Options limited for those under 21

Local developers and entertainment operators have mastered building the perfect adult playground, but they've had a tougher time sorting out what attractions can profitably serve kids younger than 21.

Destinations targeted specifically at the younger set, both on and off the Strip, have posted mixed success rates.

A few kid-friendly places have thrived.

There's Sky Mania Fun Center, an indoor trampoline court at 4915 Steptoe St. (near Tropicana Avenue and Boulder Highway), as well as the Adventuredome, an amusement park inside Circus Circus.

The Las Vegas Mini Gran Prix Family Fun Center, 1401 N. Rainbow Blvd., does brisk business, as do bowling alleys inside Red Rock Resort, the Rio, Sam's Town, the South Point and a handful of other off-Strip casinos.

But Las Vegas has seen more than its fair share of losses in the under-21 entertainment arena.

Scandia Family Fun Center, a miniature golf course and arcade on Sirius Avenue just west of Interstate 15, didn't survive. Nor did Wet 'n Wild, a water park on the Strip just south of the Sahara. The MGM Grand's Grand Adventures amusement park -- part of a bid in the early 1990s to lure more families to Las Vegas -- lasted seven years, closing to the public in 2000. Jillian's, a Neonopolis entertainment center with concerts, bowling lanes, pool tables, arcade games and a restaurant, shut down in November after six years in business.

Those closures don't mean Las Vegas is completely inhospitable to kid-friendly venues, says Anthony Curtis, publisher of the Huntington Press, president of hospitality-advice center LasVegasAdvisor.com and father of a 15-year-old.

The pressures that shuttered the attractions varied, and didn't always reflect the viability of kid-centered places.

Scandia and Wet 'n Wild, for example, did well financially, Curtis says, but they fell victim to simple economics. The land underneath them grew too valuable to house amusement centers. Scandia sold its land to a high-rise condominium developer in 2005, and Wet 'n Wild's owner struck a deal in 2006 to sell the property to a Texas businessman, also for a condo tower.

Neither project has been built, though Wet 'n Wild's land now serves as a staging area for construction of the Fontainebleau resort, scheduled to open in late 2009.

Jillian's closed because its landlord fielded several other proposals for the space, which remains empty.

Grand Adventures proved a "weak effort" that didn't offer much compared with amusement parks belonging to industry giants Six Flags and Disney, Curtis says.

"It was a funky little assemblage of rides with nothing going for them," he says. "There was just not much happening in there."

When they are well-executed, youth-oriented attractions in Las Vegas perform well, Curtis notes.

Take the Adventuredome. Officials at Circus Circus have expanded and improved the Adventuredome over the years, and the sets of data Curtis has seen show it's doing "really good business."

Off-Strip, he points to places such as the Crystal Palace Skating Centers, 4680 Boulder Highway and 3901 N. Rancho Drive, and Pole Position Raceway, a go-kart track at 4175 Arville St., as places that haven't wanted for business. Neither venue is near the Strip, so they're at low risk for falling to resort or condo development.

A couple of other kid-friendly hangouts also should stick around for years to come. The city of Las Vegas owns the Las Vegas Sports Park, 1400 N. Rampart Blvd., where tweens and teens can indulge in paintball, dodge ball, T-ball, tennis and soccer. And Clark County owns the Hollywood Skate/BMX Park at the Hollywood Recreation Center, 1650 S. Hollywood Blvd. Because they're not privately owned, it's not likely they would have to make way for a development such as a high-rise condo.

Las Vegas also houses a fair number of attractions that don't necessarily target kids but that offer a fun vibe for youngsters. Curtis cites Madame Tussauds Las Vegas at The Venetian, the Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay and the Las Vegas Springs Preserve, 333 S. Valley View Blvd.

Still, for local high-schoolers, the top hangout activity probably will remain a night out at the movies or bowling inside locals resorts. It's the default choice because it's the most accessible -- and the most prevalent.

"There are just not a lot of other options for (teenagers)," Curtis says.

Contact Jennifer Robison at 702-380-4512 or e-mail her at jrobison@reviewjournal.com.