My daughter and I went to her classmate's birthday party this past weekend at Pump It Up in Leesburg, Virginia. She and her friends bounced, climbed up and went down the slides and went through obstacle courses there pretty much non-stop. I joined in on the fun, of course!

There were two birthday parties when we were there, but we didn't see the other party at all until the end. The facility had two rooms of giant indoor inflatables, so the two parties were rotated between the two rooms.

The party started in the lobby area, where we dropped off our presents and watched a safety video. After that, the kids lined up to make a choo choo train and went in the first party room.

There were three inflatables in the first room: a moon bounce, inflatable slides and an inflatable obstacle course. Staff was there on the floor, but not on the inflatables. Since our party consisted of mostly young toddlers, us parents took turn monitoring the kids at the top of the slides so they didn't tumble on each other while going down the slides.

After about 30 or 40 minutes, we switched to the second party room. Similar to the first room, the second room also had a moon bounce, inflatable slides and an inflatable obstacle course. The moon bounce was bigger and the obstacle course was more challenging. Our toddlers were not able to climb up some parts of the obstacle course by themselves, so many of the parents joined in on the fun and helped the kids go through the obstacle course.

Next up is snack time! We all went into a party room with two long benches that looked like they could seat 40 to 50 kids. The kids enjoyed their cake and ice cream before heading home.

Overall, I was impressed with how organized the staff were. They kept the party on schedule and they were courteous. Even a little thing such as having the shoe cubby rolled from the first party room to the second party room was helpful.

The facility is also clean and well kept. The two rooms are air-conditioned, just what you need when you have about 20 kids bouncing around non-stop. Parking is easy and free. Bonus: Pump It Up is located about five minutes away from Leesburg Outlet Premium Corner, so if your kids are old enough to be dropped off, take a break and go shopping.

AT A GLANCE

Location
73 Lawson Road SE
Leesburg, VA 20175
(703) 443-1400

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Birthday Parties
Pump It Up has several party packages for you to choose from. They start from $195 to $295 for 25 kids. Parties include full color invitations, complimentary paper products, party set up and clean up. You can also pay more to have their staff take care of the food, drinks, ice cream cake, goody bags and balloons.

Pop-In Play Time
They also have pop-in play time for $10 per child. Call (703) 443-1400 for their latest schedule. It's a great way to see if you want to host your kid's birthday party there or if you want to sign your kid up for a class there.

My daughter went to a birthday party at Curiosity Zone in Ashburn, Virginia, last month, and she had such a blast! Since it was a toddler's birthday party, the theme was a mixed up zoo, where the kids learned about different types of animals. 

For older kids, Curiosity Zone has more birthday party themes, such as Blast & Bubble, Artsy Potions, Spa Science and Slime Time. Activities may include making a geyser, a volcano and a bubbling mud pot, as well as mixing up their own slime formula.

Birthday parties last for 90 minutes, including time for snacks and refreshments. There is a party room set up with a long table and chairs next to the science lab, where the kids can enjoy their treats and mix their own drink concoctions using beakers and test tubes. 

The door to the party room has a biometric lock; how cool is that? Your kid will feel extra special – only the birthday kid can open the door to the party room with his or her thumb print!

Each birthday party includes:

• Hands-on activities and experiments in a kid-sized science lab
• Fun experiments with a giant shadow wall
• Themed invitations
• Balloons and table settings
• Drinks that the kids make themselves using beakers and test tubes
• Goody beakers: a mini science kit that includes a large beaker with a test tube, pipette and experiment directions and other take-homes from the party depending on the theme
• 20% off additional goody bag items from Curiosity Zone's toy store
• A Curiosity Zone t-shirt for the birthday kid

You can hold your kid's birthday party at one of the following times (gotta love the many options for the weekend!):

• Saturday: 10:30, 12:30, 2:30, 4:30 and 6:30
• Sunday: 12:30, 2;30 and 4:30

To make it even easier for moms and dads to plan for the party, MaggieMoo's ice cream is located right next door. Just order some ice cream or an ice cream cake ahead of time and they'll deliver those yummy treats to the party. There is also a pizza place next door for snacks. If you prefer something other than pizza, there are other restaurants and a Safeway in the same shopping center. So take your pick on snacks for the party. 

To host a party at Curiosity Zone, it'll cost $295 for up to 15 kids. Adults are free to join in on the fun! Additional kids are $15 each. To make sure that each kid gets enough attention to enjoy the party, there is a maximum of 20 kids for the party.

Curiosity Zone won Nickelodeon's 2008 ParentsConnect.com Parents' Picks Award for Best Indoor Playspace/Partyspace for big kids.

FUN & SAVE ALERT! Save 10% on birthday parties at Curiosity Zone with this special coupon code: funthings2010. Just enter that coupon code in the comment section when you register online. If you prefer to register on the phone (703-723-9949), just quote the coupon code to the staff member. Coupon is valid until December 31, 2010.