Ricky Dean’s - St. Joseph, MO — Attraction in Saint Joseph

What’s going on? I’ll tell you what’s going on!

It amazes me how much detail and time Joe and Katie pour into Ricky Dean’s. They treat everyone like a guest in their own home—with real kindness and respect.

I’ve visited many times, and the first thing I love is the open-air vibe and the awesome decorations—especially the float plane by the entrance of the black light mini-golf! It seriously feels like you’re on vacation.

When you play the black light mini-golf, the tropical vibe makes you look around for Jimmy Buffett while singing Margaritaville! 😁 The lighting experience is incredible—it transforms the entire course, giving you a fun, glowing adventure that feels like you’ve stepped into another world. It’s something you can even enjoy in the middle of winter. 😊

Ricky Dean’s is laid-back, fun, and offers something for everyone. Joe and Katie take pride in all their establishments and work hard to make sure everything’s just right. They probably sacrifice family time to keep Ricky Dean’s and their four other businesses running smoothly.

What I really appreciate is that Joe always says they just want everyone to have a great time. They’re harder on themselves than anyone else—so if something isn’t quite right, just tell Joe or Katie. Their mission is to give people from St. Joseph and beyond an awesome experience.

Ricky Dean’s is a great place to hang out—definitely try the black light mini-golf! Go in with a tourist’s mindset, and who knows—you might just run into Jimmy Buffett in there!

That’s...

I took my family to mini-golf on a Saturday afternoon after hearing nothing but good things, but when we arrived, I was confused and disappointed. Walking to the first hole, it was clear that either the A/C wasn’t working or simply hadn’t been turned on. As we played, we overheard several other patrons complaining about the heat and stuffiness too.

There were speakers around the course, but all we heard during the first half was a faint buzzing. The second half alternated between silence and random ads, definitely not the fun, immersive vibe we expected.

Every hole had the same two square obstacles with almost no variation. The course relied heavily on the glow-in-the-dark gimmick, but without any creativity to match. Two of the five ball colors didn’t even glow under the black lights. Seriously?

The rules clearly state a max party size of four, but we were stuck between a group of 8-10 teenagers behind us and a family of 11 ahead. We had to wait after nearly every hole. Should guests really be the ones enforcing the rules, or should staff step in to make sure everyone has a fair experience?

We haven’t tried the other attractions yet, but based on the mini-golf alone, it’s hard to imagine coming back. In its current state, I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. The only redeeming factor was that...

This place has a nice variety of things to do for all ages. We started out by playing 18 holes of black light mini golf, indoors. It was a little difficult to see because the only lighting was around the perimeter of each hole and I think an overhead blacklight above the podium where you can keep score. Personally I would've liked to see the hole you're aiming for lit up as well. But overall it was a fun experience. Then we took a ride on the virtual reality car. We weren't given an option as to what type of virtual reality setting we could experience so the attendant put us on a roller coaster. It was very intense and should've come with a warning because we all felt like we were going to throw up by the time it was over. The two 12 year old boys with us went a second time and were immersed in a Jurassic Park-like VR. They said they liked it better than the roller coaster. From my perspective it was hilarious watching them as they experienced it. I thought the amount of credits you received for the price was very reasonable when it came time to purchase the cards that let the kids play video games, enter the batting cages, etc. We'll definitely be visiting here again the next time we...