Great atmosphere and fun games. Good service and food. Drinks are served as well. Laser tag, whirlyball, great for large events, work family or friends. read more

WhirlyBall - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Vernon Hills, Illinois

I was here for a private event and everything went well. This location offers numerous activities: whirly ball, laser tag, and bowling. There are multiple floors - each including a full bar. The food here was OK. Our group was provided a taco bar and cookies for dessert. The tortillas were not great, the texture was off. Everything was served buffet style which led to hot items being cold. Unfortunately the cookies were rock hard. Could break a tooth rock hard. Overall this is a great place for activities. It's nice that they offer food and drinks, but I wouldn't come here hungry. read more

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We hosted a large kids laser tag party here and unfortunately had a very disappointing experience. Most of the laser tag vests were not functioning properly, and kids constantly had to come in and out of the game because their equipment stopped working mid-play. They really should not be hosting laser tag parties larger than 5 people with the current equipment situation. We were told they had 18 vests available, but only about 6-8 were actually working consistently at any given time. To their credit, they did extend the play time to try to accommodate the equipment issues. However, it didn't really solve the problem when so many kids still had long wait times and didn't get to participate fully. The staff member managing the event was defensive when concerns were raised and explained they were "in a transition stage" and expecting new equipment in July. She stated she was frustrated too, but we were the ones paying for a service/event that was not functioning as promised. I would not recommend this venue for a laser tag party until the equipment issues are fully resolved. read more

My first experience of Whirlyball is with a Yelp Elite event and I loves it. I won a happy hour giveaway that includes food and drinks. But what the meaning of going to Whirlyball if you dont play whirlyball??!!! So we booked an hour of Whirlyball and the court was oura for the whole hour. It is $250 plus tax for an hour but you can bring as many people as you can. This is so much fun and its really a nice game night for either friends and family or both. I went to the Vernon Hills location and their service waa awesome! The place is quite spacious and they also have darts, pingpong table and some pool tables. They also have LASERTAG and 2 Whirlyball courts. I like their Cheese Curds, Nachos, Sausage Pizza. Definitely coming back! Happy eating and happy playing!!! read more

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There are so many wins and pluses with this location. First and foremost, Tracy and Robyn are such an amazing team! They are so on top of everything and work really hard to make everything look effortless. The food and dessert options are delicious and the variety is insane. I can't even tell you how impressed I am with the dessert variety it is like walking into a dessert shop. I usually would expect bar like food, but they really take pride in the quality of their food and desserts. I have had the pleasure to work with Tracy so many times and she is beyond helpful and supportive each time. It's a really fun atmosphere and would highly recommend to anyone wanting to throw a party there or even just to go and play some games. read more

WhirlyBall - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Vernon Hills, Illinois

BEWARE, if you go here that the prices are NOT what they list but 20% higher! The apparently decided to add a 20% "service charge" to their prices recently w/o any notice on their website. Looked over entire website for details on this and there is NO mention of a 20% "service charge" in their terms and conditions (Or anywhere for that matter). Only a food "service charge" which states "Service Charge Please note that all food, beverage, and related items are subject to a service charge. This service charge is not a tip or gratuity." I can only assume they hope you just don't notice this or inquire about it but we were here a few weeks prior and there was no "service charge" which prompted us to ask given the large different in price. This is a horrible business practice, and we will not be coming back due to this. read more

I visited here through a yelp elite event. It is such a fun place I loved my time here! The food was pretty good, tons of options. Dessert was delicious. Full bar with tons of options as well. Great service, all the workers were so kind and helpful with questions. Whirly ball is fun!! Fun to watch too, anyone can do it but it is a bit tricky to get the hang of. They have a 2 story laser tag that is also so fun. Great spot for an event or party. Can't wait to come back to play some more! read more

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Very fun atmosphere. Whirlyball and lazer tag were a bunch of fun. Something that you wouldn't normally do. Very friendly and helpful staff. The food is average but definitely better than what you would get at your typical bowling alley. All around good night out! read more

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Do not have a child's birthday here. I had my sons bday party here over the summer with 15 kids and it was not a good move. All of the food (apps, pizza and dessert) was brought out all at once right when we got there and then I never saw the server again. No clean up, no interaction with the kids- just a literal free for all that was then flipped and we were told the kids could not run around and needed to stay in their section until the next laser tag time. Which was also a disaster. I'll keep this short and just say- have a child's bday party some place more kid friendly. This place is definitely not it. I also contacted this establishment to discuss this and it just happened that our server (who was not very nice) just happened to also be the manager so nothing was handled in this situation. We paid over a thousand dollars and did all the work ourselves for setup and clean up. read more

I visited WhirlyBall in VH for the first time on Saturday, January 18, and honestly had one of the best times I've had in a LONG time. I have zero athletic capabilities and was a little nervous, but I was able to catch on relatively quickly. They give you all of the directions that you need prior to gameplay. We had a group of 11, and since only 10 players play at a time, we swapped one player out after each 10 minute round. Expect bruises and some minor whiplash if you're playing with more aggressive players. NOT for anyone with neck/back problems. They also have a height requirement (54 inches ?? Don't quote me). I HIGHLY suggest going in earlier in the day to reserve your half hour or hour time slot. It's $30/person for an hour for walk-ins, $15/person for half hour slots. If you have a larger group, I recommend doing the $250/hr, and you only need to pre-pay for one person to reserve the slot, and they'll gladly split the bill however many ways you need them to once you arrive for your game. Thank you to Cindy for helping me figure out the best price option for our group and for being so patient with us. We will definitely be visiting again. read more

WhirlyBall - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Vernon Hills, Illinois

Far too much noise. The buzzer that sounds when a point is a scored is way too loud for what they use it for. The carts are too fast and lack a mechanism to slow down. It's great for kids I guess, but as an adult on the spectrum who easily gets overwhelmed by noise it's unbearable. I won't be coming back unless they make clear improvements. read more

What an entertaining place! You cannot go wrong if throwing a party at this place or just looking to have a good time with friends and family. The facility has whirly ball and Laser tag gaming zones plus has amazing options for food that includes Chicago's best Deep dish pizza. I was amazed with the quality of food and cherry on top was so many options for vegetarians and has a full blown bar! The interior is done so well and can be rented for bday parties, events such as bar mitzvahs. They are opening up their venues for weddings starting next week! We got to talk to Adam (CEO) he was the sweetest business man, he definitely will keep his clients happy so brides make sure you check this venue out if you are planning a fun filled wedding Over all the place blew my mind! Had a great time playing whirly ball and laser tag. Only place you can drink and drive. Most fun you can have at 24mph read more

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Seriously what a fabulous event. This whole place has it going on! It is the best place in the North Shore to host a big party or function. The laser tag is ridiculous so cool and playing whirlyball with friends after a few drinks is awesome. The fully stocked bar with fabulous bartenders. The stage where you can host a buffet, a DJ, or a wedding party is perfectly situated. The food is delicious and the staff is exceptional. After talking with Adam, my husband and I agree that we should host our daughter's sweet 16 here!!! Thank you for an epic evening! They do weddings now! read more

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Booked a 12 year old party. Kids had a great time, I will say. Completely under staffed, unfortunately. Food was average. We were handed a menu for adults, only to place an order and be told that nothing on the menu but pizza and wings are available. Do NOT expect anything on the menu but pizza and wings for adult guests. Server was very nice but none of the table was cleared after pizza and before dessert despite an hour to do so. We really had to ask to do everything. It was not a relaxing, pleasurable experience. I am sure that the city experience may be different. It's too bad, because the whirlyball game was fun for all. Just don't expect anything in the way of service for a booked party and expect to pay 20 percent to help bus the table yourself. If you just want to play the games and eat only mediocre pizza and wings, this is the place for you. read more

A great place to gather with friends or family !! Friendly staff and ok food.will most definitely come back. read more

Two stars because Whirlyball itself is fun. Service, not so much. We went for a birthday party in the middle of a Saturday when it was empty. The whirlyball was for one hour and we got maybe 4.5 games in. Every game was 10 minutes. In game 5, 4 minutes into the game, the host shut down the game because we were at the hour. Wow. If there was a party waiting, we'd totally understand. In the hospitality business, this was a terrible move. We were having so much fun, they wouldn't even let us finish out our last 6 minutes? We would have probably paid extra to play more and drink more. Then when we asked for boxes for leftovers, the host said it's been sitting out too long so we can't give you boxes. Really? We've been to plenty of places and they've never told us that. Also as an FYI, they don't have a cash bar. You can only get drinks with tickets from the party which is really bizarre. I get that we were part of a party, but they really didn't want more money? We all vowed to never go back again. The host is in the wrong business. When we lived in Chicago, we had a totally different Whirlyball birthday party experience. They were great and knew how to read the room. I would not recommend this place for a private event. read more

Went here for a work function. It was a blast, probably the funnest team building event I have ever been to. I'd definitely go back but you want to make sure you have at least 10 people you know with you. I don't imagine it being as fun with strangers. Good size bar with quite a few selections including local brews. read more

If you would like to have a birthday party here. PLEASE find out how many birthday parties they would have in one time. We were asked not to sit by others table caused might get that dirty. It was dirty before we sat there. Even the table was not taken for 1st hour. We were told not let kids go outside of our area.We were told if lost the ring of connect 4, Pay! Pinpong? You cannot use it. Because you not pay! Want another slice of pizza, bring your plate! Take the uneaten pizza away before everyone left the tables. Take out the drinks 8 minutes before party finishes! Start to clean up 20 minutes before party finishes! Because we were told that kids made a mess. If you could not control your party members to go around, if you could not find out what you have and didn't pay before the party. Then not going! read more

Nice little hidden gem of an entertainment spot. They have a decent sized bar and many tv screens outside of the jumbo one in the middle. There is darts, pool, bags, shuffleboard, laser tag, and of course whirlyball. It's an awesome time. $15/person for a half hour. Black vs red. They give you everything you need to play the game. Just sign the waiver and you're good to go. This was my second time going here to play whirlyball and I have not been to the other locations. Last night, there was no wait and we were able to get our party of 8 right in. They have 10 cars in total. Good time! read more

WhirlyBall - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Vernon Hills, Illinois

We had our son's 16th birthday party. The game itself was fun for the boys. But the place seems pretty run down and the staff were not very enthusiastic and fun group. The pizza was good. read more

So fun kiddo and I loookes for a a chance to play on a spring g day that turned cold. We needed up bowling which was fine.

A fun and "casual" place to enjoy WhirlyBall with friends and co-workers. Though the drink and food selection is not as great as some of the larger locations around Chicago, the parking is definitely much easier here, food and drink prices are very reasonable, and it's never been too crowded anytime I've gone. The staff is friendly and helpful and made my experience an enjoyable one. read more

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In town in a family matter, my brother, sister-in-law and I walked in to check it out. Great concept,has pool tables, ping pi G and whirly ball. Nice spot for groups and company functions. We did not eat but saw a platter of wings that looked and smelled great. Chatted with Chris at the great guy and the service was excellent! Check this place out! read more

I attended WhirlyBall as a team building event after a long day of meetings. When they first told us that we would be playing WhirlyBall I really had no idea what they were talking about. In my mind I pictured some sort of physical game with balls and...whirls? Anyway, it piqued my curiosity so I was looking forward to seeing what it was. I quickly discovered that WhirlyBall is a sort of bumper cars-lacrosse hybrid. The place itself is kind of a multi-use center. In addition to the WhirlyBall court, the facility had a bar, some billiard tables, and an open area with a small stage. WhirlyBall is fun - bumper cars are my favorite amusement park attraction so it totally brought me there. I also sampled some of the food, it was indicative of typical pub food (burgers, pizza, etc) but it was pretty good. The staff was also friendly - everyone I encountered was on top of their game. Overall, I had a fun time - even if you don't want to play WhirlyBall it seems like a good place to hang out. read more

Very nice place great service for the whirlyball and bar it was just my family got some bruises

This is a great fun venue. Was here for the first time for a small event approximately 10 people. This establishment seem smaller than the Chicago location. I was surprised how quiet it was on a Friday afternoon. There were a smaller group using the other court. We had one or two machines that needed maintenance but that took place between matches. Everyone seemed to enjoy the drinks. The Mac and cheese was ok. I didn't try the sliders but we ordered 40 of them. Staff was pretty attentive, but then again it was very quiet as aforementioned. This is not a gauge on how well service would be on a crowded day. read more

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If your reading this, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? I loved it so much I started looking into franchising and opening one up in my hometown LOL It's so fun. If your planning on hosting a party, it's perfect. They cater and have other games you can play. There's a fee to rent but cons is you don't have to clean up after yourself LOL I meant you do but you know when you have big parties, you come home and still have to work. Hosting parties here takes the stress away and SHOOTS have fun. I can't wait to go back to Chicago because I'm getting my coworkers together and we are doing this again. So fun! The employees here are also super nice and helpful. They make you feel welcomed. read more

That's was an awesome experience truly I haven't enjoyed myself like that in a while. WhirlyBall hands down one of the coolest activities I ever did. We also tried the laser tag but it was acting up the manager kindly gave us another spin on the whirlyball overall will definitely come back and recommend. read more

WhirlyBall - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Vernon Hills, Illinois

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I came here for a work function where we played Whirlyball and Laser tag, followed by pizza and wings for dinner. The food was very average which was fine as I wasn't expecting much. However, while playing Whirlyball my go cart kept stopping. In order for it to restart the women leading our session said that I needed to be hit. It was not fun having to tell my coworkers to run into me every five minutes and I feel that as Whirlyball being their namesake all the go carts should run smoothly. As for the laser tag, I always appreciate a two floor laser tag area, but nothing can compare to the Zap Zone locations I used to go to as a kid in the Detroit area. read more

Went to whirlyball for a 4 pm reservation. We were having a blast until the last game. They are 10 minute games, the cars shut down 5 minutes into our last game... they walked in and said your done. Our hour was up BUT the problem occurred because before they started our last game, they asked what time we were there until (shouldn't they know?) but we told them 5 and they said ok, turned the cars on and we started playing. All to shut them off half way through. The guy up front started to say well your host knew, someone in your party was late, and on and on... they shouldn't have started the last game... that is where the problem lies... GET IT TOGETHER WHIRLYBALL! Maybe try a location that has got it together. read more

OMG! We had a blast here! I was surprised that children were allowed in here at night (we got there around 11 or midnight) and there were still kids running around. I guess with all the drunkenness and the bar in the main room I was a bit taken back by this. We arrived with a couple drinks in our systems already (we nominated a designated driver for the real car!) and we were ready for some fun. There was a group of 8 of us and we wanted to play for a half an hour... I thought I would get bored after this amount on time, since I have never played before. They told us it would be about a half an hour wait and we decided to hit the bar, play some foosball, and pick out some songs on the juke box. It was probably about 15 minutes later when we were called to play. The game was soooo much fun. They split our time into two 15 minute games with a short intermission to take another quick shot. The last game I mostly drove in circles :). I also got hit in the lip during the second game and have a pretty cool battle scar (well its a scab right now but it has only been one week!). Everyone here was awesome and I cannot wait to go back! read more

Birthday party and whirlyball event for 12 year olds. Had a pizza lunch too. Non existent service. Hosts kept asking for stuff and when it didn't come out timely, they had to keep getting pitchers of drinks etc. they would not adjust a ridiculous 20% service charge which was added in spite of complaints. If you have a choice, don't use this place. read more

We had about 20 people playing for 2 hours on Saturday for a 30th birthday party, and it was great. We alternated who was playing and who was watching/drinking. We had the viewing room to ourselves, so we could be as loud as we wanted. This Whirlyball place has laser tag and an indoor climbing wall. We saw a ton of kids birthday parties, and for people with the money that would be a great kids party. After we finished playing everyone was complaining about bruises and whiplash. It was fun, but now I need some time to recover from Whirlyball. The service was all over the place. In the begining it took me a long time to get someone's attention to find out where our court was. My first drink at the bar was quick, but when a big group all approached the bar at the same time, it put a strain on the lone bartender. Whirlyball is always a bit expensive. Drinks here were a decent price. My rum and coke was $4, which isn't terrible. It looks as though you can bring in your own cake, but we went back to our friend's place for dinner and cake. This Whirlyball place has a decent size parking lot, but is a little hard to find. read more

It was fun but can be a bit dangerous. I got hit in the face and started bleeding as well as a few others in my group. The guy running our court was a tad rude but the GM was nice. I wish we could have had longer time there. read more

Awesome experience! First time here and it was great. You pay $15 per person PER activity for only 30 minutes which is a little sucky but the activities are very fun. Tiring too. Just wish you'd get more time playing each. At least an hour buuut overall good. Will deff be back! read more

We had a group of 12 go to WhirlyBall for someone's birthday on 2/16/20. The games we played were super fun and everyone had a good time. The drinks are WAY overpriced and the bartender behind the bar was rude and made us feel like an inconvenience. Although we had fun, there are lots of other activities with less expensive food/drink and more appreciative staff. Will not be back to this location. read more

I attended a young adults 16th birthday party here recently. The host had a DJ, and there were about 35+ kids, plus adults upstairs. It was a great space for this type of party. They had tables set up near the bar with "mocktails", and a dance floor set up towards the entrance and some couches set up. The bartenders and staff did an outstanding job. They were lively and friendly all night. At one point, the kids were all on their phones and not dancing, and one of the bartenders got out on the dance floor and literally pulled the kids up and got them dancing again. Seriously, it was great!! I'd recommend the upstairs space for this kind of party, or any other type of semi-formal or informal get together. They did such a great job I can't say enough about it. I'd recommend this to anyone looking for this type of space. read more

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I love me some whirlyball, even though I always seem to get injured by someone slamming into me and the handle somehow hitting me in the chest. Ouch. I do get a tiny bit competitive though...so watch your fingers. I might also injure you with my aggressive ball acquisition. We had some fun times at the bar, too. We had the freedom to order what we wanted, and had some nice bites along with our drinks. Overall, a really fun time is to be had at Whirlyball, any time! read more

In the windows there are inviting neon signs that advertise various beers, as well as an "Open" sign. We walk up to the open door and inside, however, there is nothing. There is an empty landing that leads to three levels - one door has a sign above it that has activities, we were just wanting food and drinks so we ruled that one out. The top door leads to an empty banquet room of sorts? And the middle door seems to lead to nothing. There are no directional signs, there's no podium, no people. Nothing. This was at around 3:00 PM and Google says it opens at 11:00 AM. Did we go in the wrong door? We looked around the building and couldn't find anything except some cars in the parking lot. I'm convinced "Whirlyball" is Russian for "undercover drug ring." Of course we could have called to ask but the place creeped me out so much we went somewhere else. read more

Alright, I admit... I was skeptical coming here. Basketball, bumper cars, and Lacrosse combined? You've got to be kidding me. But... I have to say, this was a blast. The bumper cars are a little tricky and take some getting used to. They all have the equivalent of a "suicide knob" that you use to steer one-handed, and reverse and forward controls are the difference of 180 degrees with the stick. It took our group about 2 games to get into the swing of it. After that, though, it was nothing but fun. In between rounds, they have some pretty good food, and great drinks. The staff was friendly, fun, and helpful. This is definitely an experience worth trying. You might be surprised how much you like it. read more