I have had quite a few people email me about locales/ideas for birthday parties in Southern California. I plan to do a couple of posts during the next month featuring my birthday party experiences, fellow bloggers and readers experiences with different and unique venues.
I wanted to start off the series with my son’s 3rd birthday a couple of weeks ago. My son’s birthday is two days after Christmas and because of this he really hasn’t had a traditional birthday. This year I decided to move his party to the first weekend in January and to have his birthday at one of his favorite places, Pretend City.
My son’s party at Pretend City was a huge success. It was fun and I really did not have to do much. I was running late and only had 15 minutes to set up. This wasn’t much of a problem because there were two hosts to help me out. They were amazing! First off they have a cart that you can carry to your car to bring the supplies. They helped me unload, set up the tables, food, decorations and they even helped frost my cupcakes. They also cleaned up! The hosts were EXTREMELY helpful and relieved much of the stress.
The party package at Pretend City includes
• Party room for 1 hour
• Museum admission for up to 15 children and 15 adults = total 30 guests
• Tables, chairs, sink with running water and refrigerator provided
• Two Pretend City party hosts to facilitate the party room set-up, service and clean-up.
• One return pass for all party children
The best part is that I did not have to worry about goodie bags. Every child that attends the party receives a return pass! I also had a Do it yourself candy bar that was a huge hit! I set up clear jars with Taffy, kisses, licorice, and blow pops. I bought scoops at Wal Mart for $3 and clear bags with ties for a $1.
I decided to do two sandwich trays from Costco, individual sized chips, capri suns, fruit snacks, small bottled water, rice krispy treats, a lemonade bar for the adults, single serving size Ben and Jerry’s ice cream(which I found on clearance!), apple slices and cupcakes. I think I spent less than $100 on food, utensils and decorations.
After our time in the party room was over, the kiddos had a great time playing in the museum for what seemed hours. Everyone had a great time and the birthday boy was very happy!
The price for a birthday party is $346 for Members and $385 for Non-Members. I am a member of Pretend City and received the discount. Pretend City offers a discount of $50 for Birthday Parties held between Tuesday through Friday. For additional info head here.
Birthday parties can be expensive and I’m going to try to feature parties for every price range. Stay tuned for additional locales and for some fun giveaways!
Absolutely LOVE it! What a super cute party. I love the cake and cupcakes….my son is a huge Thomas the Train fan, so thank you for the idea! Where did you order your cake from? I'm curious because I usually order from Great Dane bakery. :0)
Thanks for the great post! I may have to do a Pretend City party too!
This is such a great idea! I didn't know they did b-day parties! Thanks for the tip
This place looks like so much fun! Had no idea it existed. What ages do you think are appropriate for this place? Would my 6 year old enjoy it?
Love this! U r creative! Where were u when I needed u? Lol. I have a new respect 4 people that throw kid parties.
Thanks so much for the idea! Looks like you did a really good job. My daughter's 3rd birthday is coming up and I thought I might have to do it at Chuck E. Cheese yet again. Will definitely look into this.