I was invited to a day of paintball at Paintball Land for the first time and I enjoyed it. I had no real expectations coming in and found it to be a fun experience.
Their location is next to a trailer park. There is plenty of parking but it can fill up on really busy days. They also have go-karts but we only played paintball. The staff is very friendly and helpful. That is the first thing I noticed when we got there. You must fill out a waiver form and watch a safety video. After that is over we got our rental gun and mask. The price was $3 for all day air and $5 for the mask. The big cost comes in the form of buying paintballs. You can't bring your own balls, you must buy from them which is a fair rule. Prices are $5 for 100, $20 for 500 and case of 2000 costs $75. The hopper that comes with your gun holds about 200 balls. If you have a big group of friends, splitting the cost of the case is the way to go and can last you awhile. At first there were only four of us in our group We were assigned a referee to help us decide which courses to play, explain the rules and referee the game play. Our referee was Michael and he was helpful and let us shake up the play such as playing one-on-one. The referee's are there to enhance your experience and if you feel like they did a great job, please tip them. It's just like any other service job.
Once you pass through the shop and get outside, there is a staging/picnic area where a group can get a table on which to keep bags, food, drinks and a place to rest in between games. Lots of groups also use these tables as a picnic area and make a family day out of it. Not all tables are shaded so if you want a shaded table, get there early. There is also a concession stand where you can buy water or food items.
There are many different courses on which to play, accommodating different group sizes. Each course has it's own characteristics and challenges. Although there were only four of us, our referee was able to find us bigger groups to play with the rest of the day which made it more fun and challenging. At one point we played 7 on 7 and you get to meet some cool people with different skill levels from the ultimate beginner to the weekend warrior. My favorite course was The Alamo where we got to defend a fort and the other team had to attack. It was really fun and we really had to watch every side of the fort.
We never felt rushed to get another game going. We were able to play at our own pace. Three of us had very little experience playing and we felt really comfortable. I would suggest if you plan on playing as a hobby to invest in some of your own equipment. Some of the masks are obviously beat up and scratched. At the minimum, bring your own mask.
Overall, it was a great first time experience for me and I wouldn't hesitate to come back and play again. read more
