So close, but so far. Just beyond the glass, separated by a thin barrier, yet light years away. There it is, the prize you’ve been dreaming of, trapped in the loose and jiggly clutches of the feared and dreaded CLAW MACHINE. 

OK, so maybe we’re being dramatic, but if you’ve ever gazed longingly at a prize inside a claw machine game, you know the feeling. Don’t despair, because it IS possible to retrieve your treasure. Read on to learn how to beat a claw machine and get ready to grab destiny by the claw on your next visit to our Charleston arcade. 

Claw Machine Tips

Don’t waste your time and money going in without an idea of what you’re doing. First thing’s first, do your research. These claw machine tips are simple, but they can have a big payoff. 

• Do some recon. Watch someone else play the game to see what they try and whether their approach is a good idea. 
• Get your bearings. Take a look at the prize pit. What areas are piled up high and what areas are lower? Are the prizes packed in or are there any that seem “loose,” as if they could fall at any moment? 
• Select your victim. While it may be tempting to grab your favorite item even though it’s not situated well, be strategic. See if there’s anything you can bump or drag into the chute with minimal effort. 
• Think strategically. Of course, sometimes you just have to get that one item. Use your turns to clear other items out of the way that may be blocking it, setting yourself up for a better chance when you do go in for the attack. 
• Position the claw. Once you’ve done everything you can to put your target item in a good position, it’s on to the claw. You should spend most of your time getting the claw into the perfect position. 
• Know when to cut your losses. Sometimes grabbing that one specific prize is just not going to work, at least not for the moment. Walk away and see if someone else steps up to the machine; you never know what they’ll knock out of the way, completely altering the “landscape” of the prize pit. 

BONUS TIP: Don’t assume all claw machines are rigged to be impossible. You’d be amazed how many people don’t even attempt the claw machine because they assume the claw mechanism is rigged to drop anything it picks up. Not true! While some claw machines do allow operators to adjust the settings of the claw mechanism to make it more challenging, that’s not always the case. Give the claw game a shot if you see a prize you want; you’ll never win if you don’t try! 

Whether your love playing new and classic arcade games, racing around the go-kart track, or battling it out in our VR arena, you’re always going to have a blast at Charleston Fun Park.

The holidays are right around the corner, and you know what that means—time to plan some fun company holiday events!  If you’re looking for the best place to host a corporate holiday party in Charleston, you’ve come to the right place. Check out just a few of the reasons you should contact us to learn more about our corporate group events, plus some tips to help make your event a smashing success.

Planning Your Company Holiday Party

One of the most important aspects of planning an office holiday party is choosing the venue. You can always hold an event at your workplace, but who really wants to hang out at work after their shift is over? Likewise, if any of your employees have kids, they may not want to—or even be able to—attend an event that doesn’t allow them to bring their kids along. That means fancy restaurants are out, as well as bars, breweries, and other less-than-kid-friendly venues. 

Instead, opt for a casual, fun event venue with built-in entertainment! At Charleston Fun Park, we have something for everyone. Our outdoor attractions include go karts and putt-putt, while our indoor attractions include bumper cars, an arcade full of classic and cutting-edge video games, mini bowling, and two awesome virtual reality experiences—a VR roller coaster and a VR arena featuring an action-packed cooperative game. (As an added bonus, this makes a great team-building activity!)

As the person planning your company’s holiday party, it’s also important to consider the logistics of your party location. Hosting a party at work or even your home can involve a lot of headaches for the organizers, especially cleaning up after the festivities. You also have to contend with feeding everyone, which can be its own challenge. If you host your event at Charleston Fun Park, we take the stress of party planning off your plate so you can relax and actually enjoy your event. Imagine that! 

We offer a variety of catering options to our corporate event guests, from classic party fare like pizza to southern favorites like barbecue, and much more. If you’d like a dedicated area for your group to hang out and mingle, we offer tiki hut and patio rentals that provide a nice “home base” during your event. This is also a great option if you’d like to incorporate speeches, awards, or other group activities into your event. 

We’re here to make your party a special event from the smallest details on up, so give us a call at 843-971-1223 or use our contact form to get in touch. We’d love to discuss your corporate event ideas and help you plan a holiday party that your coworkers will be talking about for years to come. 

It may not feel like fall yet here in the Lowcountry, but there’s no need to deprive yourself of pumpkin spice lattes, corn mazes, and other seasonal treats. There are plenty of fun ways to celebrate fall in and around Charleston. Read on to see some of our top picks for fall family activities in Charleston in 2019, and be sure to share with your friends. After all, the more the scarier! 

Frightful Fun at Boone Hall

There are two don’t-miss events at Boone Hall this fall: 

• Boone Hall Fright Nights, South Carolina’s largest multi-attraction haunted event. Prepare for scares because Boone Hall has three ways to scare the Skittles out of you! Between the house of horrors, haunted hayride, and zombie-infested playground, you’re guaranteed to catch a fright. Understandably, the attractions are not appropriate for kids under 12 years old. 
• Boone Hall Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze, on the other hand, is a great option for families with younger kids! You can enjoy classic fall activities like picking your own pumpkin in the pumpkin patch, exploring the corn maze, or taking a hay ride; however, there are also a ton of other attractions to tire your kids out, including rock climbing, a giant spider web, a petting zoo, a giant slide, and unique play areas for the kids. 

Charleston Pumpkin Patches

Of course, nothing says fall like a pumpkin patch photo op, so don’t settle for just one! Charleston Moms blog has shared a fantastic guide to local pumpkin patches in Charleston, as well as nearby areas including Summerville, North Charleston, Mount Pleasant, and Moncks Corner. Some, like The Pumpkin Patch at Mistletoe Lane, also offer fall items like gourds, mums, and hay bales so you can bring some harvest style home with you. 

A Costume Contest for Furry Friends

The Fall Festival at Mount Pleasant Towne Centre is going to the dogs! This family-friendly and pet-friendly event features a pet costume contest to benefit the Charleston Animal Society. There are several categories of prizes, so dress up your dog and get ready to strut your stuff for a good cause. In addition to the pet costume contest there will be live music, a photo booth, trick-or-treating, hula-hooping, arts and crafts activities for the kids, and a bouncy house. The event will also kick off the annual Canstruction event benefiting the Lowcountry Food Bank. 

Plan Your Party at Charleston Fun Park

Want to throw your own Halloween party or fall event in Charleston? From youth groups to office parties, we make group events a blast for everyone involved. If your group is over 10, we offer specialized event packages to help you customize your event. We even offer catering, so all you have to do is show up and have fun! Give us a call to learn more about hosting your fall party at Charleston Fun Park.

There’s only one thing better than enjoying a few hours at an arcade with your friends, and that’s beating your friends and winning enough tickets to buy something awesome at the prize counter! If you love playing arcade games and want to learn how to earn more tickets, check out these 5 “insider tips” from your fellow arcade enthusiasts at Charleston Fun Park. 

How to Beat Friends and Pile Up Arcade Tickets

• One way to get an edge on your friends at the arcade is to pay attention to patterns and rhythms, especially in the games that involve stopping a racing light or something similar. If you play long enough you’ll start to sense when to hit the button. 
• Another good way to up your chances of winning is to watch the people who are getting a lot of tickets. What are they playing, and what techniques are they using? 
• When pulling tickets out at the end of a game, go slow and pull gently. The tickets will be less likely to tear and you may be able to get a few “bonus” tickets with this trick. 
• Look for games that are easy to win. For instance, if the claw machine was just filled and is packed full of prizes, it’s going to be a lot harder to get anything out. Let others waste their time and money while the game is more challenging, then swoop in and try your luck when the prizes are loose and haphazard. You’ll be much more likely to knock something into the chute with the claw than trying to use the claw to pick up a prize and carry it to the chute without dropping it.  
• This tip is likely not what you want to hear, but it’s true: The more you practice, the better you’ll get! The only way to reliably beat your friends and win tons of tickets is to put the time in learning arcade games and how to beat them. 

We have over 50 arcade games, so if you love to play, consider purchasing a Bonus Play Card. Good luck and happy gaming! 

No matter what the occasion, planning a group event can be a lot of work. However, you can save yourself at least one headache by opting for an event venue with built-in entertainment. If you’re looking for a place to host group events in Charleston, we’ve got you covered at Charleston Fun Park. 

A Crowd-Pleaser for Any Event

We have a wide variety of attractions, so there’s sure to be something for everyone to enjoy! In addition to putt-putt, go karts, bumper cars, mini bowling, and an arcade, we also have state of the art virtual reality activities. Your group will go wild for our Virtual Reality Coaster, which takes guests on a fast-paced adventure to the Great Wall of China, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Our Virtual Reality Arena delivers even more VR excitement with a cooperative first-person shooter experience that makes a great team-building exercise or guys’ night out activity. With so many activities, there’s something for every interest, age, and skill level, from kids and teens to adults and seniors. 

Endless Possibilities

We have hosted a wide variety of events here at Charleston Fun Park, from corporate office parties to family reunions, class parties to charity fundraisers, church groups to bachelorette parties, and so much more! We’d love to help you make your next event a success, and we have plenty of experience hosting group events to do just that! 

To learn more about our Charleston group events, contact us online or give us a call at 843-971-1223.

Labor Day is almost here, and with it the unofficial end of summer. With school, sports, clubs, and other activities starting up in the fall, it’s one last celebration of summer fun and freedom before attention turns to pumpkin spice lattes, sweaters, and changing leaves. If you’re looking for things to do in Charleston over Labor Day Weekend, you’re in luck! Charleston Fun Park has you covered with activities for every member of the family. 

Labor Day Fun for Everyone

Whether you’re planning to spend the weekend with friends or family, Charleston Fun Park is a one-stop-shop for entertainment, with indoor and outdoor activities for the speed demons, leisurely mini golfers, and everyone in between. Our outdoor attractions include 2 18-hole Putt-Putt courses, go karts (including 2-seaters so little ones can join in on the fun), and a rock climbing wall. 

Want to escape the heat? Come inside for a whole other world of fun, including:

• Bumper cars – Who doesn’t love surprising their friends with a sneak hit in bumper cars? 
• Virtual Reality Coaster – Forget your run-of-the-mill amusement park coasters; our VR roller coaster will blow your mind as you plunge down the Great Wall of China while dodging dragons! 
• Virtual Reality Arena – Experiencing our newest virtual reality attraction, Hologate, will make you feel like you’re in a video game. This first-person shooter pits your team of 4 against invading aliens. 
• Mini Bowling – No need for special shoes straight out of the 70s; our 10 pin mini bowling in Charleston is fun for anyone over a year old!
• Arcade – Last but certainly not least, our arcade has over 50 games, from classic to current! 

Ready to make some memories and end the summer with a bang? We hope to see you here at Charleston Fun Park for Labor Day Weekend! Check out our specials for great combo deals to save money on your favorite activities. 

Mini golf is a hallowed institution of summer fun, especially if you’re near the beach. At Charleston Fun Park, we have one of the best mini golf courses in Charleston, not to mention all of our other attractions. A little friendly competition is always fun, so check out these putt-putt tips to help you improve your short game and beat your friends at mini golf. 

Know what you’re getting into. 

One of the most important parts of mini golf (and regular golf, for that matter) is taking the lay of the land before you hit the ball. Look around for hazards like water traps, sand traps, slopes, or obstacles that you’ll need to take into consideration when lining up your shot. Don’t be afraid to walk to the hole; sometimes there’s a shift in elevation or some quirk of the green that you might not have noticed from the tee! 

Envision your ideal shot. 

Depending on the hole, you might want to line up a straight shot or take it in stages. Whether you’re aiming for the hole or another location to position you for the final putt, look carefully at your target and aim for a specific spot, envisioning the line from the tee to your target. 

Get in position. 

Don’t just step up and whack the ball immediately when it’s your turn. Instead, step up to the tee and align your feet with the line you’re envisioning to your target. The ball should be aligned with the inside edge of your non-dominant foot. When you swing, keep your eye on the target to help you maintain your mental line. 

Relax and focus. 

Remember, the mental game of golf is a huge factor in winning, and that holds true even for the miniature version! Check out some tips for improving your mental putting game. 

Of course, putt-putt is all about having fun, so remember to keep the competition friendly! Want a great deal on mini golf in Charleston? Sign up for our Birthday Club and receive a buy-one, get-one offer!