Birthday parties at A Step Outside of the Box include crafts, hair beading, nail polishing, tattoos, games, and much more. Schedule a gathering for any day of the week. Saturdays book up fast, so call early.

Food and beverages may be brought in, and customized invitations are printed for you. A $50 nonrefundable is required.

Aquatic Adventures offers a wide range of scuba diving instruction for beginner and experienced divers.

Underwater adventure parties include two hours of scuba instruction, diving equipment, cake, and balloons and are located at local pools.

Imagine a 985-acre historic island park with a beach, conservatory, and lighthouse on an island in downtown Detroit. First-time visitors to the city are shocked that such a jewel exists. But metro Detroiters know Belle Isle well and are proud of its offerings.

Travel across its 1/2-mile bridge and make a stop at the Scott Fountain first. Built in 1925 out of white marble, dozens of lions, dolphins, and turtles grace the fountain. Don't forget some spare change to hand over to your little wishers.

Move on to the Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory (open every day 10am-5pm), home to hundreds of cacti, ferns, and palms. Be sure to bring your camera - this is a beautiful place to capture images of your children amongst the flowers and plants.

Then check out the world's largest collection of scale-model Great Lakes ships at the Dossin Great Lakes Museum (open Sat-Sun 10am-4pm).

Due to budget issues, the zoo and aquarium are now closed (hopefully not for good), but there is much more to do here. There's a giant slide and playscape near the beach, tennis courts, and lots of areas for biking, walking, or strolling.

In the summertime, Belle Isle comes alive with ballplayers, joggers, and golfers (there is a nine-hole course and driving range on the island). Families and the smells of their BBQs fill the park, fishermen line the piers, and at the end of the day cars line up on the west side of the island to get a good sunset view.

Cool facts: The American Indians called the island Wah-nah-be-zee (White Swan). The French settlers placed wild pigs on the island and its named changed to Island of the Hogs. The park was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, the man who drew up the plans for that little ol' tract of trees known as Central Park in New York City. Famed architect Albert Kahn patterned the conservatory after Thomas Jefferson's Monticello.

To reserve a picnic shelter, call 313.852.4076.

To help preserve the park for future generations, call the Friends of Belle Isle at 313.331.7760.

The Sterling Inn is a great family hotel choice; what makes it spectacular for kids in particular is the 32,000-square-foot indoor water park.

The water park's alluring features include a three-story water slide, lazy river, water bikes, fitness center and indoor running track, video game arcade, and saunas and whirlpools. (Use of the water park is limited to hotel guests.) The hotel is also home to the Loon River Cafe.

Parties: The Sterling Inn offers birthday party packages at a rate of $25/person for a Sun-Thu evening and $35 for a Friday evening. Partiers get the use of one guest room per eight people, pizza, soda, and a birthday cake (minimum of five people).

Bloomer Park is a great place for bikers and hikers, with miles of trails that run throughout the park. If you're feeling adventurous, try the Velodrome, a 1/8-mile oval wooden bike track (open seasonally).

Pack a meal and picnic at Bloomer - there are four shelters for large gatherings. One is 1930s stone and wood timber building complete with a kitchen, fireplace, and restrooms. Give the park a ring to find out how you can rent this or the other shelters.

There are numerous kids' play areas, but you'll find a large playscape and sandbox near the Stone Shelter.

Winter activities include sledding (there are three runs) and cross-country skiing (the trails are not groomed).

A 56-acre land laboratory for students from preschool through adult in the Bloomfield Hills School District, the Bowers School Farm also has year-round open-barn days on the third Saturday of April, May, September, and October, with activities for the public.

Residing at the farm are animals typical of a working farm. Sheep, cattle, horses, and a donkey graze the pastures. There is also poultry of all types, rabbits, goats, pigs, and ponies.

For a nominal fee, guided tours of the facilities and animals are available for families, groups, and school classes.

Barn parties at the farm, which include barn visits, a hay ride, milking a cow, grooming a pony, and refreshments and gift opening in the gazebo or indoors, cost $8.50-$10 for children and $5-$6.50 for adults.

Carousel Acres is a family-operated farm that offers pony parties, a mobile petting farm, and what they call "Zoo to You."

Visit the farm to see a collection of beautiful butterflies, give the animals a scratch on the back, and watch the reptiles sneak about. The farm also has Santa and real reindeer during the holiday season.

Far from a typical barber shop or salon, Cookie Cutters is a fantasy world for kids where they just happen to be able to get a haircut. Kids can choose between a pink antique car and an airplane to sit atop while the clippers are at work (regular chairs are available for big kids). While they're being styled, kids can watch a video or play a video game.

While waiting for a haircut, children find lots of stuff to entertain themselves with such as a slide, toys, video games, and bubbles. At the end of the haircut, children receive a sucker and a balloon with a little cookie cutter attached to it.

Additional services include hair braiding, Shirley Temple manicures, and mock shaves with lots of lather for little boys.

Prices are $13.95 for a cut, $2 for shampoo, $9.95 for an updo, and $5 for a Shirley Temple manicure.

Birthday parties can be scheduled for any day of the week for $15/child. Parties include updos, manicures, crafts, gift bags, and a birthday cake.

The Costick Center is a great facility that offers families from Farmington Hills/Farmington and surrounding communities a wide variety of social, recreational, and cultural activities, events, programs, and services. The facility features an indoor swimming pool, a multipurpose gymnasium, three soccer fields, and meeting rooms.

Loads of classes for adults and kids are offered, in subjects that include drawing, dancing, painting, and music.

Parties: A good number of birthday party packages are available, ranging in price from $175 to $225 for up to 20 people. Families can choose from a supervised pool party, craft party, sports party, or classic party (featuring traditional party games).

This is a large petting farm that houses more than 100 animals, including many rare breeds. Pony rides and hayrides are offered on the weekends.

Birthday packages are available on weekends from 10:30am-1pm or 2pm-4:30pm in either an historic farmhouse or the train-themed Griffith Station. The cost is $200 for 20 guests; $250 for 30 guests; and $300 for 40 guests. Pizza and beverages are included. Pony rides are available at an additional cost of $3 per ride.

The petting farm is located at Domino's Farms, a rolling 271-acre campus that is home to many educational, medical, and financial institutions.

Fantasy Tea Parties brings complete, hosted parties for girls and boys to your location of choice. Themes include Cinderella's ball, glam girls, Spider Man, Dora, and more.

Fantasy Tea Parties brings complete, hosted parties for girls and boys to your location of choice. Themes include Cinderella's ball, glam girls, Spider Man, Dora, and more.

The Flint Children's Museum, located on the Kettering University campus, includes more than 40 educational hands-on exhibits as well as monthly themed activities that seek to inspire learning and imagination in children.

The museum also offers party rooms for rental and discounted admission rates for birthday parties.

Funky Girl Salon is located inside Maxx Play and offers both glamour makeovers and roller skating. Party packages are available for girls ages five to 12 - including Diva Fashion Shows, Music Video Diva parties in which partygoers make their own music videos, and Roller Diva parties.

The salon is owned and operated by Tiki Hut Entertainment.

Goldfish Swim School is Michigan's first aquatic facility dedicated entirely to indoor swim classes and programs for infants to adults.

Birthday parties can be held on Saturday afternoons throughout the year. Summer camps are also available.

Haverhill provides horse riding lessons for all ages. Works with the Boy and Girl Scouts in their efforts to earn badges. Also has summer day camps.

Pony parties. Consider renting a pony for your family party - Haverhill has 30 ponies from which to choose. Rates are $175/pony (including the handler) for two hours (additional ponies are $140).

Wedding horses are also available. Service extends within a 30-mile radius of the farm. Reserve at least two weeks in advance.

Owned by the city of Taylor, the Heritage Park Petting Farm gives families a chance to interact with farm animals such as goats, donkeys, pigs, sheep, and ponies.

There is a visitors' center, heated barn, and indoor and outdoor restrooms. The farm's interpretive pond is home to ducks, frogs, turtles, and plant and insect life.

This is a great place for school tours (an education coordinator assists teachers with an agricultural-based lesson plan), and rooms are available for holding birthday parties or other events.

Highwater Corral offers horseback riding, hand-led rides for little ones, swimming, camping, kayaking, and more. Reservations are recommended.

The ranch also offers birthday parties with either a trail ride or pony ride theme.

Joann Stores sell craft supplies and teach adults (and kids) to develop their creativity, and specific crafting skills, through 'Joann University' classes held at all Superstore locations.

Classes vary by month and by store location, and generally include sewing, crocheting, cake decorating, and specific project-oriented crafting classes for children from Kindergarten through teens.

Crafting party programs are available for a wide variety of ages and interests, and they're not just for birthdays - tea parties are popular with little girls anytime.

Joann Stores sell craft supplies and teach adults (and kids) to develop their creativity, and specific crafting skills, through 'Joann University' classes held at all Superstore locations.

Classes vary by month and by store location, and generally include sewing, crocheting, cake decorating, and specific project-oriented crafting classes for children from Kindergarten through teens.

Crafting party programs are available for a wide variety of ages and interests, and they're not just for birthdays - tea parties are popular with little girls anytime.

Yoga for Kids classes at Just Breathe! are designed to teach traditional postures, body awareness, breathing techniques, and relaxation methods in a safe, fun, and creative way.

Yoga parties are available; call or check the website for details.

Justice Just for Girls carries its own line of clothing for 'tweens ages seven to 14, including tops, jeans, skirts, dresses, and swimwear, plus jewelry, shoes, bags, and other accessories.

The store also offers birthday party packages, which include make-overs, goodie bags, and games.

Kids Kingdom's got a castle-like decor that immediately puts little party-goers in a medieval/renaissance frame of mind. Birthday party packages are all-inclusive, and cover invitations, decorations, cake, games, crafts, goodie bags, and more.

Families can choose from Princess, Pirate, Knights, or faeries themes - costumes can br provided, too. Face painting, magic, and pizza are also available, for additional fees.

Kimbrella makes girls' tea party dreams come true. A theme-party business that provides dress-up parties for girls, Kimbrella is the thought-child of entreprenuer Kimberly Williams.

Choose from such themes as Back to School Tea, Dolly Me and Tea, Mommy Tea and Me, and Teddy Me and Tea. Cakes and pastries can be ordered, and items such as party favors, canopies, chocolate fountains, and horse and buggies can be arranged.

Kimbrella makes girls' tea party dreams come true. A theme-party business that provides dress-up parties for girls, Kimbrella is the thought-child of entreprenuer Kimberly Williams.

Choose from such themes as Back to School Tea, Dolly Me and Tea, Mommy Tea and Me, and Teddy Me and Tea. Cakes and pastries can be ordered, and items such as party favors, canopies, chocolate fountains, and horse and buggies can be arranged.

Nestled in a pink cottage in St. Clair Shores, Kitty Deluxe is a cute gift shop and bead gallery.

Schedule a party at the shop and allow your children to become their own jewelry designers. Party prices range from $10-$14/person. Cake and presents may be brought in.

Ladels is a children's book boutique located in Corktown. The cozy store carries all the classics and award-winners and provides a retreat for kids and parents from all things electronic. Books based on TV shows, video games, and toys with batteries are not in the inventory. Instead, Ladels introduces kids to the simple joy of a good book.

Ladels hosts frequent storytimes and also offers literary children's parties, starting at $60.

The Leslie Science & Nature Center provides natural science and environmental education opportunities for children and their families. The Center is situated on 50 acres of fields, woods, and prairieland in the heart of Ann Arbor. The education programs are outdoors, hands-on, and discovery-based. Programs are offered for school groups, scouts, and the general public. LSNC offers special programs and camps throughout the year, and also offers birthday party packages.

Located at Independence Oaks County Park, the Lewis E. Wint Nature Center offers exhibits and year-round educational programs conducted by park naturalists. Nature center field trips can be scheduled for groups. The Cohn Amphitheater, with a shelter and fire circle, accommodates 150-200 guests for gatherings and seasonal performances.

Parties: Families with children ages four to 12 can throw a "wild" birthday party at the center. At $7/child, the party includes a nature talk (choice of four topics, geared to specific ages), nature-related game, a choice of a craft or hike, party invitations, decorations, and a goodie bag for each child. There is a minimum of eight children. A cake and beverages can be brought in.

The Rubach Sensory Garden, with gazebo and water garden, is located near the Nature Center.

The nature center is located inside Independence Oaks County Park, which requires a park entry fee of $12/vehicle or $7/vehicle for Oakland County residents. Annual permits are available.

A 100-acre nature sanctuary that provides a wide range of educational programs for adults and children. The center is popular for school fieldtrips.

Summer camps and public workshops are offered. Families can celebrate kids' birthdays with a two-hour program that includes a naturalist-led talk, live animal demonstration, nature activity, hike, decorations,
invitations, and a gift for each party participant. Parties start at $120 for up to 12 children.

Escape from the city and enjoy the peaceful gardens, conservatory, and miles of nature trails at Matthaei Botanical Gardens.

Throw an unforgettable garden party - Matthaei has rooms with tables and chairs for up to 100 people. Food can be brought in. Call 734.647.7808 for more information.

Yearning for more nature, head over to the nearby, equally beautiful Nichols Arboretum.

When balloons, cake, and ice cream aren't enough to make your party guests cheer, consider a call to My Zoo 2 U. The outfit offers hands-on, live animal educational shows for your gatherings, and will travel up to 100 miles from the company's Auburn Hills location.

Home parties cost $125 for one hour with six animals of your choice ($175 after 4pm). School or scout troop shows are $100 ($150 after 4pm).

A surprising find in the middle of suburbia is the Nature Center at Friendship Woods, which is nestled among nearly 40 acres of the George W. Suarez Friendship Woods.

Enjoy seasonal nature displays, exhibits, movies, walking tours, and a small gift store.

Educational programs: The center holds a number of year-round programs for scouts, homeschoolers, and others on such topics as chemistry, geology, and pioneer survival. Most Fridays in the months of May and June, and September and October, feature a midday hot dog lunch. Nature camps for school-age students are available in the summer. Check the website for specifics.

Parties: Hold a birthday party for children ages five to 12 at the nature center and pair it with a guided trail tour, short video, and birthday games or crafts. Cost is $100 for 12 children ($8/additional child) and includes a gift for the birthday child. Parties are held Saturdays 10am-12n.

If you're looking to relax and get away, Oasis Hot Tub Gardens might just be what you need. Each hot tub is surrounded by a themed garden area with a landscaped deck, privacy fencing, and dressing room. Children are welcome - they can even host your child's birthday party! - and the business has discounted family rates, allowing parents to bring up to two kids free.

Oasis has three locations in Michigan: Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids, and Kalamazoo. Reservations are suggested.

One of metro Detroit's best waterparks, Red Oaks features a triple-flume waterslide, a 990-foot long moving river, a heated wave-action pool, a children's water playground, and a water play area for toddlers.

The park has a bathhouse with lockers, showers, bathrooms, and changing areas; picnic areas with tables and grills; and concessions.

Two-week swim lessons are offered to infants, children, and adults; the cost is $50 for county residents and $60 for nonresidents.

Birthday party packages are available to groups of 10 or more. Call for details.

With ID, Oakland County residents receive discounted rates. Discounts are also available for senior citizens, twilight (after 4pm) and groups of 20 or more with prior approval.

SugarBuzz offers fun and innovative private parties for children. Families can choose from a number of fantasy themed celebrations - such as a pirate party, disco diva party, cowboy/girl party, or princess ball - complete with games, crafts, and treats.

Party prices start at $245 for 90-minutes of fun for 10 children and two adults. The price includes a choice of *food, a SugarBuzz signature cake with ice cream, a candy bag, a themed hat, and a game with a small prize for each child. Deluxe parties include a half-hour of disco and karaoke in the ballroom and a visit from Buzz the elephant.

* Food choices include pizza, hot dogs, pinwheel sandwiches, and tea sandwiches.

Parents and grandparents probably remember the plastic elephant keys that set off educational recordings at each animal cage at the Detroit Zoo, which is actually located in a suburb north of the city. Memorable as they were, the keys are gone. The live elephants are gone as well (sniffle!) - off to a better place, for them, in California (and doing just fine!).

The Detroit Zoo is not a zoo of the past. In fact, it has continuously reinvented itself through the years to become a state-of-the-art, great-fun-for-the-whole-family - and-for-the-animals-too - zoological park.

It still has the Penguinarium, Great Apes of Harambee, and the Tauber Family Railroad ($2/one way), but it now also has the Butterfly House, Amphibiville, Australian Outback Adventure, and the Arctic Ring of Life - the world's largest polar bear exhibit, at which visitors can actually walk into a transparent tunnel and watch seals and polar bears frolick above and around.

Kids go wild in the playscape area, with separate areas for younger and older kids. In fact, you might want to move around the zoo clockwise to hit the play area early so your kids don't experience burnout before this point.

Admission to the Detroit Zoo and its features adds up, so if making repeat visits, a seasonal family membership of $74 is the way to go.

Strollers, wagons, wheelchairs, and electric vehicles are available for an extra fee.

Parties: The zoo rents out picnic sites in its park with picnic tables for $100. Tented sites for a catered event are available at an additional charge.

Have a Wild Adventure Birthday Celebration at the zoo for up to 12 guests for $20/child and $21/adult. The price includes zoo admission, pizza or hot dogs and chips, beverages, ice cream cups, gift bags for each child, and decorations.

Parents and grandparents probably remem