Throwing a birthday party for your child can be overwhelming. There's the guest list, the food, the cake and the where. I have nearly reared four children and although I am not an expert, I have a few great idea's.

Of course it all depends on the age of your child when planing a party so I have come up with  places that are age specific and universal.

Happy Birthday cake and candles
via Flickr user tsand
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Philip Dyer, ThinkStock
Philip Dyer, ThinkStock
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Chipper's provides great deals on bowling throughout the week, and you can even catch our DJs there on Wednesday nights bowling with the crowd.  Head to Chipper's for some fun for the whole family and a variety of deals on games, food, and drink.

Discovery Center
http://www.fcmdsc.org
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What an incredible venue that can be easy to overlook when planning a birthday party. But if you have ever been to the Discovery Center, you know this is a pretty cool place.

The Center has over a 100 interactive exhibits designed to engage all ages.You might not think to add this to your top five birthday list, but once you experience the Discovery Center, you'll see why it made my top 5 list.

When you book a birthday party here, you will get a private room to decorate and use for cake and presents.

The kids will get to play with old time games like barrel of monkeys and tour the museum.


The Farm
http://www.fcgov.com/recreation/thefarm.php
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  • Young or old it seems all kids have an infatuation with The Farm at Lee Martinez Park. And that's why it has to be on my top five list for best places to have a child's birthday party. There is so much to do and see. Whether you sit still and listen to the animals or hop on a pony, you are sure to have a good time. Birthday parties at The Farm are special. For your party they can provide: a host or hostess for 1.5 hours, pony rides or a hayride, meet the animals, plates, cups, forks and napkins, lemonade, a colorful farm themed party room, a bandana for each quest and the birthday child, and they clean up the mess!

Fort Fun
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Who doesn't like to get behind the wheel of a go-kart and pretend they are Kyle Busch or Jeff Gordon. Put the pedal to the metal and let it roar around Fort Fun's snake like track. Miniature golf is also a favorite, personally, I am not any good at it, but the kids love it. Inside you'll be treated special in Auntie Stone's kitchen with pizza, drinks and cake. Your hostess will make sure that your birthday child is the center of attention. Who can deny this venue a top spot in my best places to have a child's birthday party.

Depending on the package you choose your guests will get to do just about everything at Fort Fun. Indoor activities include laser tag, bumper cars and arcade games. Each child will also get a set number of tokens.


Rollerland
Rollerland Skate Center
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Maybe I am a bit partial to roller skating, as I did skate competitively when I was just a girl, but Rollerland is definitely a favorite in our family for birthday parties.

There are a few party packages to choose from, including a private package, however, we've always done the open skate/public party and have had a blast.

Not only to the kids get to skate their feet off, they get pizza, drinks, cake, party bags, discount coupons for future visits with the birthday child getting a free pass for their next visit. Rollerland definitely earns the number 2 ranking in my top five.

This family fun party is great for all ages. And sometimes without even a birthday in the family you can see me and my children rolling around the rink.


1. Imagination

Before you fall off your seat and shake your head at the computer screen saying, "what"! Hear me out.  I know that your imagination doesn't seem like a fun place when you just say it or look at it, but I have to tell you, Imagination makes my number one place for a child's birthday party because our best parties were those I created at home. The kids always loved going to the 'fun' places and running around till they were almost exhausted, but at home there was always a more relaxing feel. What, did you really just say relaxing when referring to a kid's birthday party, D? Okay, before you deem me insane and stop reading, please stay with me a moment longer. My kids liked home parties because I always used my imagination to create the fun. I thought they were missing out on because their party was at home and in the end they have all told me how much fun they had at home. Plus a home party always meant someone got to stay the night, if not two and sometimes more someones! I picked out the party gifts, came up with games and rented movies. So, in the end the best birthday place for a child's birthday party for me is in the imagination at home.


Most memorable home party story: Natasha doesn't like cake, so I had this great idea of getting a huge bowl filled with different flavors of ice cream and all the sprinkles, candies, gummies etc. you could think to put on ice cream. Every party guest harassed me, yes, harassed me about the cake. I was inundated with "where's the cake" all afternoon. Every year following this particular birthday, even though Natasha didn't like cake, I made sure there was cake. What is your funniest or most memorable birthday party story?

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