Finding Myself in the Auto "Zone"

It probably should have dawned on me way sooner than it did that the auto themes I discovered during my next two stops were likely a tribute to being in such close proximity to the Motor City. You see, I bounced from the Fun Garage in Canton, MI over to Rev'd Up Fun in Wood Haven, both with prominent automotive themes and also running versions of Zone laser tag.

I stopped by the Fun Garage first.

As soon as I walked through the door I was greeted by manager John who did not know I was coming, but immediately took note of my Zero Gravity (Albany Zone site) t-shirt and was familiar with the location. I was surprised and impressed by that! He was kind enough to walk me to the arena and make sure that I got into the arena quickly because I was trying to keep on schedule. Although he said I could wait for a group, he gave me the choice to play a one on one with game master James and that sounded like the best option...although perhaps a bit of a surprise for James!

You can see behind us in the vesting room there was a stop sign, just one example of how they incorporated the theme. Inside the double level arena had a CW theme that I have seen before with the "fun garages" housing the bases and video screens.

We played a light game of Helios CE. I had a partial view into the base housing from the upper level, but opted to defend it from the lower level where we played the majority of the game. However, if we were playing in a more populated game I would have likely spent more time taking bird's eye shots from that upper level that was accessible from ramps on either side.

After the game I inquired whether they had t-shirts available and the girls at the counter were terrific to send me home with some tag swag.

What I will remember most about the Fun Garage is the really personable staff I encountered. From the greeting at the door, the friendly conversations with the staff on both sides of the laser tag entrance and the sweet girls at the counter who gave me props by telling me that they loved and admired that I was living a really cool adventure by doing what I love. I really do love laser tag, but I also love meeting great people like this along the way and, while my visit to the Fun Garage was short, it was memorable because of the people there and the way they made me feel as a customer. Next time through I hope to have more time here!

Then I was off to my second Zone location of the day.

Everything about this site gives nods to the auto industry. I really should have taken a few photos of the cars on display because, even though I know nothing about cars, I'm sure there is a story behind them and there were several sharp looking automobiles showcased throughout the lobby.

Rev'd Up Fun uses Helios Pro and similarly, had another CW arena design, however the aesthetic here had a little more deliberate "roughness" to go along with their Junkyard Wars theme.

While I was waiting in line for the next laser tag session to go in I was greeted by a gentleman checking on the game and from the way he was being attentive to customers I sensed he must be an owner. In fact he was one of the business partners, Kevin Johnson, and I let him know that I was here because of the positive recommendation I had been given about this site. When it was time to enter the game I went in with a family group and game master Angelo joined to help even out the teams.

This was a larger playing space and plenty of bells and whistles. I walked through one gate over to a video screen and had a V8 moment when I actually walked right past the base because I was expecting to find it in one spot and it was...well, exactly where I should have found it!

I found a pick-up pad in one corner...

...and maneuvered around some of the interesting decorative structures all throughout the arena.

This was a nice, double level arena and we played a lot of this game on the upper level, so there was a bit of contrast between the two visits. I had a nice time playing with the group here. It's very nice to see how both these locations played up what this part of Michigan is known for and I really enjoyed getting to play two Zone sites right on the heels of having played two Blast sites earlier in the day. And once I hopped into my own "auto zone" (i.e. my rental car) I was headed to Ohio next. What a great time I had visiting Michigan again!

Comments or Questions?

Contact: tivia@tiviachickloveslasertag.com

Websites: www.tiviachickloveslasertag.com and www.photonforever.com