Activate Games — Attraction in Vestavia Hills

Wow, super-impressed with this place! A great idea for bad weather days, or if you're looking for something fun to do with a large group of friends. Lots of opportunities to play (about 4 game versions per game room), with several rooms from which to choose (which does a great job of reducing the time you have to wait for the next game). You're given approx 75 mins to play as many games, and as often, as you want, with each game having ever-increasing levels of complexity. From what I could tell from my visit, you can play the same game for maybe 3 rounds total before having to give the room up; but if a new group registers/swipes to play the same room after you've jumped in, you'll only be able to play the one round before having to give the room (but you can always leave and immediately get behind them if possible, if interested in playing the same room again). (Makes total sense, to provide everyone equal opportunity to play as many rooms as possible.)

My group and I had a fantastic time and are seriously jonesing to get back there. 👍🏽

Some helpful info for first-timers though:

Definitely dress for a sweat, some of the games having you jumping, running in place, moving around the room, against a timer

The bit about kids 10 and younger potentially not enjoying it as much is partly true. Let's face it, smaller kids are dumb 😂, and any opportunity to run amuck is always welcomed; so they'll love it. But some of the games are about recognizing patterns, math, etc - and, although not calculus or physics, if you're playing cooperatively, as the levels increase so will the chances of your losing if everyone isn't fully able to contribute. (Don't worry, it's still a lot of fun, even for the "i ain't doin' no maff on my day awf" crowd. 😂)

It can be considered a little pricey, esp. if you're covering multiple people; but I will say that the 75-min timeframe was plenty of time to get a feel for everything, to work up a sweat (if you really put your heart into it) and enjoy yourself while doing something unique to the area IMO.

That's it, that's all I got - if you're considering it, give it a shot; I'm convinced you'll...

My husband and I had a fantastic time during our first visit, which is why we were excited to return and bring our three boys along this time. They were thoroughly enjoying themselves until an unfortunate interaction with one of your associates dampened our experience.

As we were leaving one of the hoops rooms, an associate approached us and stated, "On this game, you cannot throw the ball at the screen; you have to throw it in the basket." This caught our whole family off guard because none of us had intentionally thrown a ball at the screen. Given that the screens are positioned directly above the goal—essentially where a backboard would be on a standard basketball hoop—it seems inevitable that the ball might occasionally make contact while aiming for a basket.

Our children, ages 7, 9, and 13, all have experience playing on basketball teams, so they are familiar with the proper way to shoot. It was disappointing to be approached in a manner that felt accusatory rather than instructive. If there was a concern, we would have appreciated a more constructive explanation or even a review of any camera footage to clarify what actually happened. Additionally, identifying who specifically was believed to be throwing balls at the screen would have been more helpful rather than making a blanket statement.

This experience left us feeling uncomfortable, and unfortunately, it has made us uncertain about returning in the future. We truly enjoyed our first visit, and we hope that feedback like this can help improve communication and customer interactions...

First of all, I love this place and my family and friends love coming here. It has become a favorite game night activity spot. However, the elephant in the room must be addressed.

During the weekend, there are a lot kids under the age of 12 being left unaccompanied by adults. The staff does their best to manage the chaos that the feral children cause but a policy change by the owners needs to be seriously considered.

I have seen the kids “split up” to sign into a bunch of different games at once, then race to which ever room opens up first. This means because of Activates “first come first served” gaming policy you only get to play 1 level and then have to leave the room. This can be frustrating when you only get to be in a room for 30 seconds. The frustrating part is when these kids force you out of your room they don’t even play the game but rather leave for another. This happens a lot.

Look, I don’t want to be that guy but eventually, a kid is going to get hurt playing games, get into fights with other kids (I have seen happen before) or who knows what else and the parents are not present.

The policy needs to be that parents must be with their kids at all times including in the game rooms.

Making your staff basically babysit kids is a really bad idea. Please improve polices to keep kids safe and make your environment enjoyable for all people.

I am not the first person to complaint about this on here.

Owners of Activate please consider your people and your customers as well as the safety of these kids being...