Two days in a row now, this place is closed when it should be open, with nothing other than a…read morehand-written note on the door saying "closed at 4pm." My children and I are disappointed, and angry, and confused.

My video game loving children have been eagerly awaiting for this to open. It's finally open and…read morehas some great kid friendly neighbors- a toy store and ice cream/gelato parlor. Kid heaven! When my kids first walked into Games on Lincoln they were a little disappointed by how small it is, especially in comparison to places like Nickel City. That being said i like that it's small because it's a great way to kill a bit of time, but also easy to get out of there within the hour. I usually have to bribe my kids to get them out of Nickel City within a few hours. And because it's new Games on Lincoln is very clean and due to the size should be easy to keep clean! Fingers crossed. You put money on a card and like all arcades you go thru money pretty fast here. I loaded up my kids cards with $10 several times and they seemed to run out fast- a combo of the games being a little expensive and I think they may have swiped a few extra times (so teach your kids to just swipe once). The machine itself is a little glitchy, but the staff was helpful...and can also take cash up by the cash register. I do think some sort of unlimited game card would be great- whether it's for one specific time or even a monthly membership. The games itself are perfect for my 8 and 6 year olds, but my 3 year old is a little young for it (although they were nice to pull up a chair so he could play his favorite game, pac-man). They didn't get enough tickets to get any cool prizes so are keeping their cards for next time. And I'm sure there will be a next time since it's an easy way to kill some time after dinner in the area (Stacked and Folded, Little Rickys, etc) before or after ice cream. Speaking of ice cream seems like a no brainer to get rid of their crappy prizes and let people redeem tickets at the ice cream parlor and toy store...also a great way to drive business to those businesses as well. According to the staff they may be taking over the hair salon next door and making this way bigger, which would also give the ability to host birthday parties. My kids were excited about the possibility of even more games. And if that happens there goes my ability to get them in and out fast, but then again always looking for good places to kill time with the kids in the winter.

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.

Checked this place out today with a friend! Very cute experience and the staff were super friendly…read moreand helpful! Loved the photo/video booth a lot! Keep chuckling at our pictures!

As Town planner for Lake county I really enjoyed this beautiful space. I especially enjoyed the…read moretunnel

This place, owner and staff have so much patience, my 9 yo asked sooo many questions on the games…read morehe was playing. I could use all caps to express how much patience and pure just chill the used with him but I won't. As a parent 1000000 stars. They were slow (2pm on a friday after school) so dial that in when considering. Thank you so much team!!

I had my son's birthday party here. Staff and the owner were very attentive and made sure we had…read moreeverything we needed. The kids seemed to have enjoyed it and I received positive feedbacks from the parents. We are now planning to have another party next year.

AMA Dance Studio has exceeded our expectations in so many ways! They really focus on building…read morecharacter and confidence in the kiddos. The dedication, love, and thoughtfulness of the instructors, especially Mr. Dillon, create a warm and inviting atmosphere. All the staff are fantastic. The owner, Ms Anne Marie, is amazing --passionate, caring, and a true steward of the community. I appreciate the convenient two-way mirrors so parents can watch practice without being a distraction. The recitals are memorable and showcase the incredible progress of the students. AMA offers a variety of programs and dance and music classes for all ages, including adults. We are immensely grateful for the confidence and camaraderie the studio has instilled in our girls. AMA Dance Studio is a fantastic place for children to learn, grow, and shine!

We just recently started at AMA and our experience here is far more than I expected. The owner was…read morevery accomodating and very professional. She answered all of My questions promptly. She tried her best to pace my girls who are ages 5 and 7 in the same class to keep each other company since they are both shy in the beginning. She emails me feedback and photos after each class. And my kids just loves being there too! This place is top notch! I highly recommend it!!!

I used to go here when I was little. I thought ice skating would be like riding a bike. Nope...not…read moreat all! This was the first time my 6.5 year old son tried it and he was able to use a skate assistant sled. Unfortunately, the usage time is limited for others to use as well. And if a person didn't return theirs in the 20 minute slot, noone bothered going out to get it. So we patiently waited A few weeks later we go back here for a birthday party. I think we had an hour in the room and another hour on the rink. Not bad, but we felt rushed in the room eating & cake. Then, at the ice rink they had FOUR skate assistant sleds for us to use. Now, it's a party with about 20 kids, most of whom haven't skated before. So 'sharing' the sled was an issue. I asked someone that worked there if we could borrow more (because I know that had more & they weren't being used on the other side), but she said we are only allowed 4. Boo!

I came here to try ice skating for the first time in 25 years. Open skating fees and skate rental…read morefees are comparable to other arenas in the area. But, the perk here is that they don't charge more for non-residents to skate, so if you're bringing non-local friends, they won't have to pay more than you (unlike Evanston and other skating rinks). I do wish that they had some sort of pass card though like Evanston and Wilmette rinks both offer. Their website is a bit dated and confusing, but I sent them a message on Facebook to confirm their public skate hours and they got back to me within minutes, which was nice. They also have skate sharpening, which I definitely need before I try skating again (but haven't used that service yet). The rink itself is nice. It wasn't too crowded when I went during the week a week before Christmas, and the skaters I did meet were friendly. The woman at the desk was helpful as well. I'll definitely come back.

Here are photos of a review that I put up of LoMastro and the owner's response. I attempted to have…read morea conversation with the owner in June that I was told would happen. This was about my child being held back at the same level as the year before. I simply wanted a discussion. She then refused to speak. When there were still issues in the fall (and shame on me for not pulling my kids from the studio when warning signs came up in the spring), I again asked for a phone call to discuss difficulties my child was experiencing. She again declined. After telling the owner that she needed to get back to me or I would pull my kids from the studio and write an honest review about her studio, I did write the review. When she saw the review she kicked out my kids. She said that by telling her I would write a review, that was threatening her safety. She then said that the review tarnished her studio's reputation, even though the review was entirely honest and I have the documentation to back it up. I took down the review in a moment of desperation and love for my kids as I asked her not to take out her ill will toward me on my kids. Instead, she ignored me and threw my kids on the street, figuratively speaking. Now that she cannot hold me hostage over my kids, the truth deserves to be told. She will no doubt craft a response here that is both vague and demeaning, but in the end, the truth always wins. I hope folks do their research and put their children in a more supportive environment with a more caring human

My daughter absolutely loves this place! The faculty is amazing. I strongly recommend it!read more

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.