Birthday Hot Spots Around Geist

Eyes bright with anticipation, seven-year-old Danielle Finefrock grins at the gymnastics instructor. He hoists her up, and Danielle goes sailing through the air, plunging into a sea of red-and-white foam.

She emerges with a huge smile. This isn’t gymnastics class; it’s Danielle’s birthday. And with the inaugural launch into the foam pit, the party has begun at Geist Sports Academy.

Danielle’s parents, Jim and Lori, decided to join the ranks of Geist parents who are turning to local venues to make their children’s birthday parties big on memories but small on party-planning headaches.

So here’s a memo to all you supermoms out there: Throwing a spectacular birthday bash for your child no longer needs to involve hours of planning, shopping, cleaning and decorating. The Geist area is a hotbed for places catering to the birthday crowd.

The Ultimate KidZone, a drop-in childcare facility on Olio Road, offers several themed party packages from the $299 Ultimate Birthday Party (complete with pi?ata, mega bouncer and birthday photos) to the $99 No-Frills party, where you bring everything but get to use their facility. As added services for the truly time-crunched mom, they even offer to mail your birthday invitations and shop for birthday gifts.

The Play House, another drop-in childcare facility off of Fox Road, also accommodates birthdays, but it’s more of a ‘”do-your-own-thing’” approach. You rent their facility for $80 and let the kids play. The best bonus? ‘”You don’t have to clean your house to have your party here,’” said facility manager Brandi Luttrull.

That hands-off approach is also the hallmark of parties at Recreation Unlimited, where parents can rent the showroom on Ind. 37 and let the kids play on indoor playground equipment. Just down the road is Ben & Ari’s, which offers miniature golf, arcade games or mini pin bowling.

For those looking for a more structured, thematic party, Wendy Reed, owner of Broadripple’s Sugar Buzz, is now bringing her parties to Geist-area homes. They include professional face-painting, costumes and even live actors, for several popular themes including pirates, princesses and Star Wars. She also prides herself on creating one-of-a-kind goodie bags that include items such as pop-star purses, shark-tooth necklaces and pirate swords ‘