We were visiting some family in Des Moines for the week when my 4 year old began to become stir…read morecrazy after being stuck inside due to weather. We decided to pack up her, my sister and my 8 year old nephew, and head over to Kids Empire at about 1pm on a Friday afternoon. We are definitely not new to Kids Empire, as we frequent two locations in the Chicago suburbs, so we knew what to expect, but I definitely didn't expect this location to be as run down as it was considering it has far less traffic than the locations we typically visit. The spiderweb is down and blocked off due to the webbing being too weakened and a substantial fall risk, and the landing area for the slide that you ride the plastic sleds down had exposed particle board - splinters galore!! The layout also didn't make a ton of sense, as there were random holes to access lower levels in the middle of pads, without a solid way to get around them. This is easy for older kids and adults to maneuver around, but my 4 year old kept having to go down in the hole, then pull herself back up - had I not been there, I could see her getting frustrated, or accidentally injuring herself. I haven't seen this layout at other locations before. The play space is also much smaller than other locations, considering the square footage of this Kids Empire. There is a TON of seating though. The toddler area is pretty well maintained, but I didn't appreciate the two 7-ish year olds who were climbing over the walls and almost trampling my 8 month old nephew. We were told that 3 and over weren't allowed in the toddler area, but that rule definitely was not enforced. I know it isn't staff's job to manage other people's children, but a simple reminder to the parents would have been well appreciated. The cost is $24 for children over the age of 1. This includes to admittance of two adults and one sibling under the age of 1, for open play. Normally, I'd find this reasonable, but maybe not for a space this run down. Socks are also required, but you can bring your own from home - I do appreciate when play places don't require the purchase of their socks, as we already own 12 pairs of sticky socks from other play places. Okay place to visit once, staff was very friendly, but I think we will try our luck somewhere else next time. It is unfortunate that there aren't more indoor play places for kids in the Greater Des Moines Region.

A littl eoverpriced at 20 bucks a visit, but my kid does really like it here and I like that you…read morecan leave and come back. It's convenient to take him for a little bit, leave to eat a prepacked lunch or run a quick errand while we are out/take a break to cool down, and then return. I wish it were a little cleaner, and we have had issues a few times with older kids being bullies in the play area but that's a problem almost anywhere unfortunately. Overall aa fun place to visit as a special play day.

Great selection of games and option to buy unlimited games based on time or can just buy…read morepoints/credits. Food on the other hand... incredibly overpriced and underwhelming. $16 for 8 pc. Boneless wings $10 for personal pan sized pizza $3 for fountain soda See attached photos for food review.

I'm updating my review from 7 years ago. I decided to give it another go after my 1 star…read moreexperience. It's much better than previously. We opted to do a birthday party. It was very reasonable in price compared to other things in the area. The kids loved the pizza and to be honest it was a nostalgic flash back for me. I tasted really good. We also did a salad bar trip and that was also better. The food was well kept and nice in appearance. The staff was so nice to us as well this time. Very helpful with the app and with questions. So much so we came back again the following month and the person working the prize counter let my youngest get something that was just slightly out of the prize winnings. They have gotten much better all around with service, food, and cleanliness. Also who doesn't love the old cheese man robot on the stage.

Got to check this place out during a Yelp event. Without Yelp I would never heard of this place. No…read moregeneral admission unless you want to do the maze prices are very reasonable $8 for anyone over 6, age 4-5 $1, and under is free, great for the whole. It's not a grand big pumpkin patch like the other ones around town that are pretty popular, they do have activities. They have a mini corn maze and the big one is shaped like the Super Mario characters and it's a scavenger hunt that will keep you busy. There is also a campfire. I will say this place is a little run-down, when I pulled into the parking lot I wasn't so sure, don't try to be cute or where cute shoes or dress up it's pretty muddy out there. The staff was nice and they have a kitchen where u can order snacks and some warm to drink when it's chill outside.

I love going to the Pumpkin Patch at Pumpkinville & Cornmaze in Mitchelleville, IA. It's only…read more15-20min drive outside of DSM, and the only dog friendly pumpkin patch. It's our little family tradition to go out a pick pumpkins with a snack and warm cider. This wonderful place has a cute treasure hunt in the corn maze, tractor ride to the pumpkin patch, corn kernel pit for the kiddos, and a small little snack shop. You can even have a little bonfire there while drinking warm apple cider.

In all reality there are not that many places in town, where you can bring a kid in the winter and…read morepretty much let them run free and play and keep them occupied for over an hour! The DSM Children's Museum is one of those spots! Don't think of it like a normal Children's Museum, it's more like a big play zone, with all the stuff your kids love about going to pre school or school in general.. They can dress up like a construction worker, Make Pizza, play on a farm, balance on balance beams by a volcano.. You know all the fun stuff! I was here recently for a B-day party.. They have some separate rooms in the back perfect for hosting a crew for a bday! Bathrooms were clean and they do have hand sanitizer stations.. Which is probably a wise thing! This is a fun spot and heck they don't charge the parents to be here just the tikes! So that rules too!

The slides, swings and playground area was great. I brought my friend's 12 year old (who didn't…read morewant to leave) while I got my steps in. There were two decent sized shaded area with picnic tables. I only knocked off a star for the dead cockroach I saw. That being said, it is outside around lots of green things so it is understandable. I would still totally go back.

Miracle Park All-Inclusive Playground is Ankeny's largest playground with more than 14,000 square…read morefeet of fun. The playground features double wide ramps going more than nine feet high and various play amenities that children with and without special needs can enjoy. There are roller tables, sway fun gliders, sensory play center, and an omni spinner for all to enjoy. We had a short road trip to Des Moines and this playground was close to the hotel that we stayed at. We had a little bit of time to kill so we stopped by on a late afternoon. Despite the hot weather, there were plenty of kids but it was not crowded.

5 Stars! My son really loved this class. He is already talking about signing up next year. He said…read morehe liked that everyone had their own computer to work on and that some tasks were really challenging and others were pretty easy. As a parent and teacher, I know that having this balance between opportunities for challenge and success evidence of a great class.

Always a hit with kids! We come here for the parties. I'm…read moresure it's just as fun as a play date/weekday jump session. A 2 hour party for 25 kids costs $345.00 for a weekend party. Includes pizza and pop. The party is jumping first for 1 hour and 15 minutes. They start in room A and then to room B. The two rooms have different inflatables. The first room has a huge bubble machine. The second room has a floor video game. The 45 minutes at the end is rounding up the kids into the party room to eat, look at pictures on the TV that the workers take via digital camera, and open presents. Service is ok. Employees are young people. Some are teenagers. So their service isn't above and beyond par. They get the party scheduled and moving. I do like this place compared to other competitors. The difference is that they know how to schedule the kids and move them along. It's easy to maneuver and not as chaotic when there are multiple parties going on. No idea how they clean the place in between parties. (Hopefully they DO clean...???) But we recommend Pump it Up.

I took my little man to a birthday party here today and I was definitely impressed. This place is…read morea lot like Monkey Joes and The Playground in Ankeny. It is like Monkey Joes in that it is all inflatables. It is like The Playground in that it has different rooms with the play equipment in it. Of the three places mentioned I'd have to say I like this place the best. The facility has two big rooms and the two rooms have 6 inflatables total with three in each room. I posted pics of some of the inflatables. The big plus is that they have changed out and updated the inflatables unlike Monkey Joes who has had the same inflatables for years. Outside of the inflatables the rooms also have some small toys to play with and one room has a game that is broadcast onto the floor that the kids can stomp around on. As far as the birthday party went it was pretty cool. They start you out in one room for a set amount of time then move you to the second room for a set amount of time. Finally they move you into a party room for cake and presents. There were two people attached to the group and one person seemed to lead. He took pictures throughout the party and had them playing on a TV at the end. He also took notes and wrote down who gave what presents. All in all I'd definitely recommend Pump It Up for your kiddos and parties.

Over the weekend we made memories at build a bear in Jordan creek mall. We had read online how to…read moreget rid of pacifiers. Trade them in for a sleeping buddy at build a bear. They will also let u put the binky in the bear when they stuff it. The employees were wonderful. They were imaginative and made every child there feel special. You picked your animal, stuffed it, chose a heart to put inside and you even get a birth certificate. It was really busy when we left. Try to go when there is no line. They also have a buy one bear get one free on some of the Bears. The only downfall is that the accessories could get pricey.

Here is the math: 1 child that doesn't know the value of money, 1 parent and 1 boyfriend with…read moredisposable income, 1 place with what could become a very expensive toy = 1 possibly dangerous situation. My first thought about Build a Bear was: what's the big deal. It's a Teddy Bear. After walking into the store and seeing an I-Carly Bear I felt that we were going to get taken for the ride of a lifetime. After having the staff member sit down with the girlfriends kid and coach her on kissing the icon that gets placed in the bear that will "bring it to life" I was really glad that I wasn't the one making the bear. To make a long story short, I was dragging myself out of there after seeing the Star Wars outfits that you could buy for the bear. The entire time at the store seems to be really great for kids and adults. The staff is very friendly and I wasn't dragged into participating in any of the "mushier" stuff that the kids seem to get wrapped up in. The amount you spend there can be very reasonable or wallet breaking. You simply have to be aware of what your outfitting your bear with. Would I do it again? Sure. Will I go back to make my own Stormtrooper Bear? Maybe, I'll just need to set some ground rules with the staff first, because I'm not kissing the heart icon thing, at least not in public...