👉 The Perfect Minnesota Family Weekend: Dance, The Fun Lab & Sky Zone in Blaine
💃 Dance Life, Bedazzling & a Chaotic Start
We kicked off the weekend fully in our dance mom era—and let me tell you, I had my very first experience bedazzling a costume ✨
One of my favorite Crosslake moms, Studio Posh Salon & Spa’s very own Amber, claims she’s a professional bedazzler…
I am not there yet 😂
But give me time—I will learn!
Saturday morning, Bri had a Just For Kix competition in Brainerd, and I was flying solo getting all four kids ready (because Steve was in Mississippi for training for his new business—Platinum Beam Surface Technologies… which is honestly super cool, but I’ll save that for another blog).
Let’s just say…
Steve is usually the one getting us out the door 😅
BUT—we made it.
And it was worth it.
👉 Bri and her team took 1st place AND earned a platinum ranking
(which, as a new dance mom, I’ve learned is a big deal 💁♀️)
🚗 “Let’s Not Go Home Yet…”
Instead of heading home… we did what we do best.
We went on an adventure.
All four kids + me loaded up and headed to Blaine for a little spontaneous getaway.
Our oldest, Ceyauna, doesn’t always get to come on these trips, so it was extra special having everyone together ❤️
BUT…
She does not share her mother’s love for “winging it.”
She was literally stressed that I hadn’t booked a hotel yet 😆
Meanwhile I’m like—we’ll figure it out.
(Spoiler: we did. There are plenty of options.)
🏨 Where We Stayed: Best Western Plus Blaine
We ended up at the
Best Western Plus Blaine at the National Sports Center
And honestly? Great choice.
✔ Around $140 for a Saturday night
✔ Clean rooms + super helpful staff
✔ Spacious room (2 queens + pullout sofa)
✔ Solid hot breakfast (Kid & Adult Approved)
✔ Amazing location
We were within walking distance to:
Raising Cane's
Culver's
Target (for the diapers I forgot… go me 🙃)
AND our main destination…
🎯 The Fun Lab (100% Worth It)
The Fun Lab
Not cheap…
👉 $156 for me + 4 kids for a 3-hour pass
But honestly?
Totally worth it.
With how many indoor kid places start to feel the same… this one felt different.
What we loved:
Blacklight bumper cars
(even had a little seat for Cruz… who then spun us into oblivion 😵💫)
Arcade games
Hologate VR
Next-level immersive gaming
Valo Arena (mixed reality playground)
The floor is lava game = BIG hit 🔥
2-story laser tag
Laser maze
(older kids liked it, not their favorite)
Full restaurant + drinks
And not outrageously priced 🙌
XD Dark Ride
Think zombies, racing, full sensory chaos—in the best way
⭐ My Favorite: Ballocity
This alone made it worth it.
It’s not just a playground—it’s an EXPERIENCE.
Foam balls flying everywhere
Shooting them through cannons 3 stories high (Pro Tip: Where a shirt that will help you haul balls up to the top!)
Climbing, sliding, running
Tubes sending balls across the room n. It’s perfect.
👉 We will absolutely be back
👉 Do the 3-hour or all-day pass—you’ll want the time
🏊♀️ Hotel Pool = Mom Win
Back at the hotel, the pool setup was perfect for our crew:
Standard pool (just over 5 ft deep)
Hot tub 🙌
Zero-entry kiddie pool (18" deep)
👉 PERFECT for a 2-year-old
No slides or basketball hoops (which my older kids love), but honestly—it worked.
Add in comfy chairs…
Mom was happy too 😌
🤸♀️ Sky Zone Blaine (Our Honest Review)
Next day we tried
Sky Zone Trampoline Park
It was our first time, and here’s the honest take:
✔ Clean
✔ Friendly staff
But…
👉 Not our favorite
Highlights:
Foam pits (most fun for all of us)
Obstacle course (older kids loved it)
Trampoline basketball areas (mostly for Linkin, the best big Bro for helping Cruz dunk)
Just okay:
Dodgeball/basketball court combo (hard to use)
Small play area for Cruz (didn’t hold attention long)
iWall game (cool concept, meh reaction)
Not great:
Slide only opened last 10 minutes 😑
Food wait was long (30 mins—understandable with parties)
💸 Pricing thoughts:
$26.95 per person (even the 2-year-old 😬)
Socks = $6.95 each (and must be Sky Zone brand)
Membership makes it cheaper… but feels forced
👉 You can cancel anytime
👉 Membership doesn’t transfer to other locations
Our verdict:
If you LOVE trampolines and go often → worth it
For us → probably wouldn’t go again if we had other options
🍟 Real Life Ending…
On the way home, we grabbed McDonald's
because…
👉 No one could agree on where to eat
👉 Mom was done negotiating 😅
Also…
My very bougie 25-year-old broke one of her acrylic toe nails (?!?!) while jumping…
I didn’t even know bedazzled toe nails were a thing, but here we are 💅😂
She didn’t want to walk…
I was ready to be done…
And we still had the drive back to Crosslake
❤️ Why We Do This
We crammed A LOT into one weekend.
It was chaotic.
It was exhausting.
It was imperfect.
And it was so much fun.
Because at the end of the day—
this is exactly why we work so hard.
🥹 Favorite Moment
Cruz was most excited that he got to go on “vacation” in his favorite shoes…
His “bacation shoes” 🥹
(Yes… he names his shoes. And yes, these were originally for Florida in January 😂)
✨ Final Thoughts
If you’re looking for a Minnesota family weekend idea:
👉 Skip overthinking it
👉 Pack the kids
👉 Go make the memories
Even if it’s a little chaotic 😉