iPlay America is a family entertainment center in Freehold, New Jersey. This indoor complex
is open yearround and it has a lot to offer between the games and rides. And if you’re
a coaster enthusiast, this place does have a coaster credit and it’s just a 20 minute
ride from Six Flags Great Adventure. Find out if you should visit in this review!
iPlay America back in 2011 on Veteran’s Day. It rejuvenated a dilapidated strip mall and
now boasts 155,000 square feet or nearly 4 acres of activities. But one of the most
unique things about this place is its appearance. A lot of FECs just plop rides and games down with
little regard for theming. They often can feel like warehouses. iPlay America is different.
This place has a nice atmosphere. It’s designed to me a cross of a New York City street and a
Jersey shore boardwalk. And I definitely get both those vibes. Then the newer section with
the coaster is themed to a garage with some car and autoshop paraphernalia on the walls.
The whole complex has dark lighting, so it feels like you’re at night and it’s
a brilliant choice. The colors of the fake storefronts towards the front pop. Then the
boardwalk area comes alive with all the lights on both the buildings and rides.
Like many FECs, this one is free to enter. You then can either pay-per-ride or purchased an
unlimited wristband. The latter costs just under $40 and it includes most rides, including the go
karts. It does not include ethe XD Dark Ride or the non-ride attractions like the laser tag.
If you pay-per-ride, you purchase a card and load it with credits. There’s a $2 fee to open a card
and each credit costs 50 cents. You can then them for rides, attractions, and games. Rides
cost 7 to 20 credits each, which is par for the course for most FECs. If you’re interested solely
in the coaster, that one is 12 credits or $6. Prior to visiting, definitely check the hours
online. They have long hours on the weekends, but their weekday hours are more limited. This place
tends to be closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Then they open in the late afternoon Wednesday-Friday.
On vacation weeks, they often extend their hours and add days to the calendar.
The games and a handful of attractions open with the park, but it is worth
noting the rides tend to open an hour late. iPlay is open until 9 or 11 pm most days,
meaning it tends to stay open later than Six Flags Great Adventure.
So if you’re seeking the coaster credit, it’s easy to pop in here at the end of the night.
I have only visited this park on vacation weeks, which should be some of their busiest days. Yet
crowds were very manageable. Guests were spread out pretty evenly between the games
and rides. Rides have been complete walk-ons. Now let’s talk about the attraction offerings.
The heart and soul is the arcade. This is mostly located in the center of the building,
but there are some additional games in the hallways. You have all sorts of modern games
and there’s a nice mix of redemption and non-redemption games. And one neat option
they offer is a non-redemption play pass if you don’t care about earning tickets.
Moving onto the rides, you have a dozen of them. Most are smaller flat rides targeted towards kids,
but there are 4 I want to highlight. First, is the Freedom Rider
spinning roller coaster. This is one of those highly common SBF Visa spinners.
This one has the usual figure 8 layout, but it is extra disorienting being indoors.
Second, is Reverse Time. This is the park’s most intense ride. This is a little flat from
SBF that’s their take on the Chance Wipeout or Freestyle. Do not be fooled by this
ride’s small size, it offers several little pops of airtime as you spin up-and-down.
Three, is the IPA Speedway Go Karts. This is probably the park’s most popular ride.
The track layout is very basic, but the electric carts are on the newer side.
Four, there’s the XD Dark Ride. If you’ve never done one of these Triotech attractions,
you sit on a motion platform, don 3D glasses, and use a gun to fire at a screen. It’s a lot
of fun! There are multiple films to pick from, lots of targets to shoot at, and the guns are
responsive. I think it’s the best ride there. Lastly, I know there are a few food options here.
There are quick service options plus a bar and grill. However,
I haven’t stayed long enough to try them. So do I recommend iPlay America? I think this
is a good FEC. It looks nice and the offerings are quite balanced. I think this place is best suited
for young kids and families. They could spend a few hours here easily. But young adults could
also enjoy themselves here if they love arcade games or spinning rides. Then you also have that
coaster credit to draw in the enthusiasts. So those are my thoughts on iPlay America,
a fun indoor FEC in New Jersey. What are your thoughts on this complex? Have you
been there? Let me know down in the comments. If you enjoyed this review, I’d appreciate it
if you gave this video a like and you considered subscribing since there will be a lot more roller
coaster and amusement park videos here at Canobie Coaster. Thanks for watching!