9/10 
Mommy Approved Smiling Faces
349 Main Street, CT-190
Somers, CT 06071
While in Connecticut, the kids and I decided to visit Sonny’s Place. I had never heard of this enormous entertainment center but happened to be in the area visiting Riverside Reptiles. It was incredible! Our family visited in late November and it was cold out so most of the activities we participated in where inside. The few outdoor activities that were phenomenal!
Playing all the games and enjoying the rides at Sonny’s Place is easy. Staff will explain their pricing and show you how to get the most bang for your buck. Basically, the greater the dollar amount that you add to the swipe-able card, the greater the discount or dollar amount that goes on the card. For instance, for our family of four, we loaded $100 onto our swipe-able card and received $120 which is awesome!. We used the swipe-able cards for all our entertainment while at Sonny’s. Each activity meant a different price taken off the card and once swiped, the digital display shows the balance remaining. This card is a fun and easy way to keep track of what we spent and to make the experience at Sonny’s more streamline for our family. With older kids, I they would want separate cards but having one card worked well for our family having young kids.
One of the kids’ favorite attractions is the outdoor enclosed climbing playground, Play Land. It has bouncers, huge slides, climbing structures, swings and much more. Us parents were cold watching on as the kids were taking off their jackets from the heat they felt while playing. They honestly didn’t want to leave this Play Land because they were enjoying it too much and they were the only two on it when we visited! We had them get off because we knew how large Sonny’s Place is and we wanted to make sure we covered as much ground as possible during our visit.
The kids were desperate to play arcade games and get tickets and of course prizes. But, I know better! I’m about the experience and not the cheap prizes so I declined and opted for virtual reality, XD Dark Ride and other more thrilling activities. If you aren’t familiar with virtual reality, participants wear headsets, eye visors and have hand controllers. They pick the theme they are “transported to”. Once the game starts participants feel as though they are actually inside that theme. In our case, my daughter picked a cooking game and we were both in an outdoor kitchen passing each other ingredients and causing a ruckus. I felt like the fun was short-lived in our case but, we still had a blast. XD Dark Ride is an attraction similar to those seen at Disney. Again, participants are permitted to choose the theme that they would like to be transported to. We asked the staff which theme would best suite our kids’ ages and they recommended the pirate one. My son loves pirates so of course we obliged. We entered a private theater-like room with about 10 seats. There, staff explained that the seats would move, we would hear loud noises and see flashes of light. We agreed to the short terms of the “ride”, buckled up, put on our eyeglasses and grabbed our guns in preparation to defend ourselves. In our game, we were in a shootout with a crew of skeleton pirates on racing vehicles. It was exciting and interactive. The entire ride lasted about 15 minutes long. Once it was over, the lights turned on and my husband was a bit motion sick and my kids were urning for another ride. They loved it! I must say I did too. I know that it took a good chunk of our card’s funds so I decided to move on and try other options at Sonny’s Place.
During the time my husband was out of sorts, we decided to sit by the bar and grab a bite to eat. We ordered nachos, drinks, and the kids got hotdogs. They were good. The normal Mexican restaurant was not open. Options were therefor limited. But we left satisfied and my husband felt better after some food and stationary time.
After lunch, we tried our hand out on the go karts. the kids were too small to drive their own so they sat with us. My son and husband were victorious and beat all the other contestants while my daughter decided she didn’t want to ride after we accidentally hit the guardrails. After watching from the sidelines, we were given a prompt refund from the front desk personnel. My husband and son had such a blast though on the decently sized course. They were all smiles and really enjoyed the bonding time together.
Next we signed up for laser tag. This process involved all of us to use the computers to register which meant that mom got to register herself and the two kids-oh dad! We had to pick code names and sign wavers on the computers beforehand. While waiting for our game to start, we did play a few of the arcade games the kids opted for. They were fine and the kids were happy with their selections. Not too long after that our time had come to play laser tag. My husband was new to the game and I had only played one other time at Launch. We all geared up with vests and laser guns and were then instructed as to how to play the game. For our family this 45 minutes of 3 or so laser tag games was the most fun we had all day! Teams were randomly selected and we ended up being on opposite teams from the kids which was fine. Actually the first round, pretty much all the kids won and then the team we were on with the majority of adults paid more attention to the rules. After that we creamed the kids from there on out. My husband again was the most victorious player with the highest single score but all of us had a really great time. We enjoyed finding our scores and seeing our code names on the screen for everyone to read. Once laser tag was over, we called it quits because we had an almost 2 hour car ride home to Rhode Island.
If you visit depending on the time of the year, different activities are in session. For instance, the batting cages, gyroscope, rock climbing wall, concerts and outdoor patio and restaurant were all closed for the season. Mini golf was open but we didn’t participate. There was a carousel that is indoors and we also didn’t try it out. They are currently expanding their operations with diggers tearing up the ground for an upcoming activity. One staff member that I spoke to said that he has been working there for 4 years and they have grown so much over that time span. Birthday parties are a breeze here with an all-inclusive plan so parents don’t have to bring food, cook or clean. Cake and food served in a private area that is spacious and modern. We are looking forward to returning with the change of the seasons to see what else Sonny’s Place has in store for their guests.
The Skinny:
- Weather : Rain or shine Sonny’s Place is a fantastic location to visit with the family, friends or even by yourself.
- Parking : FREE plentiful parking
- Admissions: All activities have variable prices so pricing depends upon the activities of each attendee.
- Location : Sonny’s Place is a modern, ever-expanding entertainment center for people of all ages with non-stop fun including arcade games, laser tag, Virtual Reality, XD Dark Ride, go karts, a carousel, food and drinks, mini-golf, concerts, and more.
- Hours : Hours of operation and activities vary with the seasons so check their website for the latest updates.
- Duration : We stayed 3 hours or so when we visited. If we visited in the summer with more outdoor activities open, we could have spent more time here.
- Tips and Recommendations : Since Sonny’s Place is so big, when it slows down during the cooler months, some of their activities are no longer running. Be sure to check first if there is something particular that you wish to do to ensure you get the best experience.
Jewel : 👍🏼
Jamison : 👍🏼
While in the area, be sure to visit Riverside Reptiles which is about 15 minutes away and worth it especially if your kids love reptiles like mine do! If your family is into Virtual Reality visit Xperiment VR in Connecticut as well.
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