Indoor Amusement Parks

By Misti Sandefur

Scattered throughout North America and various other locations are numerous indoor amusement parks you can enjoy with your entire family. Don't let rain and thunderstorms put a damper on your vacation or fun again. An indoor amusement park is the solution!

If you want to still experience the outdoor surroundings then take your family to The Park at MOA (formerly known as Camp Snoopy).The Park at MOA is 4.2 million square foot, and includes over 50 rides, arcades, unique shops, electronic shooting gallery, petting zoo, dining and much more.

The Park at MOA is located inside the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn. -- roughly five minutes from the airport.

Load your family in the car and head to Ohio to visit the I-X Indoor Amusement Park at the I-X Center in Cleveland. I-X Indoor Amusement Park has 30 rides for the kids, over 30 rides for teenagers and attractions and entertainment for everyone! Note: I-X Indoor Amusement Park isn't open year-round. Check their Web site (http://www.ixindooramusementpark.com) for dates, times and admission fees.

Jeepers presents fun and excitement for kids ages 2 to 12. Their indoor amusement park provides families with rides, games, a playground and events. This indoor amusement park is located on the Northwest corner of Alma School Road and Guadalupe in Mesa, Ariz.

Go Bananas in Norridge, Ill., has rides and entertainment for the young and young at heart. Bumper cars, roller coasters, trains, games, bowling, simulators and more are part of the excitement awaiting your presence at Go Bananas. Go Bananas is less than 30 minutes from Highland Park.

Visit Disney Quest's Indoor Interactive Theme Park where you can experience 3-D and virtual reality -- entertainment in five levels. One of the many experiences you can participate in while visiting Disney Quest's indoor theme park is creating your own roller coaster -- oh what fun! You can construct your roller coaster however you wish, then, once complete, get into the simulator and ride the roller coaster you just created. Oodles of fun for everyone!

Disney Quest is located in the West Side section of Downtown Disney. Hours of operation: Sunday through Thursday, from 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Friday through Saturday, from 11:30 a.m. to midnight.

Not into gambling, but still planning a trip to Las Vegas? Stop at The Adventuredome Theme Park where there are no slot machines but still loads of fun! Behind the West Tower at Circus Circus is five acres of rides and attractions for the entire family. The Adventuredome Theme Park is proof that there is more to Las Vegas than just casinos. Besides, wouldn't you rather blow your money on fun and excitement with your entire family instead?

Some of the rides at Adventuredome include the double-loop, double-corkscrew roller coaster, the Rim Runner (water ride), the Sling Shot, bumper cars, pirate ship, carousel and many more.

When you need a break from the rides, you can enjoy some of Adventuredome's attractions: miniature golf, simulators, interactive games, video games in the arcade, clown shows and more.

West Edmonton Mall in Canada is home of Galaxyland -- the world's largest indoor amusement park. While visiting Galaxyland you will discover roller coasters, a backwards tilt-a-whirl, a freefall ride, a pirate ship that swings, swings that swing and move in a circular motion and much, much more!

Cosmo's World Theme Park in Asia features 14 rides. Cosmo's World Theme Park is located in Berjaya Times Square, and covers over 300,000 square feet of floor space. Enjoy rides, live entertainment, games, places to buy snacks and more.

Wild Zone Adventures in Ontario, Canada (a short drive from the U.S./Canada border) has something for everyone no matter what your age. Some of the fun rides at Wild Zone Adventures include Emerald Mine (rollercoaster), a ferris wheel, flying airplanes, flying bus, laser rescue, bumper boats, go-karts and more.

Ontario, Canada is home to Fantasy Fair, another indoor amusement park. Fantasy Fair is located on the second level inside Woodbine Shopping Centre. At Fantasy Fair you can take a ride on the Fantasy Fair Express, enjoy a ride on their antique carousel, or make yourself dizzy in Ships Ahoy (you control how fast you spin).

No matter which indoor amusement park you plan to go to see, make it a family adventure! If you cannot decide on the amusement park you want to visit first, then you can always visit one amusement park, and the following year you can load up the family car again to visit another amusement park. Make your family adventures an annual event and try out all the indoor amusement parks listed above.