My son is 12, and he's ready to put aside childish things. Swing sets and sandboxes don't cut it anymore. Chuck E. Cheese doesn't cut it anymore. On the verge of adolescence, he needs cooler places to play.
The good news is that Madison has such places. The even better news is that they're fun for adults, too. My son isn't the only one who's tired of swing sets and sandboxes. I've logged a fair number of playground hours myself over the past few years, and I'm ready for something a little edgy. Dangerous, even.
That's how I found myself beset by enemies on all sides, defending against laser fire.
We're veterans of Chuck E. Cheese and the far-east- and far-west-side Rocky Rococos - restaurants with game arcades attached. Fitchburg's Good Times offers an upgrade for older kids, not to mention their parents. The mood is calmer, thanks to a more upscale ambience and the building's clever structure. The arcade is blessedly segregated from the restaurant, so you don't have to hear BONGS and BOOMS with every bite of your burger.
And speaking of the burgers, they're a huge improvement over the fare at Chuck E. Cheese and Rocky's. My son scorned the kids' menu and ordered an Apple Smoked Bacon Big Cheese Burger - his first step toward manhood. Meanwhile, I grooved on the alternatives to fast-food pizza. The menu offers filet mignon, cedar-plank salmon, shrimp scampi and other adult pleasures. Suddenly, parenting got a whole lot easier.
The arcade isn't huge, but it has enough machines to keep an older kid busy while the food's cooking, including Dance Dance Revolution, Deal or No Deal, air hockey, Ms. Pacman and Big Buck Hunter. On the night we went, a tiny toddler hogged Big Buck Hunter's red rifle, cocking it like a pro and ruthlessly mowing down deer. I briefly considered calling social services.
Many of the machines spit out long ribbons of tickets, which kids can redeem for candy and toys. My son wanted a combination of prizes worth 105 tickets, but he had only 95; the nice lady behind the counter let him have it anyway. In a world where toddlers are packing heat, I was grateful for this evidence of human kindness.
Bogey's Family Fun Park My son quickly got the hang of his car and had a grand old time careening around the curves. In four years, when he gets a set of real car keys, I hope he remembers the wise advice: no bumping, swerving or reckless driving.
3110 Laura Ln., Middleton, 608-831-5559
Other hot spots
Madtown Twisters
West side: 7035 Old Sauk Rd.
East side: 808 Walsh Rd.
608-829-2922
8,000 square feet of walls, ropes and footholds, with a summer camp and a school-year club for kids.