Rewind! Do You Remember These Former Dutchess County Birthday Party Hotspots?

I was feeling kind of nostalgic the other day as I opened up yet another birthday party invitation that my daughter brought home from school and was transported back in time as I read the details about an afternoon at Roller Magic in Hyde Park:

'Roll through' for some fun at Andrew's 8th Birthday Party!

If you grew up in the Hudson Valley, chances are, you or someone you know had a birthday party at good ol' Roller Magic.  Fast forward 30 years and the iconic Hyde Park skating rink is still doing their thing.  This got me thinking about some of the other local hotspots where I had, or attended a birthday party back in the day - ready to reminisce?

Plaster Junction, Rt. 82 Hopewell Junction

This was the scene of a number of birthday parties over the years, friends, my sister, and the one that I'll never live down, my 7th birthday party in 2nd grade.  Who else remembers picking out which ceramic piece you were going to paint, getting all Picasso with your best pals, and then insisting that your family display your newly created art piece in a prominent location at home?  Feels like yesterday to me!  Back to that memorable 7th birthday party back in the '90's, if you were wondering why it was so memorable, well, because I told everyone who attended the party that I wanted Trolls dolls, remember the ones with the little gems in their belly?  Well, imagine how displeased my parents were when our house was full of dozens of trolls, in various shapes, sizes, and themes, for years to come.

Discovery Zone, Rt. 9 Poughkeepsie

Some of us aren't over the fact that the South Hills Mall is no more, well, no longer what it was all those years ago.  Who remembers partying at Discovery Zone in the former South Hills Mall, or at the one in Middletown?  Games, tokens, mazes, slides, we were there for ALL of it, and how cool did you think you were when your name was on the door of one of the private party rooms.  Discovery Zone filed for bankruptcy a number of years ago, but rumors were swirling around la few years back that they were making a comeback, if only!

Dutchess Mall, Rt. 9 Fishkill

Another local mall that is so sad to see these days. Did anyone ever have a birthday party at Roy Rogers in the Dutchess Mall?  Remember the dull brown and red decor, the ball pit, those little packages that the food came in way back when?  I remember my mom taking a group of my friends one year for lunch at Roy Rogers and then to the movies at the Dutchess Mall, talk about winning at the birthday party game.

Hoe Bowl, Rt. 9 Wappingers Falls

These days we know it as SPINS Bowl, but if you were a '90's or 2000's kid, How Bowl was on the yearly list of spots to host your party.  The funky colored carpets, the bowling pin that all your friends would sign at the party and you got to bring home.  Oh, and bowling alley pizza, anyone?

Fun Central, Rt. 9 Wappingers Falls

Another one that's still around, but under a different name.  Fun Central, back in the day, was an ultimate birthday party destination, especially if you did golf, arcade, AND bumper boats, right?  Remember how incredibly cool you felt standing outside that castle with your elementary school pals hoping for a hole in one to score a free game pass?

These days kids birthday parties seem a bit more, over the top, from the good ol'days we had here in the Hudson Valley, but just a reminder, if you want to keep it classic, some of those hot spots still live on locally, like Roller Magic, the local bowling lanes, and how could we forget Chuck E. Cheese for an animatronic show and pizza?