I don't think there is a week that goes by where my kids don't ask to go here. 🙃
Pojos Family Fun Center is an oldie but a goodie. It's been around since 1974 so if you're a Boise native you have probably seen it change and grow over the years. I'm guessing that some of it still has the same charm that it did when we were kids! I honestly really love the old school, slightly outdated, very approachable feel that it has.
We checked it out for the first time last summer when I decided to be a "fun mom" and take all three kids over on a total whim. I'm so glad we did! There are games and "rides" (carousel and bumper cars) for all ages and the thrill of counting your tickets and picking out prizes at the end just can't be beat when you're a kid, amirite? It was fun to see the boys' faces light up over and over again as they played new games and got handfuls of tickets.
We got there right when it opened at 11 and took advantage of one of their daily specials. They have both game and cafe specials for each day. Check them out here to see details of each one but I think the Tuesday and Thursday deals are a great bang for your buck. You get 40 tokens and 3 ride tickets for $10. Most games are between 1-4 tokens so depending on the games you choose to play, you can really spread out the tokens and always go back for more if you run out. Hot tip! The ride tickets don't expire so if you don't use them during your visit you can hold onto them and use them next time! 🎟
There really is a large assortment of arcade games so each kid found plenty that they liked. There is a section towards the back corner that's especially geared towards littles - little ride-on buses and animals and things of that nature. My personal favorite is the bag toss over by the bumper cars - my days of playing "cornhole" in college really were worth something after all!
Once we had used up all of our tokens we went over to the ticket counting machine to load in our tickets. When you've got all your tickets loaded in, it prints out a little receipt with your total on it. You take that over to the big counter to cash in your winnings for prizes. The people behind the counter have always been super kind and incredibly patient as my boys hem and haw over which of the approximately 874 treasures they want to bring home with them. I always try to steer them towards the consumable options so that I don't have 100s of bouncy balls and army men all over my floor at home just waiting for me to step on.
After a ride on the carousel we went over to the Carousel Cafe area for a very kid friendly lunch. Hot dogs, corn dogs and little root beer floats are only $1.50! It made it a really easy and cheap lunch date. People love their food so much that they even do call ahead carryout! (208) 376-6981 ext. 104
So next time you wanna be a "fun mom" or are looking for a fun little place to celebrate something - head to Pojos! Just don't tell my boys or they'll beg and beg me to take them too!
Here are the main details:
Hours: Monday-Thursday: 11am-10pm, Friday-Saturday: 11am-10pm, Sunday: 12pm-10pm Location: 7736 W. Fairview Avenue, Boise, ID 83704
Let me know if you go and what you think of it!