Dancing at iPlay America in Freehold
In 2011, residents of central Jersey were treated to the opening of the indoor amusement park iPlay America in Freehold. Having worked in Monmouth County for years, I had heard all about it from the news and my students. The buzz surrounding its opening reached far and wide back then, and iPlay continues to be a destination for those that want a day of fun. With four acres of indoor amusements, a TopGolf Swing Suite, and fine dining, many locals and tourists plan a visit when their schedules allow.
Dance Competitions Take Center Stage
Over the years, iPlay’s Event Center has hosted celebrity meet-and-greets, corporate functions, and more. If memory serves, they began scheduling dance competitions shortly before COVID struck.
Our team primarily competes with Star Dance Alliance, and I noticed that several dates for SDA were booked at iPlay beginning last year (it could have happened before that, but I don’t recall). During our preseason meeting, we received our schedule for the upcoming year. I was happily surprised when I saw iPlay was on our 2023 calendar because it is located less than 30 minutes from our house (I pass it every day on the way to work).
As with most venues, we encountered things we liked and things we didn’t. I reached out to members of our Tri-State Dance Moms group for feedback as well, and compiled it into the review below. Keep in mind that certain experiences were had before COVID, which greatly impacts the writers’ perspectives.
The Stage
The stage in the Event Center of iPlay America is not a permanent one (like you would have in a theater). The crew erects one for the event, which has its predictable drawbacks.
My girls were among the first to compete from our dance school (teen solos and duos performed on Friday night). They had practically nothing positive to say about it, which concerned me right away. Both girls said it felt “hollow,” meaning they didn’t feel as though it was stable or solid underneath. Even as early as Friday night, the tape between the strips of Marley flooring was peeling up in spots as well.
While my girls didn’t feel like the stage was too small, they did have an issue with their production number. Typically, we’ve performed on stages with room behind the curtain for dancers to pass through. But unfortunately, dancers had to run through the wings, down a few metal steps, and behind the entire setup to get to the other side of the stage to run up a few more steps. Jocelyn entirely missed her featured part because she couldn’t make it in time, and other dancers had entrance or exit issues as well.
Another dance parent (whose child isn’t a part of our team, and who performed at iPlay on a different date) reported that his daughter stepped on a shard of glass backstage. Thankfully, she suffered just a small cut. While the staff cannot control everything, they certainly can keep the floors swept clean.
The Dressing Rooms
For me, the dressing rooms (and the proximity to my house) were the best features of the venue. Dancers had plenty of space to set up their things between the two dressing rooms, and there was even space behind a curtain to warm up and run routines. Both areas were very close to the stage, so you did not have to worry about a lengthy distance to cover between the warm-up and the performance.
The Food Situation
If you’re headed to iPlay for an event, you need to know that they do not allow any outside food or drink in the building as of this writing. We were told that we could bring in a refillable water bottle, but had to keep the refills in our cars (and trek out there to refill the bottles as needed). Cups of coffee or tea could not have any logos on them; otherwise, you had to finish them in the lobby.
Some families reported that the security guards thoroughly checked their bags to make sure no contraband was contained inside, but others said that the guards didn’t dig through their stuff. One dance mom found the guards to be on the rude side; thankfully, all of the interactions I had with them were positive.
The Concessions
Inside the venue, you could buy yogurt, Caesar salad, fruit cups, donuts, Uncrustables, chicken fingers with fries, popcorn, hot pretzels, cold drinks, and other snacks at the concession stand. As expected, these items were not exactly value priced. I had asked the cashier if there were any other options, and she curtly replied in the negative. In fact, she seemed offended that I asked.
While I was walking in the hallway, an employee asked me if I needed anything. I was pleasantly surprised, and told him that I wished the snack stand had more options that were either healthier or more substantial. He told me that I could order takeout from the restaurant in front of the TopGolf Swing Suite and bring it into the Event Center.
For us, that was a godsend because my girls avoid greasy food before they take the stage. Take a look at the picture of the menu I posted here; I had the hot honey chicken sandwich, and the girls had macaroni and cheese. I wish the cashier at the concession stand would have mentioned this option before, but was happy to utilize it the rest of the weekend.
Update March 2024: In the picture above, the top two menus were from the concession stand, and the bottom three were from the TopGolf Swing Suite restaurant. The kids’ menu has basic fare: chicken fingers, hot dogs, pizza, burger sliders, mac and cheese, pasta and meatballs, grilled cheese, and mozzarella sticks. On the adult menu, they offer eight appetizers (including Bavarian pretzel sticks, fried Brussel sprouts, mac and cheese bites, and more), noodles (including a penne vodka dish or zucchini noodles), and five types of pizzas (classic cheese, pepperoni, margarita, hot Italian, and drunken chicken). Tacos, quesadillas, burgers, cheesesteak, chicken sandwich, and more round out the menu.
I had the Firecracker Shrimp (I would not recommend). The girls were still fans of the macaroni and cheese (the kid’s portion is pretty huge).
Recently, a more upscale restaurant called The Loaded Spoon opened within iPlay. For options outside of the building (but within the same plaza), head to Krispy Pizza or Golden Bao.
The Sound, Seating, and More
Unfortunately, the sound quality was lacking in iPlay’s Event Center. The music was either muffled or too low for the entirety of the competition. During the awards ceremony, I struggled to understand what the emcee was saying. The audience chatter seemed to fill the place, and dancers reported that they even they could hear the loud volume of the spectators’ conversations.
As for the seating, that wasn’t much better. You had to park it in a banquet chair on the level floor. For shorties like me, that meant I struggled to see over the heads of the people in front of me (and it made me long for venues with stadium seating).
For our event, they had set up a step-and-repeat towards the back of the room (complete with a ring light for your phone’s camera).
To access the bathrooms, you need to walk to the back of the Event Center and through the lobby. The distance isn’t terrible, but it got a little chaotic during high-traffic times.
Lodging
IPlay America does not have any on-site lodging, so you will need to book a nearby hotel. They endorse The American Hotel, the Radisson Hotel America, and the Courtyard by Marriott.
Overall Pros
Families with non-dancing children will find that there is plenty to do while the competition is running. Kids will have a blast with the rides and games contained within the park (which comes with a significant price tag, to be sure). But I doubt you’ll find many other venues that can entertain your non-dancers as well as iPlay America can.
And while the cost of food is predictably high, I found myself a little less stressed about meal planning because I knew I only had in-house options.
Parking is free, and there is plenty of it.
During my time there (all three days of a competition weekend), I was approached by two employees on two separate days to inquire if I needed anything. They both listened to my feedback thoughtfully, and offered helpful suggestions. Both were very courteous and friendly.
I was most pleased by the amount of space in the dressing rooms. Everyone had plenty of elbow room, which made preparation significantly less stressful.
Overall Cons
Most of the dance moms that offered feedback about iPlay America cited the food situation as their #1 complaint. As you would expect, it was overpriced and lacking in healthy options. Plus, the food ban prevented families from bringing in cupcakes or other treats for their dancers’ birthdays. One contributor reported that the competition company wasn’t even allowed to put out the water supply they normally do because of the ban. To me, this is unacceptable; these are KIDS, and we shouldn’t need to buy a $4 bottle of Aquafina to quench their thirst.
Because it is a smaller venue, the atmosphere inside the Event Center got a little chaotic at times. If you were in the audience, you could clearly hear noise from the concession stand and from the teams taking pictures in front of the step-and-repeat.
Leaving the venue took some time after each awards ceremony. From what I could tell, drivers only had one option to enter and exit the parking lot. As you can imagine, this created a fairly long line during peak times.
As I mentioned before, my girls were left very unsatisfied by the stage itself. And the seating and sound quality were nothing to write home about, either.
The Final Word
Local families (like us) would most likely consider a dance competition at iPlay for the convenience and familiarity. But out-of-towners might be frustrated by the small venue, food ban, lack of on-site lodging, and other factors. A team from Delaware competed at the Believe competition we attended, and I couldn’t help but wonder what their take on iPlay was. Were they wondering why the heck they traveled so far for this experience? I am not certain that we will be attending an event here anytime soon, and we live within half an hour of it.
For more reviews on New Jersey venues, check out Dancing at the STAC in Manahawkin, Harrah’s in Atlantic City, and the Meadowlands Expo Center.
If you live in the Tri-State area, join our community of dance moms on Facebook!
