Set against the backdrop of blue skies and zipline riders whizzing by, the perfect outdoor adventure birthday venue exists- tucked away among a forest preserve with a repurposed old limestone quarry from the mid-1800's. The Forge: Lemont Quarries has turned an otherwise overlooked space into the ultimate haven for those looking for unique excitement for all ages, in a 300-acre world you would never imagine right here in the suburbs.
This article is sponsored by The Forge: Lemont Quarries but all thoughts and opinions expressed are solely the author's.
As any parent of an elementary school will tell you, there is always a hunt for the new and never-been-done before party location. An unspoken competition to find something unique but will satisfy all age groups, any gender, and varying levels of bravery. But with one caveat -- not creating loads of stress, work, and party prep for the parents of the guest of honor. I promise you, I've found this holy grail. Here was our experience.
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For my daughter's 10th birthday, she was ecstatic to return to a place that we had first fallen in love with back in 2022. It was incredible to see all the impressive new features and improvements that were added over the years! From the minute the party decision was made (many months in advance), it was all she would talk about. We even had fun designing the custom virtual invites (which is very easy to do given the striking images of The Forge - who wouldn't want to open up an envelope to that view 😍
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As soon as the party was booked, the process was seamless. The initial call with their party planner walked me through every little question and detail that I was curious about, easing my worries about such an adventurous and out of the box party. Menus were provided to choose from, and how refreshing was it to see kids food options that weren't just pizza! (but don't worry, they do also have pizza as an option 😉 they know their audience). She explained check-in process, and everything I needed to pass along to my guests to make sure they were well prepared for a day of adventures.
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ALL. THE. ACTIVITIES!
If you've never visited The Forge: Lemont Quarries, it is free to enter and walk the grounds, and there are 15+ activities to choose from that can be purchased a la carte or with their day passes. The same activities are available for their party packages as well, as an all-inclusive wristband so your party guests can do all the things at their leisure: Mini Golf, nature play based kids discovery zone, yard games, Kids Adventure Zone, Kids Jump Zone, Laser Tag, Paddlesports, Archery Range, 4-Seater Dino Karts, Axe Throwing, Classic Scavenger Hunts, and a BMX Pump Track.
MacKid Mom Pro Tip: Your guests can arrive ANY time during the day of the party, so while your tent party time may be a 2-3 hour timeslot, they can stay all day or arrive when it opens if they want to get in some extra archery practice or add-on a trip down the zipline!
There are three different party packages to choose from that start at $30 per person. We opted for the explorer package since some of our guests may not have reached the age/height minimum for climbing/ziplining, but there was more than enough for them to do!
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The water activities were the first and last visits of the day - which was a perfect way to watch the setting afternoon sun glistening on the water. There was something so energizing about paddling around the lake while the zipliners soared just a few feet above their heads. It kept the afternoon exciting! Luckily no one from our group went overboard, but we did witness a few tipovers, so maybe bring an extra set of clothes if you have some rather clumsy paddlers 😅
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As tricky as it was to get the hang of, the girls loved trying out the archery. The extremely helpful staff were SO patient in teaching them how to successfully aim and shoot, and they were diligent about the safety of the range. The different sizes of bows and varying distance of targets made this much easier for the girls.
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Surprising Favorites
The girls all agreed-- the highlight was the outdoor laser tag (which the parents thought was very unexpected), as outdoor laser tag was something none of us even knew existed!
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And hilariously enough, there were 5 different times they begged to go back to the dino carts. I will admit, there was a large learning curve to steering those things, but once they did a few laps, it was a fan favorite.
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Your own central hub
It was essential to have one central shady landing area for all of our presents, snacks, and more that we could come back to throughout the duration of the party. It was the perfect place to reapply sunscreen and administer bug repellant bracelets. There are multiple tents available for rentals. They are spread out throughout the park so you don't feel like you're on top of another party at the same time, or part of a birthday party factory, just trying to push through as many parties as possible in one day.
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To give the girls a break from the sun while we waited for the hot dogs to arrive, we brought a little craft project for them to do in the tent. Completely unnecessary because the girls did not need any extra entertainment, but it was nice that it was an option to do any activity you want within your private space. It was a good excuse to get them to all come together for food & cake at the same time since the group split up to do different adventures for awhile.
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Let them eat cake!
As part of the additional food and drink catering options, deluxe ice cream cakes can be provided from the on-site The Creamery location (no igloo cooler required!). With flavors like mint chocolate chip and strawberry shortcake, these cakes were infinitely more impressive than any wholesale club sheet cake. They had plates, forks and a cutting knife. All we had to to do was warm up our singing voices for Happy Birthday! (though, be prepared for a little wind when trying to light your candle 👍)
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Little brother approved
Since there are activities for all ages - if little brothers need to tag along, they will be so busy exploring on their own, they will not bug their big sister's friends the entire time. Parents can pay for an extra wristband when they arrive for any non-guests, or in our case, extra wristbands from no-shows can be passed along to siblings upon arrival. And they will likely want to stay on-site during the party, either getting in on the adventure themselves or relaxing in the lakeside Adirondack chairs, so still giving their kids their freedom to enjoy the attractions.
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As a parent, my experience was a positive one-- 10/10 all around. I would highly recommend this party option to anyone for any ages. But most importantly, when my daughter went back to school on Monday- the party was all anyone was talking about, and the girls couldn't stop reminiscing about the day! Having such a memorable party made it all worth it!
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To find out more about hosting a birthday party or event at The Forge: Lemont Quarries, explore the group packages on forgeparks.com
