We don't have a large older contingent at all. The party will be 90% classmates. I don't like the look of Maggiano's. Which hotels might offer a good value? DC or close-in Bethesda (or even Arlington) would work.

Thanks!

Anonymous wrote:When you do the party at the bowling ally or Smokey Glen Farm, what does Great Grandma and Great Uncle do? Those venues don't seem very elderly friendly but they do sound kid friendly.

And along that note, how do these venues handle kosher catering? Are there set caterers that they work with? I'm going to assume kosher is not an option at Smokey Glen.

Some of these places may not work if you have a large older contingent or need kosher catering. Some places will allow you to bring in your own caterer. OP did not ask so I assumed it did not matter to them.

When you do the party at the bowling ally or Smokey Glen Farm, what does Great Grandma and Great Uncle do? Those venues don't seem very elderly friendly but they do sound kid friendly.

And along that note, how do these venues handle kosher catering? Are there set caterers that they work with? I'm going to assume kosher is not an option at Smokey Glen.

Depends on the number of people. Lots of the smaller places are only good for up to 150 people. Maggiano's and some of the other hotels offer pretty good value for these type of events. While you may care, most kids don't really care about decorating. They want a great DJ, lots of giveaways and 3-4 dancers. Fun Food would be second.

If you are in Maryland, the Bolger Center is pretty cost effective. Smokey Glen farm could also work.

Anonymous wrote:We're still a few years behind but what is a kids party? For my bat mitzvah, there was only one party for both the adults and the kids. Now there are 2?

No, OP is referring to the evening party.

the upstairs room of guapo's!

We're still a few years behind but what is a kids party? For my bat mitzvah, there was only one party for both the adults and the kids. Now there are 2?

Haven't been but I've heard Maggiono's is good.

I've been ruling out the hotels because I think it will wind up being more expensive to decorate a ballroom. If we do it at a restaurant or other place that already has some personality, then I think we don't have to deal with the decorating, the planner, etc. Trying to keep the cost down.

Pinstripes, Buffalo Billiards and those types of places.

We went to a nice one at Cesco in Bethesda also one at Bolmor in Bethesda.

But some of our favorite have been at hotels too so don't rule that out

Pinstripes.

For those of you who have attended (or whose kids have attended) bar and bat mitzvahs in the DC/MD/VA area, can you recommend venues that are particularly fun for kids? We're scoping out a location and do not want to use a hotel ballroom. We'd rather find a fun venue that doesn't require a lot of decorating, etc. A restaurants would be fine. Any suggestions? Thank you!