Spokane, WA

This afternoon we decided to beat the heat with some friends and head to Chuck E Cheese’s at 10007 N. Nevada in north Spokane. I had not been to Chuck E Cheese’s since my Jr. year in High School and I was not sure I was ready to brave it with a 2 year old. However, I was very surprised about how much fun we had.

We went to Chuck E. Cheese with just the intention of playing and not eating. We stuck to that too. The pizza and salad bar looked very tasty, but we spent our money on the games for the kids. Each game at Chuck E Cheese costs 1 token or $0.25. I did not think that was too bad. As you arrive at Chuck E Cheese you and your children receive a hand stamp. I did not understand the purpose of this until we left. They check your stamps and make sure you and your child have the same number. I was comforted by this security measure. They also have baby gates at the front door so your children cannot leave without you.

As soon as we arrived I overwhelmed but how much there was to do and was not sure where to start. However, my girlfriend quickly pointed me to the toddler area so we started there. The toddler area was perfect as there were quite a few toys for them to play with and it was separated with a fence. We spent about 20 minutes in the toddler area riding Bob the Builder’s Truck, Barney’s car, a fire truck, train and sliding down the slide (free). Most of the games too give you tickets after you play to exchange for a prize at the end of your visit.

After that we hit the rest of the restaurant to try out some of the other toys and games. My favorite was a Chuck E Cheese car that took your picture for $.025. A great and inexpensive souvenir. Now, if I could have just gotten Simon to look at the camera it would have been perfect.

As I walked around I noticed they had plenty of tables along with a larger area where parties are held and have activities geared towards older children. They also had a large number of video games, skeet-ball and driving games.

It was nearing time to go so I took what few tickets we had won and counted them up to learn we had 29 tickets. For 29 tickets (they did round up to 30 for me) I got 2 sheets of stickers. Not great, but at least Simon will use them. The more tickets you get the better the prizes get.

For more information on Chuck E Cheese, along with their hours of operations and phone number, please visit their website at: http://www.chuckecheese.com/locations/results.php?miles=30&zip=99205