Everybody has to have a last meal... it's just not supposed to be you.

After writing my review of Fear Forest Haunted Hay Ride I realized how big of a difference pictures can make. Not being able to take pictures on the hay ride or in the insanetarium, I could only tell my readers about the awesomeness that it was, but not show it.

To remedy this, I called around a few places to see if they would allow me to get in early to take a few pictures. Factory of Terror took the bait and did me one better. Instead of letting me in early to get a few shots of the sets, they comped me a couple of tickets and let me take the live tour snapping shots as I went.

I was given a tee time of Friday at 8pm. Jen was planning on being out of town so I went to work finding new haunted house buddy. Posting the opportunity on Twitter to join me at Factory of Terror, I had a few followers retweet my message, thereby throwing their hat into the ring. Craig (@CraigGeis,) was the lucky winner.

I’ve never met Craig though we have common acquaintances. I didn’t believe a single thing I’ve heard about him! We emailed, making arrangements to meet up at Factory of Terror. Come Friday, I put the bark collar on the dog and headed out.

I initially had mixed feelings about Factory of Terror. I was impressed by its magnitude but at some points it felt like sitting in a pew in a near empty church on Sunday morning. It was big, but it wasn’t always full of life… or in this case, death, destruction, murder and mayhem.

By the time Craig and I got our tickets there was already a short line building. The Factory of Terror is housed in a large warehouse on Mahoning Road in Canton. You don’t quite get the magnitude of it until you’re inside. It’s pretty dang massive.

The path from ticket booth to warehouse was largely unmarked. They could have done a better job outlining the path with police tape, a trail of blood, dead bodies or whatever. Instead we were pointed down the rope line, around the corner and…. um, is it this door? No. How about this one? Nope, not it either.

Luckily behind us was someone who had been there the night before and was able to point us in the right direction. Rounding another corner there it was. A large warehouse door entrance. Inside was the rope line and waiting area. The music was thumping loudly prepping you for the thrills yet to come. Painted on the walls were scary murials with zombies making their way around the room growling at newcomers and making a general nuisance of themselves, like all good zombies should.

The line was short but the wait was still about 10 minutes before we were permitted entry. They take their time staggering groups in so you get your own experience rather than viewing someone else’s from ten feet behind. This strategy didn’t always work out as planned.

Factory of Terror has four separate phases: Portal to Insanity, Industrial Nightmare, Mahoning Rd. Massacre, and Judgment Day 3D.

The Portal to Insanity was a very large house of mirrors. But this was nothing like any house of mirrors I’ve ever been in. Before entering you are required to put on plastic gloves. This keeps fingerprints off the mirrors and it worked marvelously. All through the house of mirrors you could not tell the difference between a mirror and a clear path.

There was a continuous heartbeat thumping that could be felt in your bones. As you make your way through the house of mirrors it gets louder and louder. Making our way through the Portal to Insanity wasn’t easy. You literally had to walk with your hands outstretched in front of you until they came into contact with a mirror. I was looking dead at people who I knew were not in front of me, but were a reflection of a reflection of a reflection. At one point I jumped out at myself from behind a post and scared the bejeezus out of me.

There was not a single path through the mirrors. There were many twists, turns and even circles. As Craig and I made our way through we passed others making their way back toward us, looking for the exit. Through the mirrors you could see an entrance and exit but you never could quite tell where it was.

Layer of mist that covered the factory floor.

Eventually, thanks to my bold leadership, Craig and I made our way out. Next up: Industrial Nightmare.

This was the big disappointment of the Factory of Terror. You were ushered into a large open warehouse with some machinery, storage racks piled with tools and what not. The atmosphere was creepy, but there really wasn’t much more than that. You just kind of walked through it. There were some decorations here and there and even the occasional zombie jumping out at you, but it just felt kind of empty.

It wasn’t until after we made our way that I noticed the ticket says it doesn’t officially open until next year. The question is, why have us walk through it at all? In its current form its a downer. I kept waiting for somethign to happen, becoming more and more disappointed realizing that it was not much more than a giant prop room.

Get your bloody mary's and finger foods here.

When you finished strolling through the Industrial Bad Dream you find a snack bar This is where you can get refreshments and a bloody mary. (Get it? A bloody mary in a horror house? C’mon, that was funny.) My guess is that during peak times the lines for each of the four areas can be long, creating extended waits between the four areas. Only having approximately 10 groups ahead of us our wait was still 10-15 minutes each time.

The next section we entered into was the Mahoning Rd. Massacre. This area alone was probably double the size of Fear Forest’s Insanetarium. But bigger does not necessarily mean better.

Put your right foot in, put your right foot out. Put your right foot in and... hey, where'd it go?

The walk through was your standard haunted house fare. You walk from one set to the next, each with it’s gruesome scene of violence or monsters jumping out at you. Sometimes both.

There was an overabundance of hydrolics used. Eventually I tired of the body’s shaking in uncontrollable spasms, or someone jumping out from behind something they were obviously hiding behind. Most of the actors did great. A few were even successful in catching me off guard. But overall I would have liked more real human bodies to get me engaged with the scares. A lot more.

About 3/4 way through the Massacre we caught up to the group in front of us. And shortly after that the group behind us caught up. We became a human train. All the scares were spoiled by those in front of us, and the fun was ruined by the loud group behind us. I’m all for making the talking to the actors as that’s half the fun. Making sarcastic comments is par for the course, but the group behind us were loud, obnoxious and not even remotely funny.

I never knew the lord of darkness was so... two dimensional.

The final stage was Judgment Day 3D. Before entering everyone is given a pair of glasses which allows them to get the full 3d experience. The effects in this section were expertly implemented. The walls, monsters, and decorations were painted orange and green. With the glasses the orange elements came jumping off the walls out toward you. Fixtures moved as you walked by creating a surreal feeling. Room after room of 3D effects gave Factory of Terror an excellent finale.

We exited the Factory of Terror on the south side of nowhere. It was kinda like being dumped in the middle of the desert with no directions how to get home. Where’s the path? The Markers? Heck, where is the parking lot? We ended up following a few other poor, lost souls on a long walk down the street, across an open lot and, oh, there’s where we parked! Nice of them to help us out and point the way.

I’ve never experienced a haunted house on this scale. Factory of Terror is simply massive in scope and bold in execution. They could use more of the human element, but overall, it’s a thrill I’d go back for.

More Factory of Terror Info

Cost: $20/person with internet coupons
Hats off: 4/5
Factory of Terror website
Yelp reviews
Google Reviews and info
Location:
4125 Mahoning Road NE
Canton, OH
(330) 455-3327

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Lose your kids in the Skytubes, just don't leave them behind.

As if an hour at Pump It Up wasn’t enough of a birthday treat for Emmitt, Jen rallied the troops for another couple of hours at Chuck E. Cheese’s for dinner and games. Yes, Chuck E. Cheese’s is a kids joint, but Rachel’s just like a kid so we let her come too.

We put the bark collar on the dog and headed out.

I’ve been to a few Chuck E. Cheese’s over the years, both as a kid and as an adult taking kids. It’s never been one of my favorite places. In fact I have dubbed it “The Headache Factory.”

I love kids. Well, mostly just my own. Let’s try that again… I like kids, but I can only handle so much screaming, yelling, crying, pooping, sniveling and screaming in a short period of time. But if you can get them laughing… that’s just the best.

Look mom, it's clean!

In all my past experiences, the food at Chuck E. Cheese’s is terrible, the games are brokeen-down and it’s a living, breathing germ incubator. The Chuck E. Cheese’s on the strip gave me new hope in the human race.

Ok, so the food was still bland, but this was the cleanest Chuck E. Cheese’s I’ve ever visited. The place was immaculate.

No seatbelts provided on this rollercoaster so Rachel improvised.

We got there early before the dinner rush. There were a handful of people mulling about but the games were wide open. I got a good look around, snapped some photos and then thought, “to hell with this. I’m gonna live!” (Obscure movie reference. Can you name it?) I put the camera away and played a few games myself.

Rachel and I rode the virtual roller coaster. We selected the Elvira track which was kind of like watching a video while getting a back massage. Later Jen and I returned for a soaring adventure coaster. Movements on this track were a lot more dramatic and made for a much more entertaining ride.

Jen bought about 170 tokens so between the five of us (three adults and two kids) we were all set. Jen mostly followed Nora and Emmitt around pumping coins into the machines and letting them collect tickets. Only there were no coins, just token cards that work like a debit card.

The cards get loaded with your purchased number of tokens. Each game requires a swipe of the card in which the token is debited off. Pretty cool. No hassles with holding coins, or worries that the kids will set a cup full of tokens down and forget about it. It’s a nice system and not one I’ve seen before at any Chuck E. Cheese’s I’ve visited.

We ordered a couple of pizza pies and the food was just as bad as ever. But really, who comes to Chuck E. Cheese’s for gourmet pizza? It’s all about the kids, and kids don’t care how good (or bad) pizza tastes. This is why I don’t give kids Jelly Belly’s since regular dime-a-dozen jelly beans will do just fine!

Hero of Canton kicking butt at Mario Cart

After pizza, it was back to the games. There was a sign telling adults to take their shoes off and join the kids in the sky tubes. I’ve always been a stickler for rules, so Jen and I followed behind Nora and Emmitt.

The tubes cover a good amount of distance. It’s a great way to lose your kids for 10 to 20 minutes depending on how quickly you want to go in and rescue them. Skytubes are a great way to get more play area out of a small space. Games below, skytubes above. It took Jen and I about 10 minutes to climb through it all, and we missed an entire section.

The safety factor at Chuck E. Cheeses is always an added bonus (no child can leave without the properly stamped adult!) and if you’ve got the tokens, kids can play for hours and never get bored. Many of the games give off tickets which the kids can turn in to purchase toys and other junk. $10 will get them enough tickets to buy a $0.10 toy!

Chuck E. Cheese’s makes for great indoor play during the cold winter months. There is no cost of admission and no minimum purchase required so technically you could have the kids play on the skytubes for an hour and not spend a dime. However for the sake of keeping that place clean and sanitary, I suggest patronizing them. Sodas and a handful of tokens don’t cost much at all.

For what you’d pay for a movie, you Chuck E. Cheese’s can provide a lot of hassle-free exercise and entertainment for the kids. We left with 70+ tokens; enough to come back on a rainy day for another hour of fun, games and a couple of sodas.

More Chuck E. Cheeses Info

Cost: Pizza and soda for 3 adults, 2 kids and 170 tokens – $42
Hats off: 4/5
Chuck E. Cheeses website
Yelp reviews
Google Reviews and info
Location:
6370 Strip Ave NW
North Canton, OH
(330) 494-7140 ‎

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Pump It Up: Hours of fun for the kids... and the kid in you!

It’s Emmit’s birthday. He already had a birthday party with his dad and will have a family party with his mom later this week. But Monday was the actual big day so Jen wanted to do something fun for him. So we put the bark collar on the dog and headed out to Pump It Up Inflatable Party Zone.

I’ve visited two other inflatable party places in Reno, including another Pump it Up. It was a bit difficult being here without my own kids who are back in Reno with their mother. These things make me miss them a great deal. But today is Emmitt’s day and he made the most of it!

Jen didn’t get the full party experience since Emmitt had other party plans in place. This was kind of a last-minute addition to the birthday schedule (yay coupon books!) We came just for the 90-minutes of open play time, but I did a little bit of investigation into the full-party package.

Pump It Up has two inflatable playrooms. The typical party starts with a safety video everyone has to watch, then the kids all pour into the first of the two inflatable play zones. After 40 minutes of fun, the kids are then shuffled into the next inflatable playroom for another exhausting 40 minutes. I think the goal here is to make sure all the kids are physically and mentally destroyed before their sugar rush hits after cake and ice cream. Ah, every parent’s dream… an exhausted yet hyper child!

I didn’t get a look at the first inflatable zone since nothing was inflated but I was told there is a large slide and a 2-person obstacle course. I’ve seen the obstacle course at other places and it’s pretty darn cool. The open play time only opens up the second room for 90 minutes.

When you enter the second inflatable jump room you see three large inflatable structures. Directly ahead is a big yellow slide standing about 20 feet tall, six feet wide and an 80 degree angle going down. It’s nice and slick which gives the kids a quick zoom down to the bottom where they slow on the extended air-filled landing area.

Immediately on the left is a large enclosed jungle gym. You climb in and you see a ladder directly in front of you with two slides going down, one on the right the other on the left. These are steep, but short, slides that are perfect for younger kids afraid of the big one. The enclosed jungle gym also has a spelling area with large inflatable letters and punching/bag bumpers that all the kids seemed to enjoy.

Next to the inflatable gym is a small soccer area. Kids try to kick the ball into the goal, which is two small holes at the far end. Apparently, hands are permitted in this soccer game! With the 20 or so kids there at the time, this was easily the least popular attraction.

In the back corner is an inflatable basket ball bounce court. Hoops are a few feet up on either side and a whole lot of inflatable bouncing coolness in between. Many of the kids went in there just to jump around as the inflatable court provided the largest free jump space in the room.

If you’re looking for peace and tranquility you’ll want to go elsewhere. It’s not quiet. Music is pumped (pardon the pun) into the play area, but it’s not overbearing. Just enough to keep the place from feeling dull and lifeless and get the kid’s energy juices flowing.

All of the staff were extremely courteous and with each visit they give away some kind of freebie coupon. This time it was a personal pan pizza from Pizza Hut. Next time, who knows… it could be a free ice cream, I was told.

Did I hear you say air hockey challenge?

I was impressed with how clean Pump It Up is. The walls were clean and bright as if they had just been painted, though I doubt they were. It looks like they do a good amount of regular maintenance to keep the place as spotless as possible. The carpet wasn’t worn, nor was the floor. For good measure there is a king-size bottle of hand sanitizer floating around so no kid leaves the inflatable zone germified.

Pump It Up isn’t just for parties, though it’s great for those as well. But its a perfect place to take the kids so they can burn off some energy on a day when you can’t get them to stop bouncing off the walls of your home. Bouncing off the walls is an acceptable, and preferred, activity at Pump It Up.

Open play time lasts about an hour and a half, which is just enough to let the kids get worn out and back home for nap time. The kids said it was their favorite day ever! Admittedly, with the memories of a goldfish it’s not a high hurdle to jump, but still, anything kids leave from happy is a victory!

More Pump It Up Info

Cost: 2 kids – $16, 2 adults – free
Hats off: 4/5
Pump It Up website
Pump It Up party packages (pdf)
Yelp reviews
Google Reviews and info
Location:
1135 West Maple Street
Hartville, OH 44632
(330) 877-7867

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