Family Fun and Kid-Friendly Attractions in Reno
In a Casino town 20 years ago, a kid would be bored near death. I know. I barely made it through.But now the city’s alive with family fun.
A major improvement came with the kid-friendly expansion of the Hilton.Conveniently located near the airport, Fun Quest was one of the first saviors to a kid cursed to be in Reno before the arcades came.The large section devoted solely to the young and young at heart has a constantly improving arcade with games that can keep any budding nerd occupied for hours.The Quest has since added a laser tag room, a black-lit timed war game with no pain, which makes it easy for kids to make friends, if only for the allotted minutes.Other additions include indoor bumper cars and simulator rides.
Outside of Fun Quest, families can enjoy bowling, miniature golf and an interesting twist on a driving range, go karts, and extreme adrenaline surges with the Ultimate Rush and the newest addition, The Big Shot.
Hilton Bay , the driving range, offers a challenge to experienced golfers as well as fun for those who have a hard time clearing the fence 5 feet away.The idea is to hit the balls over the water onto islands, and in the event of a hole in one, a prize is given.While my younger years were plagued by the inability to get the ball to reach the water, even I had fun trying.
The Ultimate Rush allows for three thrill-seekers to fall from a tower 185 feet high, and let gravity take its course.The genius-or evil, depending on how you look at it-of the Rush is the strategically placed rock which seems as though it’s directly in the path of the swing.The Big Shot is made for the same type people as the Ultimate Rush-those unwilling to accept their primal understanding of danger.But, for them, the Shot would surely be a blast. It’s a reverse bungee jump, which actually shoots up to three people upward, allowing their bouncy return to safety.Fun Quest is open 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. to midnight weekends, go karts, Ultimate Rush and Big Shot are open noon to 10 p.m. daily, and miniature golf is open from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays and noon to 11 p.m. weekends.
While the Hilton has the widest variety of family fun, Wild Island holds a close second.The attraction began as a simple water park, but evolved into an exciting water park as well as a decent arcade, a great miniature golf course, and the new Frog Hopper, which repeatedly lifts up to four people high above the ground, and then drops them. The less convenient location, deep in Sparks , is a major drawback to the attraction. The water park is closed during winder, but the rest of the so-called Island remains open 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. weekdays, and 10 a.m. to midnight weekends.
Boomtown Family Fun Center is another kid-friendly casino escape, where kids can safely keep themselves entertained while parents may either enjoy hanging out with the kids or stick with slots and tables.The first highlight of the Center besides the arcade was the Dynamic Motion Theater, which used to be exciting even with horrible graphics and stupid plots.It has since evolved to be a 3-D theater, so it truly feels as though you’re on the fake roller coaster or participating in some other bumpy adventure.The Fun Center also now includes a less-than great miniature golf course, a Covered Wagon Ferris Wheel, and a Antique Carousel, as well as one of the better arcades in town.However, Boomtown, too, is rather out of the way for most people, as it’s located right near the Nevada/California border, in Verdi.The fun center is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays, and 10 a.m. to midnight on weekends.
