WHAT TO DO AFTER DARK : FOUNTAIN VALLEY : Fun, Games Draw Kids of All Ages

It’s a fun place to play a round of miniature golf, race around a go-cart track, challenge the latest video games, take a ride on a Ferris wheel or take a turn in a batting cage.

Huish Family Fun Center, off Magnolia and Warner avenues next to the San Diego Freeway, offers attractions for children and adults--and it’s entertainment at reasonable prices.

“We appeal not just to children, but (to) everyone of all ages,” said Steve White, director of group sales and marketing.

White said the center offers youths a safe place to play, families a place to be entertained together and adults an alternative.

The center opened in 1970 with two 18-hole miniature golf courses and billiard tables, which were later replaced with video games, White said.

Today, it has expanded to include a go-cart track, bumper boats, more than 150 video games and 16 batting cages that offer everything from from slow-pitch softball pitches to 70-m.p.h. baseball fast balls.

A round of miniature golf costs $5 for adults and $3.50 for children age 12 and under. Go-carts are $3.75 for a five-minute ride; it’s $3.25 for a six-minute ride on the bumper boats.

In August, 1992, Kiddie Big Top opened, a themed area geared to children. But adults can also take a ride on the Pirate Rocking Ship or Ferris wheel.

Inside Bullwinkle’s Family Food ‘N Fun Restaurant, characters Rocky and Bullwinkle and a water fantasy fountain show entertain diners. The family-oriented restaurant serves pizza, fried chicken, hamburgers and hot and cold sandwiches and offers a soup and salad bar as well as beer and wine.

The restaurant will be holding its sixth-annual nonalcoholic New Year’s Eve party.

“It’s an alternative--a way for families to spend New Year’s together in a safe atmosphere,” White said.

Tickets bought in advance are $6.50 for adults and $5 for children, which includes all-you-can-eat pizza and soda and $2.50 in game tokens per person.

White said the event has sold out for past celebrations.

Family Fun Center opens at 9 a.m. weekdays for miniature golf, with the remainder of the center opening at noon. Closing time is 10 p.m. weekdays and midnight on Friday. Saturday hours are 9 a.m. to midnight and Sunday 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.

For indoor entertainment, next door to the Family Fun Center on Recreation Circle is Fountain Valley Skating Center.

“It’s good exercise, good music, a social-type atmosphere, and it’s relatively inexpensive compared to other night activities,” said Bob La Briola, owner and operator.

La Briola said the skating rink draws all ages--from children to those in their 60s and 70s.

“It’s a great mixture of people, and it’s great for families,” he said.

Admission for nighttime skating is $4.50; skate rental is $1.50.

Sunday is family night, and a family of five gets in for $8.

Thursday and Sunday from 8:30 to 11:30 p.m. the roller-rink is open to adults only. On Friday and Saturday nights, hours are 6 p.m. to midnight.