A.A.
My kds love pool parties or water parks. What I did was have food at home and go to the pool after cake and ice cream. have parent pick up from the pool at a designated time. Water also tires them out :)
I'm looking for a fun but not too expensive place to hold a birthday party for my two boys that are turning 3 and 5 in August. Does anyone have any suggestions? I've looked into pump it up but it seems really expensive for what you get.
My kds love pool parties or water parks. What I did was have food at home and go to the pool after cake and ice cream. have parent pick up from the pool at a designated time. Water also tires them out :)
I recommend Edinborough Park in Edina. It's very affordable and my son loves it there.
I did a party at Lifetime Fitness for my son and it was a blast. You dont have to be a member to do it (but it is a little more if you are not) They play age appropriate games, have pizza and drinks--you supply the cake and paper goods. You can also have pool time if you choose that options. It wasnt to pricey and I didnt have to do any of the work.
Have Fun!
Do you have any public wading pools in your area? That is what we did for my son's 3rd birthday last year (kids ages 3-6 attended). I brought snacks, balloons, gift bags, beverages, and cake to the park a little ahead of time and then my DH brought my son. The kids played for an hour or a bit more and then ate. It was awesome and very inexpensive.
I also wanted to suggest the Hopkins Fire station! A friend had her party there and it was fantastic. It's a beautiful station, they gave the kids the whole tour--including a ride!--and there was room for cakes and presents. They even gave all the kids fire hats and t-shirts. My friend said it was very affordable.
If you want a more affordable place I would try Chuck-E-Cheese!
Another option is rent an indoor / outdoor park building for a few hours. Or have a backyard party if you have the space to handle a number of children and get a friend or relative or a caterer for kids parties to help. A boy in our school who was from a family of 2-3 boys did a Pirates type party at home with a big jumper boat in the back. Other great place is Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream parlors
You can rent some fun jumpers for under $150. A company I really like is http://www.jumpers-inc.com.
Gp to Space Alien very fun
The best deal for our purposes was Edinborough Park in Edina.
I'm not sure where you live, but a friend of mine took had a party for her little guy at the Hopkins fire station. They let the kids run around the place and even took them for a ride. And all for a donation. Maybe your local fire station does something similar.