Shadowland — Attraction in Gaithersburg

The birthday party was overall a joyful and energetic experience. All the children had a great time, just as expected, and my son was very happy and satisfied. However, there were a few areas of concern during the event that I’d like to share for future improvement.

Delayed Schedule According to the information I received over the phone beforehand, the game was scheduled to start promptly at 3:30 PM, and we were advised to arrive by 3:15 PM. However, the game did not begin until after 3:45 PM, leaving the children waiting without much to do in the meantime. After the first game ended, the children had pizza and snacks, but there was another delay before the second game started. As a result, the entire schedule was pushed back, and cake time did not happen until around 5:20 PM. Parents who were expecting to pick up their children by 5:30 PM had to wait longer than planned.

Lack of Storage Space The party room wasn’t opened until after 3:30 PM, so there was no designated space to place gifts and belongings when the children arrived. Most gifts had to be placed on chairs temporarily. A rolling shelf or a designated storage cart would have been helpful. Inside the party room, space was also limited, making it a bit challenging to organize food like pizza, snacks, and cake.

Limited Staff Support There was only ONE staff member assigned to assist, and he was covering two party rooms at the same time. While they brought out plates, napkins, and drinks, they couldn’t provide much additional support. With 18 children in attendance, it was difficult for us as hosts to serve food and take care of everything on our own. Having a dedicated staff member in the party room would have made the event run much more smoothly.

Communication Difficulties The Gaithersburg location (phone number: 301-330-5546) does not offer a direct line, and on Sundays, we were unable to get through by phone at all. This made it quite difficult to communicate any last-minute questions or changes. Clear and responsive communication is essential, especially around the day of the event.

Miscommunication Regarding Snack time We were informed that the pizza and snack time would start around 5:00 PM. However, it was held right after the first game instead. This meant we had to pick up the pizza earlier than expected and had to rush. A more accurate timeline would have helped us plan better and avoid unnecessary stress.

If you're considering having your child's birthday party here, be prepared for a stressful experience. The staff provides minimal assistance, and you'll need to ask for basic necessities that should have been prepared in advance. While the kids will likely have a great time, parents might find the overall experience frustrating and...

This is my favorite arena, and I have been going since to this one since I was a teenager. I've taken friends here, most recently my nephews and it was so fun. They just updated the guns, and we had a blast (hehe) the staff are so friendly and so funny. Mike explained the game well and allowed us to choose a game type with the other party there. Israel and Mike came out to take a picture with the kids for a birthday and really made it special. Unfortunately, I got caught up babbling with everyone, but a huge thank you to the manager for letting some of the staff out for a minute to take a picture with us and really make a memorable night. I have such good memories of this place, and I'm glad they have been able to stick around after covid.

Some tips:

I like to wear comfortable grippy shoes. The floor is carpeted, but the ramps don't provide a ton of traction and can be very slightly slippery.

It is fast-paced, and if you are a glasses-wearer like me, your glasses can slip or fog up. I like to use a glasses sport strap or wear contacts.

If you play hard, you are GOING TO GET SWEATY. Wear clothes you are comfortable sweating in and can move in.

They provide small cups for water at the front and have some beverages for sale as well.

Just because I did not cover it before bathrooms are dated but clean, there is lots of parking. It is a little tucked behind some stuff just walk through the outdoor corridor, and towards the quincy's sign and it is to the left.

These guys were so good at dealing with me being goofy and ridiculous and being helpful to my nephews. Shadowland is such a fun and affordable option for a fun outing. I thank the whole team and will probably try to schedule my own birthday here. I highly recommend them for anyone looking to have a fun and active event.

Sign a waiver, make ridiculous alias, and have fun shooting each other legally...

I had my son's birthday party at the Gaithersburg location. Although the young staff were all great and the kids had fun, I had terrible experience with the manager. Their website advertises that they are different from other places because they allow outside food as long as you have a private room reserved (which I had). This is the exact quote from their website: "At ShadowLand, we allow customers to bring in their preferred food and pizza.. You know what you like and we specialize in laser adventure, not making pizza. So feel free to bring in your own food." I even called in ahead of time to make sure I could have pizza delivered to their location. They said yeah sure no problem. On the day of the event, I had Domino's deliver the pizza. The manager came out from the back and started yelling at me saying that I'm not allowed to "do business" with Domino's on their property. He pointed at the security camera and said they could see everything that's going on in the lobby in a threatening way. I was in complete shock. No idea what was happening. Later I found out that they have a national contract with Domino's and Domino's are not supposed to sell directly to ShadowLand customers and deliver food to ShadowLand. It would have been fine if I carried out and brought them in myself. I mean, how would I have known? And why did the manger take it on me, the customer who is spending hundreds of dollars to have a 2-hr birthday party for my son. He should have taken it to Domino's. The young staff apologized to me but no apologies from the manager. I couldn't believe what happened. I couldn't believe someone who's in that position would treat their customers that way. I will never...