CJ's Paintball Park — Local services in Hickman

I used to play paintball pretty religiously as a teenager and when my own boys got old enough I couldn't have been more excited to take them to do something I enjoyed so much in my childhood. I literally couldn't have found a better representation of all of the best things about the fields I used to play in in my childhood than CJ's!

The staff is friendly, patient and attentive whether you are a regular who is made to feel like a part of the family or a first time paintballer who needs some encouragement and guidance. Every group guide/ref does a good job of shepherding their group with some of them being downright amazing.

CJ's has a number of fields for paintball including two wooded areas and three fields with wooden barricades and structures although they change up the fields occasionally for variety. All of the fields feel pretty well balanced and well maintained. On top of these "maps" CJ's even has themed events (such as Vietnam, coming up in August of 2021) that add some extra spice and variety to the game types.

The rental equipment is at the upper end of what I would expect in that it operates well and is well maintained. Only field paint is allowed (no bringing in paint purchased outside of CJs) so when you are checking prices factor in about 200 extra paintballs for every hour you plan on staying after your first 2 seems to work out pretty well (unless you REALLY throw a lot of paint down field). The reason for outside paint has everything to do with the safety of the players and CJ's pricing for paint is very much in line with what you would pay for paintballs nearly anywhere else (including Amazon!).

TLDR: CJ's is everything I was looking for in a new "home field" for my boys and me and I would recommend it to anyone over 8 years old or so whether you are a paintball veteran or someone looking to get into paintball for...

I definitely would not recommend CJ's Paintball Park. I had a group of 14 of us, I reserved a private play 1 month in advance. First when we showed up in their office to check in, it was absolute chaos and nothing but waiting for about an hour just to get checked in. They overbook so much that making a reservation ahead doesn't seem to be beneficial at all. Second, in playing, we had went to a specific field only to have to move to a different field because they allowed a very large group to cross our field in order to play directly next to us and which caused some safety issues. We liked the field we were on but could not finish our game because of their poor planning and not making the group 'after' us wait to play until we were finished. Third, it cost me $103.00 to play with a private group and out of the 14 in my group, this was a brand new experience for 10 of the players and they were not impressed with CJ's. We ran out of paintballs and wanted to continue playing, but CJ's completely ran out of paintballs for the guns we were using and unfortunately we could not continue to play. Our ref was a nice guy and he actually told all of us that we would each (all 14 of us) receive a voucher to come play again including our rental gear but of course it did not include us continuing to play "private" which I had paid extra for and when we received a piece of paper with the voucher, it was for only 9 players and not all 14. So this turned out to be not a good experience for us and I would definitely recommend going to Husker Paintball in Plattsmouth NE or Mad Cow in Louisville. Those of us who have played had a better experience at these places as this was our first time at CJ's and they seem all about making the money than they do making it a good...

I only rate it three stars because it's the only place to paintball within a reasonable distance from me. This is true for most people that come to CJ's. So, this means that they can make any price for the games and equipment and people will pay for it because it's the only place that offers it near Lincoln. If there was a way to go play paintball and not cost an arm and a leg, it would bring the overall fun up. I played with a few of my friends the other day and we mostly brought our own gear and paint from last time (CJ's only allows their paint to be used) and we still ended up spending almost $150 a piece. Granted we did buy a pack of 2000 balls, we still think the overall prices could be a little better.

Aside from that, the park is great and the people are exceptional. I love the friendly atmosphere and the staff on site. I'm always going to be a fan of CJ's, don't get me wrong, but it could be a bit more...