By Sarrah Peters
News Editor
On April 1, 2014, The Factory opened its doors. The fun-filled facility is different from any other nearby attraction.
The Factory features a trampoline gym and trampoline dodgeball court. For teen nights, the regular lights are darkened and muticolored lights take its place, while music is played.
There is also a small arcade and batting cages. The Factory even has a black light dance floor, where children can enter to “dance, twerk, dougie, wobble, swim, shake, twist, hitchhike, pony, moonwalk or do whatever it is you do,” as the sign says. The black light dance floor has become a huge attraction for birthday parties, so much so that there is a waiting list for glow in the dark parties.
The Factory has become, in only about ten months since opening, a go-to for birthday parties. The facility hosts about 25 every weekend. Birthday parties cost anywhere from $100, on half-off Wednesdays, to $300. The Factory is not just limited to birthday parties, though. They can handle any group, including sororities and church youth groups.
The Factory opened a new adventure about a month ago: the Si-Fi Safari. While it is somewhat similar to laser tag, it is a unique experience. While the system uses laser tag guns instead of shooting at opposing teams, players shoot at small red targets on the sculptures and background. The system’s creator had only done shooting galleries and laser tag before this project, so he had to create something entirely new.
The Si-Fi Safari features four rooms, each with different themes. The players, four per game, have a minute in each room to shoot as many targets as they can. The winner is the person that shot the most targets.
“We kind of are anti-video game here. I wanted everything in our building to be about moving and doing, instead of sitting on the couch and playing video games. So we thought, let’s make it like you are inside a video game,” said Bethanne Staton.
What makes the Si-Fi Safari so fun is the immersive design. The sculptures of aliens and Transformers were created out of used car parts in Thailand. The murals that make up the background add to the experience, as well. One mural, of a castle, was painted by Janice Starling, a Gadsden native who has painted for Disney. She volunteered to work on the project while at the The Factory during a visit home.
The Factory also has a small cafe, with a joke of the day, of course. The facility also sells merchandise, like t-shirts and hoodies.
For more information, visit thefactorygadsden.com.