The Wow! Zone in Mankato, MN: Good Family Fun

Family fun comes in all sorts of shapes and sizes!  One of the many reasons we loved our visit to Mankato, MN was all the different ways for our family to have fun and one of those was definitely at The WOW! Zone – Family Entertainment Center! From bowling to arcade games to delicious food, they have it all there!  Plus, you can pick and choose what you and your crew want to do!

We couldn’t believe the expansiveness of the WOW! Zone when we arrived!  It’s clean and friendly looking from the outside and has some great landscaping including a little pond (that makes this garden nerd happy).  The inside is brightly lit and well-organized with great signs pointing out each different aspect!  We were greeted by owner, Pam, who explained how everything worked with packages, activities, etc!  For this step-mom, the flexibility of picking and choosing which activities we want to do is the best!  They also offer several different packages for those that want to try a little big of everything!

Mini Golf

Our family is very familiar with miniature golf!  However, this was my first time with glow in the dark mini golf!  However, I loved the challenge!  The boys loved it too!  The decor of the course was a fun jungle theme.  The glow-in-the-dark aspect added a different challenge!  The balls glowed in the dark and other parts of the course, but you couldn’t tell if there was an uphill approach to the hole or not!  We enjoyed the challenge and the decor was fun! 9 holes later, I’m pretty sure I was the winner!  😉

Suite Bowling

Next up for us was bowling!  When you decide it’s time to knock down some pins, choose between regular bowling or VIP Suite Bowling!  We were treated to suite bowling and it was sweet!  While they offer (what seems like) endless lanes of regular bowling, they also offer the VIP treatment on 9 exclusive lanes!  Head into the Suite Bowling and enjoy couches and alley side concession service!  It was a lot less noisy nor crowded, which is what we enjoyed the most about it!  Of course, the graphics on the monitors are top notch as well!  T walked away the winner of that event, but I came in a close second!

Laser Tag

On to laser tag we went!  The boys were extra excited about this activity!  I was apprehensive as I had never participated in something like this, but they have a great video that you watch before beginning which explains it all! (Although I will say, I’m not sure I learned enough to actually be good at it!)  The four of us took on 4 others and I honestly have no idea how we came out, but I laughed a lot trying!  This specific laser tag offers two different levels to explore as well as many different obstacles to hide behind!  When we started, the 10-15 minutes didn’t seem real long, but after probably 7, I tapped out!  The boys held out to the end and loved every minute of it!

Arcade

Last on our list of activities was the Arcade!  The WOW! Zone operates with pre-loaded cards (looks like a credit card).  The cards can be used on any games, which is great for parents as you give can load however much you want on the card and when the kids have spent it, it’s over!  Not having to dig for change or dollars to give the kiddos!  The boys enjoyed hopping from game to game, trying out all sorts of different ones!  I preferred to spend almost all my credit on ice-ball!  The greatest thing I noticed is that there are games for all ages!

Once you have spent all your game credits, take your card to the redemption center!  Each time you play a game, the points (for prizes) are loaded onto the card.  (Another bonus, no tickets to keep track of each time your kiddos win a game!)  At the redemption center, the workers will swipe your card and let your kiddos know the amount of points accumulated and then they get to pick from a wide variety of toys and trinkets!

Time to Eat

After partaking in all of the activities offered by the WOW! Zone, it was time to eat!  When you find yourself looking for something to eat, you don’t have to go far at the WOW! Zone!  You can grab ice cream, a slice of pizza, or a pretzel from their snack bar or head to their restaurant!  Their restaurant is divided into two different sections.  One side is fashioned after a sports bar with high top tables and a bar.  The other side is full of tables and booths for the family!  Since we were exhausted, we chose the family restaurant and a cozy booth by the window!  We took our time perusing the menu and found that there was a little bit of everything for everyone!

A large selection of appetizers, salads, wings, burgers & sandwiches, pizzas, entrees, tacos & steaks, pasta, lunch combos, and a kids meal are all available! The selections in our group ranged from spaghetti & meatballs to a burger with onion rings, and mashed potatoes and gravy (remember, he had his wisdom teeth pulled just a few days prior)!  I selected the Cavatappi Alfredo and it was delicious!  I loved the halved cherry tomatoes along with the chicken, fresh Parmesan, and homemade Alfredo sauce!  Everyone enjoyed their meal (the mashed potatoes and gravy were from scratch) and with happy bellies, we headed home!

When To Go

While I’m sure anytime at the WOW! Zone in Mankato is a great time, we highly recommend Sunday morning about 11AM when they open.  You’ll have the place to yourself!  We can’t say enough about the hospitality of Pam and her team during our visit to the WOW! Zone and we highly recommend a visit on a hot & humid Minnesota day or when you’re tired of the crazy snow in the winter!

Check out the WOW! Zone on Facebook! 

Thank you to the WOW! Zone – Family Entertainment Center & owner Pam for hosting us!  All opinions are 100% authentic & my own!  For full disclosure see the Disclosure Tab.  

Check out the rest of our Mankato Adventures:

Kayaking in Mankato, MN with Bent River Outfitters

Family Fun Weekend in Mankato: Part 1

Family Fun Weekend in Mankato: Part 2