It’s that time of year again — your child’s birthday is coming and you need to plan a party! A good old-fashioned party at home is one way to go, but that means you have to handle everything. All the activities, plus food, decorations, favors, etcetera. And afterwards, you get to clean up the mess.

Instead, find a party place with an activity that your child will love, where the fun is built-in. What’s more, many party places take care of all the details, so all you have to do is show up. And when the party’s over, they take care of the clean up, too. Piece of cake!

Around the Main Line, there are lots of unique party places to host your child’s next party. Here are a few that we thought were extra special for little kids and for big kids.

Party Places for Little Kids

The Barn Yard

305 2nd Avenue, #212, Collegeville

No matter the weather or the season, you can be sure your little one and their friends will have a special birthday party play time at The Barn Yard. The indoor playground features themed areas designed to spark imaginations and engage children in hands-on play. Open play birthday parties include 10 children (up to 20 max), paper good and decorations, set up and clean up, plus a complimentary coffee for the host. The birthday child also get a play pass for another day.

Charming Star Playroom

4627 West Chester Pike, Newtown Square

Make your child a birthday star at this adorable playroom. When you book a party at Charming Star Playroom, you get two hours all to yourselves to enjoy child-centered exploration and fun with climbing toys, a ball pit, sensory toys, and more. Birthday parties are structured with open play, music, and dancing, followed by pizza, cake and more play. Better yet, you will have one or two coordinators to assist with set up and clean up, pizza and cake time, and to DJ your event. Both weekend and weekday birthday packages are available.

Gladwyne Fire Company

1044 Black Rock Road Gladwyne, PA, 19035

Children who love trucks will be sure to light up with a birthday party at the Gladwyne Fire Company. They provide tables, two hours in the fire station, and a fireman who will show the kids the trucks, hoses, and gear, and teach them a little bit about fire safety. Gladwyne Fire Company is the perfect venue for parties up to 20 kids.

Imagination Street

111 Dowlin Forge Road, Exton

Imagine how much your little one will love their birthday party in this play space! Inside Imagination Street you’ll find nine different themed playhouses including a firehouse, vet, hotel, barn, ice cream parlor, construction sight, scaffolding slide, grocery store, and a salon. Adjacent to the playhouse “city” is the lounge, where the parents can hang out. They offer three different party packages: Do-It-Yourself, Do-It-Together, and They-Do-It-All. All of their parties are completely private, so their 4,000 square foot play space is all yours! You’ll have access to the city, party room, and a dedicated party host.

Le Mignon Cake & Playroom

300 W Lancaster Avenue, Devon

Le Mignon Cake & Playroom is a store that combines cake, cafe, and kid’s playroom featuring wooden toys and play sets. Parents can let their kids have fun in the playroom area, while they relax and have a cup of coffee, and enjoy deluxe pastries. With its lovely aesthetic, Le Mignon Cake & Playroom makes for the perfect spot to host a young child’s birthday party. Parties for 15 are two hours long and include tableware, disposable tablecloths, simple decorations, 2 pizzas, cupcakes, juices, and a pot of coffee.

Lolo Leo

4 E Lancaster Avenue, Paoli

A birthday party at the Lolo Leo playroom couldn’t be easier. Simply choose your Party Pack — Open Play, Craft & Play, or Full Fiesta — then choose your theme. They offer popular themes like mermaid, pirate, rainbow, trucks, princesses, animals, or personalized themes. Give your bash a boost with add-ons like fairy hair sparkles, character visits, and more.

Lulu’s Casita

6 Cricket Avenue, Ardmore
109 N. High Street, West Chester

Parents love Lulu’s Casita unique blend of toys that inspire active, imaginative play, and the rustic DIY décor. All that charm and creativity also sets the stage for a wonderful, stress-free fiesta for your little one. When you book your party at Lulu’s Casita, they will do all the work, from the decor, the set up, clean up, and everything in between. Just bring the cake (and some adult beverages if you’d like). Saturdays and Sundays are blocked for parties only, so you get a private event at their casita. For even more party options, check out Lulu’s on Wheels and their Backyard Fiesta.

Party Places for Big and Little Kids

The Candy Lab

22 E Lancaster Ave, Ardmore

How about throwing a birthday party where kids are supposed to play with their food? Let the Candy Lab provide a deliciously, creative experience at your next celebration. They specialize in leading kids and adults in creating beautiful, handmade candy crafts. Bring your next party to The Candy Lab or let them set up a “lab” in your location. Up to you, but either way it’s going to be yummy.

HomeCooked

1 Paoli Plaza, Paoli

The perfect party place for aspiring Food Network stars! Pint-sized foodies will love a party at HomeCooked, where they’ll get to make lunch and dessert — or even have a cupcake battle. Best for kids ages 7 to 11, these parties include a tour of the kitchen and, obviously, hands-on activities. Best of all, HomeCooked will clean up.

Homesewn

21 E. State Street, Media

Get your little creator’s next birthday party plans all sewn up! Host a fiber-forward birthday party at Homesewn, a modern stitchery space known for sewing, knitting, crochet, and other fiber arts classes. In collaboration with Nimble Craft, Homesewn offers turn-key projects like Color Me! Wands, Rainbow/Cloud Weaving, Lace Card Banners, Mosaic Felt Wall Hanging, and Adopt a Pet (kids get to choose their animal!). Parties are geared for children turning 7 and older, and run for 90 minutes. Homesewn provides all the materials, set up, and instruction. All you need to provide is the cake and party ware, and they will do all the clean up. What’s more, no favors are necessary, because partygoers leave with their own handmade creation!

iFLY Indoor Skydiving

290 Goddard Blvd., King of Prussia

One of the areas most thrilling venues, iFLY Indoor Skydiving is an exciting and memorable party place for children as young as 3 years old. Wondering what happens at an iFly party? After check in, the flyers get prepped with a flight class and gear up. Then with the help of the friendly crew, flyers take flight in the chamber for a soaring good time. Afterwards, birthday flyers celebrate in the party room. Packages vary, but can include pizza and beverages. All you have to do is choose a package that meets your needs, and they’ll do the rest. “The idea is to have the parents actually not have to do a thing,” said sales manager Manda Mazzuca. “Tell us your needs and we can make it happen.”

Oasis Family Fun Center

35 Lacrue Avenue, Suite 4, Glen Mills

With something for everyone, Oasis Family Fun Center is a good option for parties with a mix of ages, from little ones to teens. For the 12 and under set, there’s the gigantic, Soft Playground and Ballocity Arena. For older kids there’s the Mount Oasis Climbing Wall, Vault Laser Maze Challenge, and Hologate Virtual Reality. Plus there are more than 60 video and other arcade-style games on site. What’s more, your fun filled 2-hour party includes a reserved party area with your own Personal Party Leader.

Snapology

King of Prussia

Want an unforgettable birthday and a little bit of learning too? A Snapology birthday party is all of the above, plus a stress-free event for you. The kids will have a blast but they will also be focused on a STEAM activity. You can enjoy all the smiles while they do all the work. Snapology is a STEAM educational play space offering fun robotics, animation, computer learning, LEGOs, K’Nex, and more.

Treehouse World

1442 Phoenixville Pike, West Chester

Give your birthday kid a swinging good time! Young outdoor adventurists will go berserk over all the nifty activities at Treehouse World. Designed to keep kids engaged mentally and physically, Treehouse World puts kids outdoors and gives them fun, challenging maneuvers. Pre-party, friends can romp around self-guided activities like the wooded nature trails, treehouses and bridges, active games, a children’s grove with hedgerow tunnels, log hoppers, tic-tac-toe, and chimes. The supervised activities include rock-climbing on 40-foot trees (which involves the same system used for climbing rocks, but attached to trees), trampoline bouncing with bungee assist, and archery tag. Best suited for ages 4–16, however, some activities have minimum weight requirements. Adventure activities vary depending on the package, but all parties include two pizzas, two 2-liter bottles of soda, bottled water, paper supplies, a decorated party room, tableware, and a celebration t-shirt for the birthday child.

Wayne Art Center

413 Maplewood Avenue, Wayne

To a child, every birthday is a big one! Wayne Art Center studios provide the perfect backdrop for a memorable celebration, and their experienced faculty promises an afternoon of fun and creativity. Party activity options include clay, art, jewelry, and culinary. Choose the type of party you’d like to host, let them know if you have a theme — or work with their staff to identify one — and they’ll provide the instructor and all materials. Each two-hour party includes 90-minutes for activities and 30 minutes for snacks and cake. All you have to bring are refreshments, party ware — and kids with creative energy!

Lead photo courtesy of Lulu’s Casita Ardmore.