I haven't been to Nickel City since the remodel, so I was curious to see what it looked like…read more The gentleman behind the desk was as kind as I remembered, and let me know what the options to put on the game cards were. He even let me turn in all of my "vintage" coupons that I had stashed away in the car--there was about 2,500 worth and he added them to my card, no questions asked! The space is very open and more quiet than other arcades. We were there on a Saturday night from about 6p-9:45p. $25/per person went a pretty long way! We played air hockey, the Simpsons, discovered some cool import games, tried our luck at the egg game, etc. I believe most of our party of 4 has credits left over. They still have the gear game that I remembered, the game where you have to drop the red balls into the buckets, etc., but I was pleasantly surprised to see they had a cool, new Hot Wheels puck game, a huge Monopoly spinner, and the Rick and Morty drop game that entertained me for the majority of my time there. I have a hard time parting with my tickets (clearly, based on the stash in my car), but the "store" had a wide variety of items and fair prices. We ate dinner before heading over so I cannot speak on the cafe nor did I use the bathroom myself. There are not as many games as other arcades, but it is a very nice place to spend some time!

This place sure has been cleaned up! It's been a while since I've been to Nickel City, so I'm not…read moresure when they renovated, but it's great now! The place seems to have more emphasis on carnival-type games where you get tickets as a result of playing them, such as skee-ball, basketball, ball bucket drop, etc. They do still have the nickel arcades, but definitely it is the minority. They also reconfigured the layout, and it feels more spacious and less clutter. All, surprisingly, all games were working and there was not a single out-of-order sign when I went. Sadly, there is no more free arcade section, except for a Tetris arcade near the basketball machine. While the arcades do take the good ol' fashioned Jefferson, all other games require a game card. Load up the game card at two different kiosk, one near the counter selling overpriced prizes, or one in the back near the bathrooms. Overall experience, I like it! With just spending $11, my teenager was able to entertain himself for close to 2-hrs. That's a great price for me. This cheap parent will come back. BATHROOM REVIEW: Located near the back, the bathrooms are the only thing that appears to not be renovated. Everything was in working order, and got the job done. Don't forget to wash your hands, because we all know you'll be touching everything afterwards. Sit or squat? Squat.

I was at this location earlier today. I was with a group of friends with their kids. We had…read morepurchased a groupon and figured it was a great deal so we decided to go. Can I just say, thank The Lord we didn't pay full price! A few inflatables. If your child is under 50 pounds, beware! The older children are let loose! The parents don't say anything, and the staff (who are mainly high schoolers), don't say a peep either! Many of our kids were nearly trampled! The "race track". It's cute. The great thing is they go different speeds for different age groups. The thing is, it's so unorganized! We waited in line for 15 minutes as other went past us. And then sat in the go kart for 5 more minutes! One of our kids got stuck and was crying because she injured herself, and it rooks them forever to help her out! Btw, she was in the group of go karts that went the slowest! The staff. Like I had mentioned, mainly high school kids who don't really care. Most of then were exceptionally nice. Although I do have to say, the last with the headset was extremely rude, and just a down right b****. She rolled her eyes at me, and never did I see a smile come across her face! Food. Over priced drinks. But the pizza they order is great! They gave us 7 plates, one was dirty, for 14 of us. We ordered three XL pizzas.... And two napkins. Yep, two. Unless you have a groupon, check out another place... Even the groupon doesn't make this place worth it.

We are at this place right now. We picked up a groupon so thank god we didn't pay full price.they…read morehave a go kart track, inflatable jump things, an arcade, a rock climbing wall, and a supposed toddler play area. Let me point out the fact that this place is not very organized.The employee at the front desk was clueless. I'm sorry but a bunch of dirty couches and a few sticky toys on the floor hardly qualifies as a toddler play area. We have been in line for 30 min waiting for the kids to get their ride on the go karts, which they get two rides each for the open play price. They let the birthday parties cut in front of the open play which would be ok if they informed us of that before we got in this line! I don't see how it will be possible for them to get both rides in before they close because we are still waiting for the first ride!!! They shouldn't have open play when they have multiple bday parties! I will add one star though because they were very apologetic and the kids are having fun in the bounce houses.

If You do not enjoy this place, I do not like You personally…read more So much fun, so fast and close to the ground. Racing is fun. Food and a pool table in back. Excellent first date spot. Thanks, Kim. Gentle people let's start our engines.

I've been to multiple K1 Speed locations, so this isn't coming from someone who doesn't understand…read morehow the experience should be. I actually like the brand. But the K1 Speed Buffalo Grove location is easily the worst I've ever been to. I want to be clear. This incident has lost our business completely and to be even more clear...because of very very poor management. From the moment we walked in, things felt disorganized and poorly managed. The experience quickly went downhill. Rude staff, lack of clear communication, and an overall feeling that nobody there really had control of what was going on. Empty on a Friday. What's more concerning is that the lack of organization didn't just feel frustrating, it felt unsafe at times. When a place involves high-speed racing, there's no room for sloppy management or confusion. The environment should feel controlled and professional, and this felt like the opposite. The most frustrating part was dealing with the general manager, Nick Hurst. Instead of trying to resolve the situation or even show basic understanding, he came across as dismissive and unwilling to help. When issues come up, leadership is supposed to step in and fix them, not make customers feel like they're the problem. What's disappointing is that this doesn't feel like a K1 issue it feels like a this location specifically issue. I've had good experiences elsewhere, which makes this one stand out even more, in the worst way. At the end of the day, there are plenty of entertainment options in the area that value your time and money more than this place does. I would strongly recommend choosing a different location if you're set on K1. If anyone from K1 upper management is reading this, seriously, take a hard look at what's happening here. Between the poor management and the safety concerns, this location isn't just underperforming, it's actively damaging your brand and right now it feels like it shouldn't even be operating in its current state. Would be more than happy to share more.

Great service. Jeanine and her team are always outstanding! Service, food and arcade are always…read morethe best.

My family and I decided to spontaneously come here for my birthday about a month ago…read more The experience was amazing, the staff were friendly, especially Josh (the manager) When we arrived he was the only one working, but he was still quick, friendly, and very welcoming. He didn't hesitate to help us, get us beverages/cocktails, food, and got us ready to bowl. The food was surprisingly pretty good! There's also a mini arcade on the left side. My family and I had a great time. Josh even made my mom and I some delicious shots to celebrate my birthday! :) My only complaint was that it was a bit hot in there.

Had a great time at Funtopia with my kids. So many climbing walls, it was a good time (especially…read morethe Christmas theme for the winter). I had the chance to check out their party rooms as they were running kind of a family open house for their Christmas time. Lots of fun challenges for the kids as they put snowflakes and cookies on the climbing walls for kids to collect for a prize. They had a food buffet showcasing some of their food options pizza, pizza puffs, meatballs, chicken tenders. Salad and hot chocolate. The staff was super friendly and good with the kids. We had a great time. The party space accommodates several groups at the same time.

Great variety of activities for all ages. Plus, there are tables for parents to hang out or work…read more Free wifi!

Terrific selection of board games, figures, dice. Huge room for games. Very friendly staff. We'll…read morebe buying our games here on the future!

The only game store worthy of the name in the greater Chicago and Western Burbs. Seriously. And…read morethat includes an excellent selection of wargames as well. They have actions twice a year too.

I recently took my son and a friend to dads slot car racing where they had the best time racing…read morecars - and eating ice cream! My son wanted to take 2 other friends back on a Thursday evening. Unfortunately, dads was closed but I saw that mid- America was open for business score! This is way bigger than dads. They had the "professional" racers up front and put us on the beginner track on the back. Lurie set up my kids and also had them racing for 30 min. They all had a fun time despite a few meltdowns, but usually the case with a group of 1st grade boys. The cars and tracks here were in much better condition than dads where everything kept breaking. So if choosing between the 2 locations I'd probably come back here next time. It's a great way to kill some time (especially on a rainy or winter day) and a pretty affordable activity too! I also think would be a fun spot for a kids bday party!

Owner Roger Schmitt operates "Mid-America Raceway and Hobbies"…read more Mid-America Raceway and Hobbies is one of the last surviving electric model car (slot) raceways open to the public. There were thousands of 'commercial' slot car tracks in the USA in the late 1960's and 1970's; there were a half dozen racing centers in the greater Atlanta area alone. A lot of things caused the slot racing centers to close one by one- people not being as interested in hobbies and the rise of computer video games being a couple of reasons. In the last few years, there has been a revival of sorts with a certain amount of people who were glued to computer screens in the 1980's and 1990's playing "adventure" and "virtual reality" games discovering it was actually more fun "playing" in 3-D. So hobbies like model railroading, R/C airplanes, and yes slot car racing have made a comeback. For a change, more new raceways have been opening in the last few years in the USA than have been closing. All that having been said- Mid-America Raceway and Hobbies is one of the best equipped and run model car raceways in North America. Mid-America Raceway and Hobbies is about people having fun and inviting their inner child to come out to play. Rental racing cars are available so that you and your buddy can pretend you are Ricky Bobby and Cal Naughton Jr. to "Shake and Bake" around their awesome 8-lane Oval track. By the same token children are invited for hours of family fun-Mid-America Raceway and Hobbies can even arrange a memorable racing birthday party for children aged 6 and up. Call them for special package deals for a day of fun for any sized group. Does your company want to encourage team building? How about a team racing event? Drivers, pit crews, team leaders... miniature racing teaches the same working together for success lessons that "pro" racing instills. Call the raceway now to plan and schedule your corporate event. Stop in sometime and check it out for yourself- but keep an open mind that this is something intended to be a pre-digital age entertainment. It may not be the right sort of thing for impatient or short attention span children or adults.

Ever since I was a kid, we would drive by the Par-King where I believed it to be a fairytale…read morekingdom, seeing its castle-like design. As I grew older and visited from a land far far away, my fiancé and I took to our inner child and decided it was finally time to see what Par-King was all about. Be sure to bring cash! The course itself was very entertaining! One of the best mini golf experiences I've had that kept me guessing what the next move would be. Despite the rainy weather, we made the best of the moment. I'm so glad we played after all those years of my curiosity of Par King.

I have been going to Par-King Skill Golf since I was a kid. I'm so grateful that it's still around…read more- one of the few places left from my childhood. I now go there with my nephews every year during my annual visits. We started when they were kids. They are now in their 20's! This is my favorite mini-golf place. So many mini golf places just have a plain green course. They may be shaped in unique designs, but that's usually about it. This place has a roller coaster where the ball goes up this elevator and then down a mini roller coaster. There's a tiki course where the ball comes out of the tiki person's mouth. There are moving contraptions where you have to be lucky to hit it through when a door is open. Every hole is unique. There's also this huge pink castle behind the course. It's retro and fun! You would think that a place that's been around for decades would have pealing paint and things that are falling apart. However, everything is kept in such great condition! If you're lucky you can get a free game on the last hole. It looks like a big roulette wheel. I have only done this once and have saved my lucky token. It's a cash only business. Please keep this business open for decades to come! It's a must-visit when I'm back in Illinois.

I acknowledge that your local game store is going to pull all sorts of demographics. As a parent, I…read moredidn't know what to expect bringing my 5-year-old into the local game shop. But this is definitely going to be a local store that we'll be going to a lot more, even if the prices are a little higher for them to make margins. This is the kind of game store I want in keep in our community! I'll admit I was a little apprehensive to engage with the staff at first due to my inexperience in this kind of envitonmemt, but my kid immediately gravitated toward the Pokemon cards behind the glass counter and we were asked if there was anything we needed help with. We have been looking all over for affordable, genuine cards to little avail. Unfortunately, the cards at this shop were all way outside our range (he's just trying to get started out): $45+ booster boxes or $5+ individual cards. We were obviously not going to be able to make a purchase today (looking for something like one $5 booster pack) but the team member was very helpful taking the time to explain the kids trading card market, suggest other places to look, offer advice on finding affordable cards, and let my kid take his time to pour over the cards behind the counter. On the way out, he generously shared a simple gift that meant so much for my kid. I don't know if he'll read this but thank you so much for making my kid's day - he was over the moon to have some Pokemon cards of his own to share with his friends at school. This is the kind of local game store that is a treasure to have in the community. I definitely will be bringing my kids around in the future to support it some more! Thanks again!

After having Sunday brunch nearby I was looking for video game stores to stop at on my way back to…read moreWisconsin. Everything Games was close by and open, so I drove over to check them out. The store is impressive. They have an awesome selection of retro video games, board games, LEGO, miniatures for Warhammer, anime related plush, sports cards, and card games like Magic, Pokemon, and Yu-Gi-Oh. There's even a good size gaming area where I saw people playing in a card game tournament. As good as the inventory was, their customer service was even better. A specific video game I wanted was priced $10 more than the current market value, so I brought that to their attention. Rather than getting mad and arguing with me about their prices, the employee pulled up the same website I was using for a reference and confirmed what I was seeing. He then adjusted the price without hesitation. Now that's customer service. I would glad to go out of my way to come back to Everything Games next time I'm in the Chicago area.