Scandia Family Fun for Big Kids & Their Grown-Ups

I held my child’s thirteenth birthday celebration as an impromptu visit to Scandia Golfland in Fairfield with 6 young teens. I’ve also visited with a nine and ten-year-old. All of our opinions are included. 

Aside from all the parenting I had to do, my visit to Fairfield’s Scandia Family Fun Center made me feel like a kid again. The whole complex felt like a throwback to an eighties childhood (out of Stranger Things if not my memories); everything needs a fresh coat of paint. Scandia is about a 45-minute drive from Berkeley. At ages nine and ten, the kids were not quite tall enough to enjoy all the fun activities.

We laughed, we cried, we hit our heads on the putt-putt castle! The ten-year old loved the mini golf and laser tag. The nine-year old hated the bumper boats (the water blasters can really soak you!) and laser tag (someone has to lose!). They were both too short — less than 58″ — for Indy Car go-karts and not interested in the batting cages. Meanwhile, my cadre of 13-year-olds barely played mini golf in favor of the arcade, go-karting, and bumper boats.

Probably the best part is Too Many Options. We all would have spent more time and money in the arcade if we hadn’t been pressed for time: I’m a sucker for air hockey and they love all screens. In keeping with my overall fun-but-grimy impression, one of the air hockey tables was too sticky to glide. Eww.

I bet this comparison has been made before, but Scandia Golfland Center felt like Vegas for Kids. You can expect two challenging-because-they’re-old-and-uneven miniature golf courses; batting cages; race cars; bumper boats with mega-squirt power; laser tag; video game arcade that makes you forget what time it is; and a snack bar. There are a bunch of attractions for all ages, but I’d recommend it for ages seven and up.

Plan your visit to Scandia Golfland

Location: 4300 Central Place Fairfield, CA

Parking was easy in the huge lot.

When: Daily 10 am to 10 pm but you should probably double-check before going.

Prices are hecka confusing. For the group of 6, we purchased 3-hours of almost unlimited attractions and arcade credit (excluding batting cages and VR activities), one pizza, and some chicken strips. Please review the menu of choices so you can manage expectations on the way there.

We avoided the fees and perks of a birthday party by eating our donuts in the parking lot. Shhh.