gotten your money's worth for each adult on All You Can Play Day. There are fun obstacles on each hole to keep things interesting, but the majority is par two so the kids can keep up.

After a round or two, take a break indoors in the WOW! Factory. Admission is usually $5 per person, so the special pricing on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays is definitely worth it. You walk through a heavy plastic curtain into a three-floored "room" that looks like a factory. There are hundreds of colorful, squishy foam balls everywhere and plenty of ways to shoot them around. Stuff the balls into a suction tube on the first level and launch the balls up high. Go upstairs and load balls into the canons to shoot down below. There are stairs, but there are also plenty of places to climb, plus a three-story twisty slide. This was fun, but I would definitely skip the $5 per person if we were there on a day without the discount.

After exiting the WOW! Factory, who wouldn't be drawn to all the bright lights of the arcade games?  Good thing we had ten tokens each. The tokens are usually 20-25 cents each, depending on how many you purchase. My advice is to go for the games that reward you with tickets, because chances are your kids will want to trade 100 tickets for a 10-cent bouncy ball on the way out. My fellow ROCmomma Aly had taken her son to Adventure Landing and somehow they ended up with hundreds of tickets. She felt they got more per game than at other arcades. Our experience did not match up, and I think it's just a matter of luck.

The kids had fun playing skee ball, Frogger, and just pushing buttons that blink and make noise. My youngest even figured out that if you push enough buttons on Dance Dance Revolution - despite not inserting any tokens - it will play an entire song so you can show off your own moves.

So $5-7 per game of golf, plus $5 for the WOW! Factory admission, and $2.50 in tokens, all for $8 is a really great deal. You can also add on a fee for the batting cages, the indoor ropes course, or the teddy bear factory, but we did not try those out.

Adventure Landing is located at 3340 West Ridge Road in Greece, NY. There is a cafe serving pizza, hot dogs, chicken fingers, cheeseburgers, snacks, desserts, and drinks. You can choose to eat indoors or out; although there is nothing specifically that indicates whether or not you can bring your own food. We went after lunch, so we avoided the meal-issue. The women's restroom has a baby changing table (but I cannot speak for the men's room).

If your kids are about two or older and you're looking for something fun today, check out Adventure Landing. Be sure to Post A Comment and let us know about your experience there. And, as always, thanks for reading.