By now, you would think we would have hit all the party venues around the area but a month or so ago, we attended a birthday party for the first time at a place called WildFire Gymnastics in Tustin:
14761 Bentley Cir
Tustin, CA 92780
(714) 832-1315
www.wildfiregymnastics.comYelp:
http://www.yelp.com/biz/wildfire-gymnastics-tustinIt's a gymnastics training academy but they also have parties, open play, summer camps and Parent's Night Out. We attended a birthday party years ago at a place similar in South County but I like the way this one is set up because the party/eating area is located on a second floor balcony area where you can see the entire gymnastics area. This was great because it allowed the parents to have an area to sit around and talk yet they were still able to keep an eye on their kids.
It's a 2-hour event with the 1st hour being open and structured play in the gym area (trampolines, foam pit, bounce house, padded mat, rope swinging followed by group play led by a gymnast) and then half hour eating/cake and the last half hour playing again. It's good for both boys and girls but I think this leans more towards older kids (6+) rather than toddlers (the ones who have grown out of PumpItUp).
They provide all the plates, silverware, napkins and decorations (tablecloths+balloons), all you have to bring is the food and drinks. The staff also serves the kids, leads the cake ceremony, cuts the cake and helps clean up.
It's also reasonable pricing, I think it's $15 per kid with a 10-kid minimum and they can have a large number of kids (40+) if your child is that popular

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I highly recommend this venue... the party room isn't as crowded/claustrophobic/loud as other venues (give the parents a chance to have conversations with each other) and the gym activity is really fun for the kids (will probably do one for ours).