Rainforest Cafe050

Like most theme restaurants, The Rainforest Cafe was designed with families in mind, and therefore it's just about always packed with parents and kids.

High chairs, boosters, kids' menus, crayons, and coloring books are all part of the program, but the main draw is the animatronic animals and jungle decor.

Since it is supposed to mirror a "rainforest" experience, the restaurant holds periodic "thunderstorms," complete with darkness, then flashes of lightning, and the distant rumble of thunder. Some kids find this sort of thing a bit alarming, but if your child does have a fear of storms, you might find the Rainforest Cafe is a good place to walk him or her through that particular phobia.

Rainforest Cafe is a wild place to celebrate a birthday; kids can be the King or Queen of the Jungle for a per-child, all-inclusive rate. Birthday party packages include invitations, a selection from the special Birthday Bash Menu, a souvenir cup, treasure map and crayons, a pith helmet, and a keepsake photograph of the birthday boy or girl. For an additional charge, upgrades include the Birthday Bash Bag, stuffed with party favors.