Hey everyone, Blake here with my latest review for The Virtual Reviewer! As a busy dad of two kids, I’m always looking for new ways to entertain my family. So when I heard about this indoor amusement park called Land O Fun in Brooklyn from some other parent friends of mine, I knew I had to check it out. They boasted of having all the latest VR tech, along with arcade games, bumper cars, bowling, and more. Sounded right up my alley!
Last weekend, I packed up the whole Howse crew (that’s me, wifey Patty, teenage ball of energy John, and pre-teen fashionista Jenette) and flew to the other side of the country to our Airbnb in Brooklyn, just a few blocks from Land O Fun. The next day, we headed over to check it out, wondering what to expect but hoping it would live up to the hype. Keep reading to find out if it did!
First Impressions
I’ve got to admit, that when we first walked up to Land O Fun, I was not super impressed. From the outside, it looked like a rundown warehouse in a sketchy part of town. But hey, I didn’t come all this way not to give it a fair shot!
We headed inside, and things immediately started looking up. The inside was massive – 11,000 square feet of colorful chaos. Tons of games, flashing lights, blaring music, and laughing kids running everywhere. John and Jenette’s eyes lit up like kids on Christmas. Maybe this place was cooler than I thought!
We made our way up to the front counter to pay the entry fee and get our wristbands. $15 bucks per kid didn’t seem too bad considering everything that was included. The woman working the counter was very nice and explained all the rules and attractions to us. Adults get in free, as long as they have kids with them, which I thought was a score. Nothing worse than having to pay an entry fee just to sit there and watch your kids have fun!
With our wristbands on, we headed off to explore the vast amount of entertainment this place boasted. Where to even begin? John made a beeline straight for the arcade games with Patty trailing behind him. I decided to try out the VR with Jenette since she was just barely old enough for some of the experiences.
Arcade Games
Now I know I just said I went with Jen to do VR, but first I had to make a stop at the arcade section. I couldn’t resist checking out their game selection! Even though I work for a fancy tech company building futuristic virtual worlds, I’m still just a big kid at heart when it comes to anything arcade-related.
They had all the classics of course — ski ball, basketball, whack-a-mole, etc. But they also had the latest shooting and racing games, which looked awesome. I swiped my wristband, and the credits started flowing. Time to dominate some leaderboards!
I let John have first dibs since this was more his scene. The kid totally destroyed me in this funky four-player alien shooter game. Guess I’ve still got a lot to learn from the Fortnite generation. But I regained my dignity by landing a high score on a vintage Star Wars pod racer game. Eat my dust, Sebulba!
After I had my fill, Jenette started tugging my arm impatiently. She was ready to be the VR guinea pig. John was happy as a clam popping tokens into the change machine with Patty, so I left them there to nerd out. Nothing better than getting to share my techie interests with the next generation!
The arcade section was pretty solid overall. Good mix of new and old games, plus having unlimited play included was clutch. Didn’t have to keep begging Mom and Dad for more quarters – thanks wristbands! The only bummer was a lot of games seemed broken or buggy. When you have hordes of unsupervised kids slamming on machines all day, things are bound to need repairs. Annoying, but understandable. OK, with the games checked off, onto the really futuristic stuff!
Virtual Reality
VR has come so incredibly far in the last few years, so I couldn’t wait to see what Land O Fun was working with tech-wise. They had two different experiences on deck: Motorcycle VR and VR Stimulator. I decided to be brave and try out the stimulator first while Jen enjoyed the tamer motorcycle game.
After waiting in a short line, it was my turn to transport to another reality! I have an Oculus Quest at home but the setup they had was on another level. The rig was attached to a moving platform that would shift your body around based on what was happening in the simulation. Next-level immersion!
I strapped on the chunky headset, headphones, and motion sensors and instantly landed on an alien planet. Whoa! It felt so insanely realistic like I had actually been teleported somewhere else. I was able to walk around and interact with this wild virtual environment using my hands and full range of motion.
At one point, I was scaling a sheer cliff face, trying not to look down at the 100-foot drop below me. My palms were so sweaty! Later, I was dodging fireballs being launched at me by an angry alien beast. It was such an adrenaline rush with the platform jerking me side to side, making me really feel like I was there battling this monster.
The short 5-minute experience absolutely blew me away. It was so immersive and engaging, like nothing I had tried before VR-wise. I could not wait for Jen to have a turn! She bravely tried out a 30-minute motorcycle racing simulation. It was cool that they had longer options too for bigger daredevils.
Watching her swap between laughing with delight and yelping in surprise was priceless. At one point, she screamed about a huge bug hitting her helmet visor and tried swatting it off. But hey, It’s all part of the virtual adventure! We both had an absolute blast at the VR station. I geeked out learning about their tech from the attendant while Jen met an astronaut in her alternate reality. So, so cool. Another big thumbs up!
Bumper Cars and Bowling
After reluctantly peeling ourselves away from the stimulating world of VR, up next on our family fun agenda were bumper cars and bowling. What’s an indoor amusement park without some classics after all?
The bumper car area was set up with a pretty slick-looking setup. The floor was blacklight reactive, and each car had glowing neon lights all over it. Jen was just barely tall enough to drive her car, so we split up to battle it out as a family. I was impressed that the staff properly fitted helmets on each rider – safety first, even when ramming into each other at 5 mph!
The attendant counted us down and released us out on the floor to wreak havoc. Upbeat music was pumping as we crashed and bumbled all over the place. Nothing like hearing your kids’ maniacal laughter as they slam into each other over and over to warm a parent’s heart. Patty was getting into it too – she drove circles around me and Jen, giving us smug mom waves as she passed.
We made full use of our wristband perk and rode several rounds. Nothing bonds a family together quite like harmless bumper car vengeance. Those cars may have seemed harmless, but make no mistake – we showed no mercy out there!
When we finally called a bumper car truce, we headed upstairs to the bowling zone. No amusement center experience is complete without little kids hurling balls down lanes, if you ask me. Thankfully, there was no wait for a lane, so we quickly laced up our ugly rented shoes and chose our color-coded bowling balls.
Our friendly bowling attendant gave us a quick rundown of the rules and scoring and then set us up. Now, I’ll admit – I was feeling pretty confident here. Bowling is kind of my jam, and I assumed I would smoke these amateurs. Turns out Jen is some sort of prodigy bowler!
Lil Miss managed to spare her first frame while my gutter ball scored laughs from my so-called loving family. But hey, just makes it more exciting when it’s actually a competition! Some trash talk and a few frames later, we ended up having a blast at the lanes. Personally, I think the rails were tilted.
The Rest and Our Exit
After bowling wrapped up our time in the main attractions, we still had a little while left on our wristbands to explore the rest Land O Fun had to offer before closing time. John and Patty broke off to play a few more rounds of the arcade. I took Jenette to check out some of the little kid-appropriate options.
Downstairs, they had a cute area designed specifically for the under-10 crowd. Adorable jungle gym structures in primary colors with foam mats, mini carnival rides, and games appropriate for tiny tikes. There were also face painting and craft stations occupied by the single-digit age group. Completely gated in so parents could let their little ones roam while staying close by.
We made one last pitstop at the arcade before leaving. John had racked up a ridiculous amount of tickets at this point so we needed to cash out his haul. Hundreds of paper tickets later, he walked away with…a whoopee cushion. HA! Oh well, goes to show those prize cabinets are always a rip-off. But hey, the experience earning them was priceless!
On our way out the door, Jenette suddenly remembered the spa room for girls she had wanted to visit. We were running short on time, but I couldn’t say no to those puppy dog eyes. It was just a glitter tattoo and fingernail polish, but you would have thought she just won the lottery based on her reaction. Sparkles make the world go round when you’re a kid!
All glittered up, we officially called it a day. The kids were happy but exhausted, and I think Patty and I felt even more worn out chasing after them! As we walked out to the parking lot, we reminisced on the epic family day of fun we just had. It did have something fun to offer every age range. Even this overgrown kid had a blast!
The Good
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by how legit Land O Fun was! Going in my expectations were low for an off-brand entertainment warehouse in the middle of Brooklyn. But they did have some seriously cool activities and tech that stacked up to bigger chain amusement places. Here are some of my favorite parts in no particular order:
- VR Stimulator Experience – As I already gushed about, the VR setup was mind-blowing. The cutting-edge tech makes you feel fully immersed and present in unbelievable virtual worlds. Such a rush! Even Patty who doesn’t game much had a blast with the simpler VR options. A must-try.
- Unlimited Playtime – Having one flat entry fee that allowed you to bounce around and experience different attractions was clutch. No constantly having to top up game cards or tickets to keep playing. Which was great for hyper kids like John who wanted to try everything. Got our money’s worth for sure!
- Friendly Staff – From the front counter ticket clerks to the attraction attendants, all the staff we interacted with were chill and helpful. Answered all my annoying tech questions, and made sure we knew where to go and what to do. Basic stuff but still appreciated!
- Clean Facilities – For housing tons of sticky-fingered, accident-prone kids all day, Land O Fun was impressively tidy and clean. No visible grime or grossness you might expect. Bathrooms weren’t completely destroyed either which was a relief with my germaphobe wife along!
- Food Options – We were allowed to bring in our food and drinks which was awesome. Saved a ton of money on crazy overpriced amusement park fare! But we did buy a few snacks at their little cafe and they actually had decent quality basic food. Pizza, fries, nuggets, etc. Nice to have the tasty option!
The Bad
No place is perfect though, even a play palace packed with fun activities! Land O Fun had some less impressive elements too. Thankfully, no major safety hazards or anything too concerning. But here’s my mini list of negatives to balance out the positives:
- Pricey Entry Fee – As mentioned earlier, $15 per kid felt a little steep upfront to get in. But with unlimited access to everything it ended up being worth it. Maybe it’s slightly steep for families on a tight budget though, especially with multiple kids.
- Janky Arcade Games – My main gripe was the poor condition of a lot of their arcade options. Tons of games looked awesome but with busted parts, buttons not working, and buggy screens. Understandable with the abuse they take daily from rowdy kids. But I can dream of fully functioning consoles, OK?
- Limited Age Ranges – My teenagers survived fine but Land O Fun caters more towards younger kids up to age 12 or so. Not a ton of specific activities that appeal to older kids and teens. Maybe it is an opportunity to expand their audience. But at least little kids can roam free!
Wrapping Up
At the end of our epic Land O Fun family outing spanning many hours, would I recommend it? Absolutely! Sure, the place wasn’t 100% flawless and had some room for improvement. But overall we had an incredible day making priceless memories together that we’ll be laughing about for years.
For parents wanting a hassle-free option to keep young kids energized and entertained all day, you really can’t go wrong here. Tons of stimulating physical activities from climbing structures to bumper cars will tucker them out while having a blast. Cutting-edge VR technology they likely can’t easily access elsewhere. Good food conveniently available so no one turns hangry!
So fellow parents, if you’re local or just visiting the NYC metro, I cannot recommend Land O Fun enough for wholesome family fun. Get yourself over to 2955 Coney Island Ave and have one of their friendly staff get your crew suited up with wristbands.