Parties

Coast2Coast Party Rentals provides bounce houses, wet and dry slides, obstacle courses, and combination inflatables; all available for delivery to Lake, Orange, Osceola, Seminole, and West Volusia counties.

Bounce Houses themes include Batman, Dora the Explorer, Winnie the Pooh, Disney princesses, SpongeBob, Strawberry Shortcake, Power Rangers, and others.

Coast2Coast also rents Sno Cone, Cotton Candy and Popcorn machines, as well as tents, tables, chairs, and tablecoverings.

Inflatable rentals start at $110 plus tax. Concession equipment runs $45 for a 50-serving package. Delivery is free to most areas. Coast2Coast, a family-owned, licensed and insured company, can customize a package to suit your needs.

Birthday Party in a Box provides all of the necessities for a themed party in your home, a classroom, an outdoor park, or indoor entertainment center.

Boxes include custom cupcakes, filled goodie bags, helium balloons, a centerpiece, and all paper products.

Backstage Magic and Novelties offers a selection of magic tricks, including card tricks, coin tricks, books, and videos for beginners in magic and professional magicians, as well as pranks the whole family can enjoy.

Formerly located on International Drive, Backstage has partnered with Pizzazz Theatrical, Inc., and is now located on Lake Baldwin Lane in the Baldwin Park area.

The shop also carries a line of hand-made Teddy Bears.

Richard Peeples, aka Mr. Richard, truly is the cure for syrupy-sweet, saccharine children's music. His highly infective brand of singing and storytelling makes him one of the hottest entertainment acts in the area.

He has released two albums and performs at area schools, book stores, and parties. Call or email for more information.

Owned by a former Mrs. America, Masquerades and Fairytales definitely knows how to throw themed Birthday Parties for girls ages two to 12.

Party themes include Fairytale Princess - where guests play in a fully decorated party room with a ten foot tall Castle Set, dress up in a ball gown or knight's costume, and then participate in storytelling and activities - Diva Dance Party, Mermaid, Pirate, and Slumber Party. Masquerades and Fairytales also offers at-home parties.

All in-store packages include up to 12 guests, themed party rooms, party hostess, set up and clean up, paper products, activities, and more. Parents need to supply a birthday cake and drinks. Favor packages are available for an additional cost.

Great parties - for the young and old - are defined by great entertainment. Once Upon a Time Events travels all over Central Florida to bring smiles to children's faces with its unique entertainers.

Parents can choose from a number of party packages, including:

Cotton Candy the Clown: Cotton Candy arrives at the party location amd hosts games, crafts, and a magical birthday show. Each party-goer receives a face painting, a balloon sculpture, a craft, prize, and more.

Princess, Fairytale, or Pirate Party: Parties are conducted in the location of choice and include a host - Princess T - and all children receive a face painting, balloons, craft time, games, story time or magic show, and a crowning ceremony.

Ultimate Princess Dress-up & Tea Party: This two-hour party is coordinated by Princess T and a helper and features dress-up time with gowns and accessories, hair and make-up, craft time, story time, a princess parade fashion show, and a tea party.

Glamour Workshops and Parties: This hands-on traveling glamour girl's workshop is tailored to "tween" girls between the ages of seven and 12 years old. The workshop offers girls a moral approach to beauty through an interactive glittery glam makeover and character lesson.

Additional parties are also available. See the website for a full listing of packages.

A non-refundable deposit is required to book a party package.

Moderne Capture Studios, a boutique studio near College Park, specializes in photographing women. Family portraits are also a studio specialty. Following a one-on-one consultation to assess the client's personality, photographer Christie McQueen arranges a shoot that best suits the subject, resulting in creative, artistic portraits.

Customers can also browse the boutique side of the studio to find unique products and printing options to creatively display photographic images. The product line includes personalized designer handbags, jewelry, and unique frames to complement your home.

Big Bounce Fun Zone is an indoor play and party center offering 10,000-square-feet of colorful and interactive inflatables, including 20-foot-tall slides, obstacle courses, and inflatables for toddlers. Open play is available during regular business hours, and walk-ins are welcome. Frequent bounce cards are available.

Adults are invited to play with kids on the floor, or they can relax in the comfortable Parents' Time-Out Room, which features TVs, wireless internet, and plenty of comfy seating.

A concession stand is available for snacking, and arcade games offer alternate entertainment for those seeking a break from bouncing.

Big Bounce Fun Zone also hosts kids' parties, and families can choose from pre-designed packages to custom events. Party packages range from $219-$339 and include unlimited bounce time, an hour in the private party room, invitations and thank you cards, party supplies, a large pizza, drinks, popcorn, arcade tokens, and more. Book a party for Monday through Thursday (excluding holidays) and receive a 15% discount. Check the website for complete details.

Families and groups can also elect to rent the entire facility. Call for details.

Jump N Joeys provides a climate controlled play zone that features a large selection of obstacle courses, giant slides and jumpers (including the Adrenaline Zone), and a 40x25 square-foot, self-contained inflatable entertainment complex with tunnels, a crossover bridge, three distinct obstacle courses and two sets of stairs leading to twin 16 foot slides.

Jump N Joeys also offers two smaller inflatables especially geared towards preschoolers and toddlers, as well as a separate play area designed especially for little ones, with a play house, soft blocks, and age appropriate toys.

Birthday party packages are available, too, with fees starting at $179 for eight kids.

Young Chefs Academy is a cooking school created just for kids, where children learn cooking and baking techniques, proper food handling, food preparation, and presentation, as well as kitchen safety, table setting, and manners. The Academy offers a variety of hands-on cooking classes, including mini-camps and field trips.

The atmosphere is kid-friendly, with colorful cabinets, counters, cutting boards, and bathrooms (to encourage cleanliness!) inviting even the youngest kids to get busy in the kitchen. Parents are welcome to stay and observe, and even taste the end product of their children's efforts.

Instructors follow concise, clever lesson plans and have to know the two C's: cooking, and children - and be good with both. During classes, kids are encouraged to ask questions, express their likes and dislikes, and get confident about cooking skills. Each session's recipes are provided to students, with places to make comments on the back (what they might change next time, how highly they rate the taste) and those who sign up for a class series get their own recipe binder, chefs hat and apron to continue their gastronomic explorations at home.

Birthday parties are one and a half hours long, and guests participate in real hands-on cooking activities. There are two birthday packages to choose from; contact the Academy to determine offerings and current pricing.

Camp-Can-I-Cook is offered every summer, for young chefs ages five through 15. Sessions combine art, cooking, and exercise. Mini-holiday and school break camps are also offered.

A retail section in the location offers chef accessories, t-shirts, and cooking-themed gifts to go along with gift certificates, which are available for purchase and are location-specific.

A "hands-on" science and technology center, the Orlando Science Center offers something for everyone with some of the most creative displays and exhibits around.

Starting with the youngest family members, the Curiosity Corner is a hands-on area dedicated to pre-school children and KidsTown gives parents and kids the chance to crawl underground and turn oranges into orange juice.

Exhibits focused on dinosaurs and the Florida ecosystem, as well as the body and health, offer a wealth of learning opportunities. A 3-D Movie takes visitors on a journey through the circulatory system from the point of view of a red blood cell. The Healthy Living exhibit features the Oxygen Cycle and learning kiosks.

Located within the TechWorks section, want-to-be Einsteins and mad scientists alike can participate in live, hands-on experiments at Dr. Dare's Laboratory.

The Science Center's Darden Theatre is home to the Gramercy Theatre Company, a professional theater troupe specializing in family-oriented productions.

The center also boasts an Iwerks giant screen domed theater and Digistar II planetarium, as well as the Crosby Observatory, Florida's largest publicly accessible refractor telescope. Observatory viewings are on Friday and Saturday nights.

Strollers are available and there are diaper-changing tables in all of the restrooms. A casual restaurant is also on-site.

Classes and Camps: The Orlando Science Center offers a wide range of classes, day camps, and summer camps for children ages three and up. In Fall, 2008, OSC opened a full-day preschool for kids ages 3-5. School Break Camps are held year-round during select school holidays with topics including everything from dinosaurs to slime (that's right - slime). Camps fill quickly, so visit the website or contact the center to pre-register.

Parties: The center offers a variety of themes and different packages to customize a birthday party. Every package includes all-day admission, unlimited ice cream, unlimited lemonade, a commemorative t-shirt for the birthday child, paper and serving products (plates, napkins, cups & forks), and the selection of an exciting birthday theme including tea parties and Harry Potter themed celebrations. Visit the website for package prices and breakdowns.

Great parties - for the young and old - are defined by great entertainment. Once Upon a Time Events travels all over Central Florida to bring smiles to children's faces with its unique entertainers.

Parents can choose from a number of party packages, including:

Cotton Candy the Clown: Cotton Candy arrives at the party location amd hosts games, crafts, and a magical birthday show. Each party-goer receives a face painting, a balloon sculpture, a craft, prize, and more.

Princess, Fairytale, or Pirate Party: Parties are conducted in the location of choice and include a host - Princess T - and all children receive a face painting, balloons, craft time, games, story time or magic show, and a crowning ceremony.

Ultimate Princess Dress-up & Tea Party: This two-hour party is coordinated by Princess T and a helper and features dress-up time with gowns and accessories, hair and make-up, craft time, story time, a princess parade fashion show, and a tea party.

Glamour Workshops and Parties: This hands-on traveling glamour girl's workshop is tailored to "tween" girls between the ages of seven and 12 years old. The workshop offers girls a moral approach to beauty through an interactive glittery glam makeover and character lesson.

Additional parties are also available. See the website for a full listing of packages.

A non-refundable deposit is required to book a party package.

Owned by a former Mrs. America, Masquerades and Fairytales definitely knows how to throw themed Birthday Parties for girls ages two to 12.

Party themes include Fairytale Princess - where guests play in a fully decorated party room with a ten foot tall Castle Set, dress up in a ball gown or knight's costume, and then participate in storytelling and activities - Diva Dance Party, Mermaid, Pirate, and Slumber Party. Masquerades and Fairytales also offers at-home parties.

All in-store packages include up to 12 guests, themed party rooms, party hostess, set up and clean up, paper products, activities, and more. Parents need to supply a birthday cake and drinks. Favor packages are available for an additional cost.