Where Monkeys Hang

While the thought of tons of jumping kids in one place makes me cringe a little, kids just love Monkey Joe's in West Des Moines.  And I've come to accept that Money Joe's isn't so bad when it comes to play places for kids in town.  For $8-$10, your kid can have hours of fun jumping and then hopefully an early nap or bed-time as a reward for Mommy and Daddy.

I've been impressed with the safety measures each time we've visited.  They have a parent and their children wear wrist bands and they check your band to make sure they match up with your kids every time you enter or exit.  They seem to be really good about this.

They have cubbies for shoes and jackets and they make each child wear socks.  The store is generally clean and the inflatables are fun and they have a few to cater to each age group.

They have a small arcade area in the back, and I like that it's in the back because it's a little bit out of site and it keeps my kid from asking for quarters every two seconds.

They offer a selection of pizza, wings, candy, etc. if you or the kids get hungry.  The prices are comparable to other place places in town and the pizza is pretty good.

We have been impressed with the birthday parties we've attended too.  You get your own room that is "color-coded" so kids know which room to return to to get something or food, etc.  The inflatable chair that the birthday kid gets to sit in is always a hit and Monkey Joe even makes an appearance to give the birthday kid a gift.  They offer pizza, cake and drinks and prices for parties run from $149 to $289 depending on how many kids you have and if you have your party on a weekday or weekend.

Check out the calendar here, for daily specials like Facebook Fan Monday and Two Fer Tuesdays.  They also run coupons on sites like groupon and living social occasionally, so keep an eye out for that.