By Kelly Youngblood
The Village People may have had questionable fashion sense, but they were right about one thing. It IS fun to stay (or at least play) at the YMCA!
Recently, we held a birthday party for my 7 year-old son at the Stephens Family YMCA, located at 2501 Fields South Drive. With three kids, we’ve held several birthday parties “on location” and I’d say the YMCA would be one of my top 3 favorites in the Champaign-Urbana area.
There are three birthday party options including the Family Adventure Center ($120 per member/$145 per guest); Rock Climbing ($150 per member/$175 per guest); and Swimming $175 per member/$200 per guest). All parties are for children 4 and older and can include up to 15 children. (It costs $10 per additional child after you hit 15).
All parties, which can only be booked on Saturdays, include one hour of activity and one hour in the party area; party invitations (we still did our own); set-up, supervision; and clean-up; all paper goods including tablecloths, napkins, plates cups, utensils, and streamers; and a YMCA birthday gift (we got a t-shirt). Hosts can bring in as much food and drinks as they like.
We chose the Family Adventure Center for our party, which is a blast. It’s like a really, really clean version of a McDonald’s Play Land. It’s also softer and cushier so it seems safer in my opinion. Party-goers can run, jump, wrestle, climb and slide all under the supervision of a YMCA staff member, which is great because parents don’t have to stand by and watch their kids the entire time.
Once the hour of activity is up, the kids can then go back to the party area where everyone can eat snacks, cake, and ice cream and watch the birthday boy or girl open presents. (Whether you play or eat first depends on the schedule. There could be two parties going simultaneously so you might swap turns in the activity area.)
Here’s what I loved about having a birthday party at the YMCA:
- The staff was very nice and helpful.
- The facility is super clean and what mom doesn’t love that?
- We didn’t have to do much of anything except show up.
- The kids definitely burn up their energy while playing which is great.
Here’s what I might plan differently for the next time we have a party at the YMCA:
Our party was scheduled for 5-7 p.m. The first hour in the adventure room flew by. Then we went back to the party room where the kids scarfed down their food and opened presents in record time. Of course, then they wanted to go back to the adventure room but they couldn’t because another party was going on. We had to improvise and ended up playing Head’s Up 7-Up for the last 30 minutes or so waiting for parents to return. Next time, I will either tell parents to come back earlier or have another fun activity or party game to keep them busy until it’s time to go.
I think it’s great the YMCA includes tablecloths (white) and streamers for the party (they let you pick the color of streamers) but I was a little under-whelmed by the overall feel of the party room. I showed up with no party decorations whatsoever. None, zilch, zero. I guess I was thinking that would be covered. (In the YMCA’s defense, they only claim to offer tablecloths and streamers so I’m not sure what I was thinking.) Anyway, next time I will spring for a balloon bouquet to help dress up the otherwise barren party room. That said, I’m sure between playing with his friends and opening presents, I’m sure my son was oblivious to the décor.
Despite my minor complaints, I would definitely have another birthday party at the YMCA. It offers a large, great space for the kids to run and play and be as wild as they want to be. And I found myself actually conversing with other adults instead of running around like a mad woman making sure everything was going smoothly. Alas, I didn’t have to worry- the staff at the YMCA did most of the work for me!
For more information about the Stephens Family YMCA and booking a birthday party package, go to http://www.sf-ymca.net.
Kelly is a mom to three wild and wonderful children and a freelance writer for a weekly newspaper. She has lived in the “suburbs” of C-U for more than two decades, but is always finding something new and interesting to do in the area.