I came back to host a birthday party. For any parent, looking for a party venue for their child I…read morehighly recommend this place. I booked the option two party about three months in advance. What's great is that you just select a theme from the pictures they have they send you a digital invite to send out and as you get close to the party date, they'll confirm the theme and give you an idea of what the schedule is. That's it that's literally all you have to do. Honestly, if you were to just walk in the door without anything in hand other than a child, your 90 minute birthday party would go off without a hitch. They had the cupcakes, the utensils, the balloons, the beautiful room set up and they had the goodie bags. Honestly, a lot of the parents gave us a compliment on organizing the party and how much fun they had and I felt weird taking any credit for it. We had an assigned party planner that was very invested in making sure everything was running on time and that the room was set up perfectly to our needs. And at the end of the party, they packed everything up for you. What's wild is they actually packed everything back in the original containers organized and ready to go. And then these poor people had to re-organize all the toys that our party had demolished and dragged a different corners of the room all within 30 minutes. I hate planning, and hosting events gives me a lot of anxiety, so to have a party go off successfully with my minimal involvement is amazing.

Celebrated my son's 6th birthday and it was so much fun. The room was really clean and staff were…read morefriendly. They helped with decorating, singing happy birthday, and cutting the cake. Thank you! My son and his friends had a great time.

Our kids have been going to Dynamite for a couple of years now, both for gymnastics and for…read moreBirthday parties. The experience had been generally good for us. The staff has been helpful. Signing up the kids for classes has been easy. They do have many classes available for all groups. The instructors are good here. They do have many instructors available for the classes and private events. The place is good to - lots of different things to do for kids. The waiting area is a bit cozy tho and the restrooms could do with some TLC. Bottom line, a good place for gymnastics!

We have had a wonderful experience with Dynamite Gymnastics. Our preschool aged son has been going…read moreto Dynamite for the last 8 months or so, and loves it. Although gymnastics isn't always the first sport that comes to mind for young boys, it's great for body awareness, coordination, and flexibility (which will be helpful in any other sport that they may want to participate). The classes at the younger ages are also pretty mixed with boys and girls. If taught properly, it also provides structure for social interactions--taking turns, sitting attentively and approaching tasks with clear intent, etc. Our son is constantly jumping and rolling around the house/playground practicing skills he learned that week and is excited for class every week. We've also had a recent birthday party there and will also do the summer camp soon. Here is a summary of our experiences so far: 1) Facilities and safety--clean, well organized, and most importantly, safely set up. For the preschoolers, the obstacle areas are regularly reconfigured for new challenges. The equipment is also very well maintained. There is also a comfortable waiting area for parents and plenty of clear viewing areas (and screens). This is for the Dynamite main location (there is also the Agility Center and Bolt Parkour next door which is part of the same cluster which also seem fine). 2) Owner/management--Michelle is the owner and is wonderful. She spent time discussing what we were looking for there and then matched us with the right coach which made all of the difference in a successful start (and the best coaches to start with--she was spot on in her advice). 3) Coaches/classes--excellent. Our son started with Ky, who has a lot of experience and an energetic personality that is welcoming to the kids. She provided just the right type of nurturing as well as attention to detail and positive feedback (and social structure discipline--waiting turns, etc.). Our son has started a new time/class with Robert K and he's been wonderful too. Very kind with the kids, is very safety conscious, and notices little details (and demonstrates skills very well). Our son was challenged right away and learned a lot while having fun (while being encouraged with positive feedback as he worked on techniques). We have also seen other coaches come over to help when a child is having trouble with a technique and look out for each other's classes. 4) Culture--we have had many nice interactions with other families, and the children there are so polite and aware (e.g., holding the doors for someone else, not blocking the pictures that a parent of a new child is taking during class, etc.). The culture of both the staff and other families there is one of teamwork (there isn't the toxic feel that some gyms or competitive sports have, yet there is certainly skill and discipline t here--just the right balance of work, safety, and fun). 5) Birthday parties--great experience without having to worry about weather. The parents were able to relax and the children could run around in a safe environment with responsible coaches there (and try out pretty cool equipment). Definitely do the inflatable add-on--that was a hit (huge inflatable animal themed obstacle course/tunnel that the children loved). Our son's school has coaches who visit and have the kids do different obstacle courses, sports, and physical challenges. More than one coach has asked if our son takes classes in something because he's doing skills well ahead of his age group. A very large part is due to the classes he's taking at Dynamite (we've notice very solid and steady improvement this entire year). If you're looking for an athletic outlet for your child, then I highly recommend the Dynamite Gymnastics Center and coaches for a safe, fun, and properly challenging gymnastics home.

We had my daughter's 4th birthday here and there were so many things that went wrong. They did not…read morehave designated people for the birthday party- it was very chaotic, no announcements were made for pics or coming to eat pizza and cake. The staff especially one male employee had a bad attitude, slammed doors, and was extremely rude to us and our guests. Terrible customer service when we complained to the front desk of all that was going wrong. They tried to over charge us by $100+. Very inattentive staff and failed to monitor kids for safety. They were also late putting up the moon bounce. I would NOT recommend having a birthday here. Tried asking for management contact and was denied. Truly disappointing experience.

It's a great place to take kids who want to get an introduction to gymnastics -- and burn off some…read moreenergy. The classes can seem a bit disorganized at times, but they're quite solid overall.

Great place for bday party! Kenzie was so accommodating and Natalie was great!!! Thank you guys!read more

Here's my honest review after returning home to California. We traveled back to the DMV to…read morecelebrate my daughter's birthday with our friends and family. We originally booked for 25 kids but ended up reducing it to 20. Unfortunately, the party room felt very small for a space advertised to accommodate 25 children and up to 40 adults. It was hot and stuffy, and the two fans provided really didn't make much of a difference. There also wasn't enough seating for the adults, which was especially disappointing and honestly embarrassing when we had older family members attending who needed somewhere to sit. Upon arrival, my dad, who was bringing in our decorations, was stopped and wasn't allowed inside just to drop off an item that was too heavy for my mom and me to carry. We completely understand having rules in place, but I do feel there could have been some flexibility for the birthday family. Even allowing him five minutes to help us get the heavier decorations into the room and then completing whatever paperwork was needed afterward would have made a huge difference. I do want to give a special thank you to Forest and another staff member who noticed that I was getting frustrated and stepped in to help. Forest, in particular, was amazing and actually helped us decorate and get everything together. If you're planning a party here, I would definitely recommend asking for her! The younger kids had an absolute blast, and the older kids made the best of the situation, even though the main ball pit for their age group was closed. Unfortunately, we were not notified ahead of time that it would be unavailable, so that was pretty disappointing, especially considering we were planning the party around the activities available. The bubble party was actually one of my daughter's favorite parts! However, it was frustrating to see children wearing yellow wristbands, while our party had pink wristbands, joining our bubble party. The dance floor was already pretty small for our group, so having additional children come in made it even more crowded. I feel like it should be the responsibility of the party hosts/attendants to monitor the wristbands and make sure each party's designated activities remain private. That's part of what we're paying for. There was also a woman I wasn't familiar with who seemed to come out of nowhere and repeatedly addressed some of our older children/spectators. She was wearing an orange shirt with a gray sweater. Her approach came across as very loud and rude, and I was confused about why she was involved with our party when we already had Forest assisting us. I believe the staff noticed that I was uncomfortable with the situation because shortly afterward, she was at the front desk. Overall, there were definitely some cons, but there were also plenty of pros. The kids had fun, and there were staff members who genuinely went above and beyond to help us. I would still recommend this place to others, but there are several things I believe need to be addressed before we would consider paying to host another party here. With better temperature control, more seating, clearer communication about closed attractions, and stronger enforcement of private party areas, I think the experience could be significantly better.

I loved the idea of the setups provided by Fiesta Kidz but unfortunately they arrived over an hour…read morelate for the setup and they were not completely setup until 30 minutes after the party started. I had an event starting at 12 and they had an arrival time of 10am because I wanted them to be set up first and I had other vendors arriving later that had to set up other areas around them. Additionally, I got the white soft play setup, as well as tables and chairs, and it was clear the items were not cleaned in a long time. I definitely expected better. For transparency, I complained directly to the company and got a $50 discount - but honestly I didn't feel like that was enough.

The Fiesta Kidz was amazing. On time and perfect service and setting! They went above and beyond…read morefor us to get extra balloons! Our kids and guests loved it.

Located inside the historic Glen Echo Park, the Puppet Co. is a true blast from the past! This…read morenon-profit theatre is dedicated to introducing the art of puppetry to a new generation by bringing a mix of hand puppets, rod puppets, body puppets, marionettes, and shadow puppets to stage both original works and traditional children's stories. If you ever visited the "Land of Make-Believe" with Mister Rogers, you will be very familiar with these vintage style puppets. My four and eight-year old recently enjoyed a weekend original feature which was a mash up several different fairy tales. As an adult, I found it to be a bit corny but the show was perfect for my littles who stayed engaged for nearly the entirety of the one-hour show. Floor seating is available which is perfect for young families with children who cannot stay still. They have a fun house mirror in the lobby and after the show there was a puppet meet and greet. Overall it was good family fun for a hot summer afternoon. It's proximity to the Glen Echo carousel, playground, and aquarium made it feel like a full day affair!

My kids absolutely loved their first puppet show. I took my 5 and 10 year old to see the Twisted…read moreTales show and it was laughs for everyone. The staff were friendly, and the actors were engaging. I loved that they provided an interactive experience with pauses throughout the play to ask questions to the audience. I worried that my 5 year old wouldn't be able to sit still, but the open floor space was perfect for him to move around.

My son had a birthday party here and it was phenomenal. This place is located in silver springs in…read morethe back of a neighborhood, I didn't know a full service sports complex was tucked off. I will admit the mini sign to point out the location was challenging, but when we pulled up it was cool. The parking is good and close to the building. We had access to a small banquet room for the large birthday party. I must add that the staff were very friendly and accommodating, the kids had a blast. I would recommend this place again and actually use it. 5

My daughter recently attended a summer camp run by the Tiny Chefs crew at a local rec center and…read morehad a blast! Each day she came home with a giant smile and an assortment of treats that ranged from savory (chicken pot pie, cheddar chive biscuits, jalapeno popper lollipops) to sweet (whoopie pies, so many different flavors of cupcakes, ginger snaps, elephant ears, and more). This was my first experience with a Fairfax County Rec Camp and I was pleased with how well run it was despite the limitations of being held in a community room setting. I asked my daughter how they were able to separate the classroom for each recipe and she mentioned it was very organized and every day she got to try out new skills like chopping (her only complaint -- she wishes they had real knives instead of the safety ones), whisking, measuring, and even washing dishes (she would NEVER at home). The staff while young, was friendly and upbeat and remembered my daughter's name by the second day. They paid attention to allergies, and even pulled me aside to let me know how well she was doing in the class since they knew she gets nervous in new spaces. Would definitely attend a class in the future (or even consider a birthday party at their physical location).

My daughter really enjoyed the class! The teachers was really kind and friendly. We really high…read morerecommend this camp. Thank you so much