Castaway Play Cafe
1800 N Burkhart Rd, Howell, MI, 48855
Castaway Play Cafe Menu
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Visit below restaurant in Howell for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Howell for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Howell for healthy meals suggestion.
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Address :
1800 N Burkhart Rd
Howell, MI, 48855 - Phone (517) 545-7386
- Website https://castawayplay.com
- Click To Get Directions
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Jamie H.
I went with a friend and her two year old on a Tuesday afternoon during the summer. There were about 10-15 kids running around at any time during our trip. Our little tyke had a blast running from one end to the other. I would agree with some of the other reviews I had read about this place that the staffing should be a bit better. It seems to be run by teenagers that don't really care to pay attention when there is a customer that would like to order a snack or cash in tickets for prizes. A plus is that all but two of the arcade games were working the whole place seems to be better organized from the last time I was here. The snack options in my opinion should be priced lower some of the options are ridiculously over priced.
(3)Lisa W.
I can't say I am a fan. The have the largest indoor play structure in Michigan. That being said, it is the best thing it has. They have a couple inflatables that are no big deal. Also, they have a game room which takes up too much room ( in my opinion). I was not a fan. I prefer the Mczdonald play land a lot better. I was excited about the concept of Castaways but was not impressed. price was pretty steep. Ias other reviews stared, there were no cubbies for shoes, so be prepared for that. Bring a bag if you are bringing a couple kids.
(3)Chad L.
Very fun place. My 7 year old son and two buddies are having a great time. The play structure is humongous and amazing. Laser tag was fun to. The chicken strips and fries seem better than the pizza according to the boys. I thought the pizza was okay. Be sure to go to castaway Bay's website and print off any and all coupons very well worth. Heads up not everything takes tokens and not everything takes quarters. I would say negative would be either have all games take all tokens or all games take quarters but not both. Hopefully be back soon. One Side Note no outside food. You may want to bring a sharpie or something so he write people's names on cups. you may want to bring a fresh pair of socks to wear on the way home. We got here approximately 10:30 AM on Friday morning and there is plenty of tables. Is now approximately 2:30 PM in the afternoon and tables are at a premium. Oh yea you may want to bring a portable cell phone charger.
(4)Sandra B.
I bring my girls here every once in a while. The price is a little too steep to come more often. The play structure is the only reason we come.I was disappointed when they put the game room in. On top of the nine dollars to get in, now it is now more quarters, more quarters, more quarters. In my opinion the food is barely edible and very overpriced. Additionally, to reserve a private room and have a child's birthday party here is absolutely outrageously priced.
(2)Sophia C.
I took my 3kids plus my nephew today. It was ok but PACKED!! No tables to put our stuff down. No place for coats shoes exct. Now this place is run by a bunch of teens, the computers kept going down. I had to wait in 2 lines just to pay for the create a friend thing. The "arcade" consist of about 10 games 6 of which we're out of order, the rest tickets were getting jammed and wouldn't give u the right amounts. The roof had a huge leak in the middle of the arcade. Also laser tag was AMAZING!! But there were two separate areas in laser tag where the roof was leaking one blocked off one not. All in all it was decent priced, I just wouldn't go again on a Sunday at 1pm. I definitely would do the lock in thing and have the whole place to ourselves. They need more staff and more arcade games that actually WORK!! Create a bear was good too and priced well.
(3)Dean W.
I thought the price was high $9 for a 5 year old. The first thing I noticed was there was not anyplace to put shoes and coats. The furniture was well past its prime. When I climbed through the play structure looking for my Grand son the structure was dirty and warn. There are some holes in the netting. There was an announcement to clear the play structure someone had peed in it. a teen age girl wiped a small area and was done did not check any where else. The bounce area. is dirty. The bouncers are on a cement floor with little to no padding around them. the bouncers are not tied down at all. one of them is completely worn with a big hole in the netting. Kids where climbing in and out of the hole. There was not one employee walking around to supervise or monitor behavior. I found a 2 year old in the arcade area climbing into the top of the basket ball game 5 ft above floor, His mother was no ware to be found. Most of the parents where ignoring there kids. The free wifi did not work in the seating area near the play structure. I thought that i would get some thing to snack on while there. $5.50 for cheese bread. I was told it would take 1/2 hr. I thought that was kind of long after almost 1 hr I went to check if it was going to be much longer. After standing at the counter for 5 min. no one would wait on me. I got the attention of one of the counter attendants who told me it was going to be 5 more min. it took 15. 1hr and 20min to get cheese bread wow. I will not be going back. I am concerned for the safety of my Grand son. I can not believe there has not been an incident that has caused this place to be closed down. I do not know how they could pass a health and safety inspection. The fire marshal must not have ever entered this place.
(1)Clint S.
Don't put too much stake in the older reviews. This place was a great time. The construction is complete and all the rooms are open. Bounce area, laser tag, smaller game room and the largest play structure I've seen. One slide has to be 35 ft high and over 60ft long!! Free wifi for parents wasni This is not a place for kids 3 and under. Most 4-5 year olds will do well. Most kids in the 5-10 year old range. Went on a colder Sunday around 1pm. Not over packed but did get a little busy when a 25 kid b-day party came in. The food is just okay but the prices were not bad. $5 for a kids meal. $2 for a slush or Gatorade. $1 for bottled water. Overall would go again for sure. Our 4 & 5 year olds had a blast for $18 admission plus food and drink.
(4)Valerie G.
On paper, this was a great idea. My son is in a stage where he likes to "Go, go, go!" (His words, not mine) So a place with tons of slides sounded like his idea of paradise. Our mistake? Going on a Saturday afternoon. Their mistake? Only have airheaded teenagers on staff. If you are looking for a place to let your children expel some pent-up energy, this is a pretty great option. I must say that the younger kids will get trampled by others if they try to use the bigger play area- so you would likely want to crawl along with your tyke. It was pretty crowded - so there was a wait to get into the play area (they were at max capacity). I would say that this process was EXTREMELY un-organized. The girls on staff seemed a little confused and not sure of what to do. The parking lot is also absolutely horrendous. I would suggest trying to go at a not-so-busy time.
(3)Dean D.
Just stopped in from picking up a kids karate training item from Craiglist. This was the suggeated meeting location. We decided to give it a go. We like Chuck E Cheese & Craig's Cruisers even more so. However, this Sunday afternoon would be different. $9 for each of the three kids to play on the bounce house and play structure is rich at best. I justified it though by telling myself the place had wifi where I could also enjoy myself. That wasn't meant to be though because it wasn't working for anyone. Staff there seemed un-educated, un-interested, and couldn't fix the issue either. A family who appeared there part way through our play seemed to be ownership and did nothing as well. Place seemed clean, but not especially well done inside. Staff suffers greatly. Huge line for pizza and pop pitcher refills was overwhelming. Two teens that were working the front enterance did nothing to speed the line along. Once everyone was in playjng, they moved to the back to drink pop and chat while everyone waited for one adult person to take, fill, & refill pitcher orders. Bottom line is chaos. Themeing is weak, $9 entrance is too much, and staff is un-interested, un-trained, and generally clueless. Extremely unlikely we'll ever return. You've been warned...
(1)Wanda L.
Totally agree with Valerie G.'s assessment of the place. My kid is not in school yet and I totally forgot school was out for the general population for the summer. I thought going here midweek would be light in people. Hell-to-the-no. Two teenagers were running the front. The one register by the entrance one, would assume, would be strictly for admissions and moving things along. Not. Chick there was taking entry fees for a family of 5 AND their food/drink orders. Totally stupid and it made us wait far too long just to get in. Not fun if you have an impatient/antsy children waiting to get in. You read and sign the waiver list when you pay. You are not allowed to leave your children there and go shopping at the outlet mall nearby as, apparently, a sign says people have attempted to do so. They mark and check your hand with a blacklight pen. Bring socks. Easy to forget. They sell them for adults and kids for less than 2 bucks. The place is pretty huge. There is a main play area that is probably about 3 stories high and all indoors, an area for those under 3 and a separate bounce inflatable area that you pay an extra $3 to enter (good for the older kids). There are closed party rooms with large windows along the perimeter with an order counter, lots of tables to eat at and an open lounge-type area for parents in the middle with couches and comfy chairs. They had a screen along one wall with a couch playing an old Mickey Mouse movie and video games and coin operated 'rides'. I did not go to the bathrooms, but one could assume it could get scary in there. This is definitely a place where parents let their kids blow off steam with minimal supervision. Emphasis on minimal as a solid 50-60% of parents were preoocupied with their electronic devices. Free Wi-Fi is available. If you have little ones, you definitely have to run interference on the Lord of the Flies factor in the under 3 section. I had to put down on some mini-heathens who were running in to use the slides in there and nearly trampling my son or blocking his way, sometimes defiantly on purpose by some little witches in training. I throw down for my kid so that didn't last too long. I can see it possibly getting hairy in there with 2 defensive parents contending with each other. Overall, the prices were very good with admission and food. The pizza that came with the $3.49 kid's meal was sufficient and tasty enough for a small adult like me and a half order of fries was enough for an adult, too. The menu is posted on the website. There is also dispenser available with free ice water and cups. My 21 month old had a blast as did another 8 year old that was along for the ride. Sign up or check on their website or Facebook for specials. Admission as of this writing is $6 over 3 yrs old and $3 under 3 with parents and infants in carriers free. They recently started offering drop-in daycare services and even do overnight parties for kids with breakfast in the morning, which is a pretty interesting twist. Oh, and it's pretty loud in there, so be prepared. I know my kid was screaming at the top of his lungs with joy and delight. :-)
(3)Tom W.
They have done some work from the last time I have been in. I reread my last review and noticed that I based it more on the crowd then I did on the business. They include the bounce room with the price of admission, which is reasonable when you think how long you could be there spending no money. My daughters absolutely love this place more and more each time they go. They seem to have a permanent smile on their faces and probably run a few miles. Great place to take your child if you want to poop them out and get a goods night sleep. The crowds are down and it makes it a lot easier to track your child. And I sitll wish this was around when I was a kid.
(4)Robb T.
They seem to be fixing a few of their problems... Some of the safety issues have been resolved, but there's still a ways to go. Other areas still need improvement.
(3)Kelly B.
Really great. I liked that I only had to pay $3 for my son, and he could play as long as he wanted. It's nice too that the parents are allowed to go on the play stuff. But, best of all is that you can see you kid at all times. There is nothing blocking your view. It also seemed clean for the most part. All the recliners looked pretty worn out, but still very comfy. The parking lot gets really crowded so get there right when they open. The pizza was pretty good too.
(4)Trase P.
We've watched this place decline to the point where after today's visit, we are probably not going to return unless we hear that things have seriously improved. The concept of Castaway Cafe is fantastic - an indoor jungle gym that gives kids a chance to interact with peers and burn off all of the energy they have (our son will be the first to tell you he has an abundance.) And the first time we took him there, in July of 2008, it was a place we loved and recommended! It was reasonable to get in ($3), the safety rules were not only posted, but also enforced, and once an hour, the Disney song "Whistle While We Work" would come on, and some employees would enter the play structure with cleaning supplies and wash things down. We were impressed. Since then, it appears that the place has gone through either a change in ownership, or if it is the same owners, the constant din of children has left them apathetic. It cost $9 today to go into the structure ($6) and the new bounce area. ($3) I'd like to have written a check so that I could have BOUNCED that. The bounce area is a joke. Upon arriving in the room that is not tall enough for the bounce structures, we encountered a father holding his toddler daughter who informed our son of the rules. To be honest, I wasn't sure if he was an employee or just a parent - no uniform. Within a couple of moments, he was gone and a disenchanted teenaged girl who was sewing some clothing was apparently left in charge. There was lots of roughhousing and I had to alert her to it, because she was not paying attention. Seriously, Castaway Cafe? I mean, I know we signed a waiver, so you clearly aren't concerned about the safety of our kids, but at the very least, I think you'd be concerned with the way some of the pre-teen boys were maliciously ripping at the netting on the baseball bounce structure. Speaking of which - in the main play area, there is a suspended section where the floor is just woven straps of webbed seat-belt type material. We were horrified to see that several of the straps were frayed and hanging down such that kids were trying to Tarzan on them from the floor. I alerted one of the two employees on duty at the food counter and after a few minutes she came out and I guess she tied them back together. But that section is seriously sagging and I don't think it will be long before someone falls through it. Considering that Robb T. reviewed on 6/22/2011 and complained about the same problem and it hasn't been fixed, I'd say he's right - no liability waiver is going to protect them when it is blatantly obvious that they have neglected the upkeep of this structure. They KNOW there is a problem with it. FIX IT CASTAWAY CAFE. If I hear a story on WHMI about kids getting hurt I will be the first to call and volunteer to testify in the court case about it. The rules are posted but not enforced. Twice (once in the bounce area, once in the main structure area) I had to alert employees to misbehavior and given their apathetic attitude toward it, I finally just started telling kids they were breaking rules and to cut it out before my kid or another one got hurt. And I'm not one of these namby-pamby parents who makes my kid wear a helmet everywhere, either. I'm not sure why many of the parents who bring their kids here think that once admission is paid, it's a free-for-all for their kids and time for them to catch up on their John Grisham novel. It's our job as parents to insure that our kids are following the rules, not hurting anyone else or themselves. Also, I think Castaway needs to consider putting greater restrictions on the size of kids who are allowed to play there. I've seen boys who might only be 12-13 years old, but the NFL is surely already trying to recruit them. These lumbering bullies do not belong in the structure trying to push past my 5-year-old or mowing him down on the floor because the "no running" rule is not enforced. Also, moms? Don't let your 1-yr olds climb up the slides. BAD IDEA. We just spent nearly two hours in the place. It hadn't been cleaned recently prior to our arrival, and no cleaning took place during our visit. When you consider the walking Petri Dishes that kids are, that's just asking for trouble. We are going to look for a safer, cleaner alternative destination to take our son in the future. We had even bought restaurant.com coupons to use at Castaway's little food counter, but have decided just to trash them because we think the apathy has probably infected their kitchen. It says a lot when a "Big Bite" hot dog from down the road seems like a safer option. I'd warn other parents off from this place, which is sad, considering how much I had recommended it in the past. They do have a pirate theme, so if you are looking to give your kids a somewhat realistic experience of what life as a scurvy sea-dog might be, hey, there's a good chance that disease, injury, and being scoffed at when you protest await you here!
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