FunKidsActivities

Makutu's Island

6919 W Ray Rd, Chandler, AZ 85226, USA

Overview

Category:New Year's Eve Kids Activities
Location:Phoenix, AZ

Expert Summary

Detailed Insights

Makutu's Island is an expansive, multi-level indoor playground experience that aims to provide diverse activities for children to burn energy, especially valuable during extreme weather. It features multiple distinct themed play zones, including a central tree with "snake slides," a Flintstones-style cave, and a dedicated toddler area. Reviews indicate recent improvements under new management, with a focus on cleanliness, repair, and active, friendly staff. The venue is also highlighted for its ability to host well-organized birthday parties.

Key Highlights

  • Features multiple "awesome" slides, including distinctive "snake slides" and many types to go down.
  • Offers four distinct play areas: a giant central tree playground, a blue tree playground, a Flintstones-style cave playground with a fish tank and waterfall, and a dedicated toddler's playground.
  • Reported improvements under new owners/management include cleaner facilities, better repair, and improved lighting.
  • Staff is described as friendly, "constantly in motion cleaning surfaces and circulating the grounds," and "wonderful."
  • The cafe is large, clean, and offers "pretty good" food like curly fries and small pizzas.
  • Bathrooms are clean and feature both adult and kids-height toilets and sinks.
  • Effective AC system provides comfortable play even when it's 106 degrees Fahrenheit outside.
  • Plenty of full hand sanitizer dispensers are available throughout the building.
  • Birthday parties are well-managed, with staff decorating party rooms to requested themes and events running "like clockwork."
  • Arcade issues (e.g., non-working machines) were refunded without issue by staff (though this is contradicted by another review).

Standout Features

  • Extensive multi-level playground structure with numerous slides, including unique "snake slides."
  • Dedicated toddler play area designed for younger children.
  • Climate-controlled environment (effective AC) making it ideal for play during extreme outdoor temperatures.
  • Staff-assisted birthday party planning, including room decoration according to requested themes.
  • On-site cafe offering a selection of "pretty good" food like curly fries and small pizzas.
  • Clean bathrooms equipped with both adult and child-sized toilets and sinks.
  • Plenty of hand sanitizer dispensers available throughout the facility.

Perfect For

Suitable for a wide range of younger children as "any child will find something to enjoy and get a workout."
Specifically caters to toddlers with a dedicated "toddler's playground."
Children who enjoy multi-story climbing structures and various slides will find it engaging.
Adults can participate in the play structures but may find the height challenging, potentially hitting their heads, limiting comfortable play for taller individuals.

Ideal For

Families seeking an indoor venue for children to release energy, especially during inclement or excessively hot weather (e.g., 100F+ days).
Children's birthday parties, particularly for parents who value staff assistance with room decoration and event coordination.
Playdates for families with children across a range of ages, including toddlers, due to the diverse play zones.
Parents who generally appreciate a clean environment and friendly, attentive staff (though with caveats from one review).
Kids who love slides, climbing, and exploring multi-level playground structures.

💡Pro Tips from Reviews

  • If adults plan to actively join children in the main play structure, be mindful of height limitations to avoid hitting your head and be aware of potentially "sketchy" climbing posts (Review 3).
  • Confirm the current sock policy (whether included with admission or an additional $3-4 purchase) directly with the venue before your visit to avoid surprises.
  • If using the arcade, closely monitor game functionality and be prepared to request credit reimbursements from staff for any broken or faulty machines (Review 5).
  • Consider this an excellent indoor option for active play on very hot days, as the AC is highly effective.
  • For birthday parties, leverage the staff's assistance with room decoration and event management, as they are noted for making events run "like clockwork."
  • Given the conflicting reports on cleanliness and maintenance, a quick visual inspection of the main play structure upon arrival might be prudent if these are significant concerns for your family.

Things to Consider

  • **Significant discrepancy in cleanliness and maintenance:** One detailed review (Review 5) reports "caked on grime" in the jungle gym and bathrooms, "broken parts," and "wobbling floor plates" that raise safety concerns, directly contradicting other reviews praising cleanliness and good repair.
  • **Adult play structure height:** The main play structure is described as "ALMOST not built tall enough for us big kids," causing adults to hit their heads when crouching and standing (Review 3). Climbing metal posts were also described as "kinda sketch."
  • **Arcade functionality issues:** One reviewer reported that "half of the arcade games are broken," with others "swiping credits and not working properly or at all without signage," requiring multiple trips for credit reimbursements (Review 5).
  • **Socks policy ambiguity:** Conflicting reports state socks are either "normal priced $3-4" (Review 1) or "Price includes cool grippy socks for the kids" (Review 2).

Price & Value

Kid admission is $21.99. The first adult is free, with a second adult costing $5 and change. Socks are either an additional $3-4 (Review 1) or included for kids (Review 2). The total cost for one child and one adult is $21.99, and for one child and two adults, it is approximately $27, plus potential sock costs or arcade credits. Opinion on value is split: some parents found it "worth a trip" and "worth every penny" (Review 1, 4), while another deemed it "overpriced for its quality" at its current state, suggesting a value closer to $11-$16 (Review 5).

Accessibility & Special Needs

  • Bathrooms include both adult and kids-height toilets and sinks.
  • No other specific accessibility accommodations for physical disabilities or sensory needs were explicitly mentioned in the reviews.

🍎Food & Drink Policy

  • An on-site cafe offers "pretty good" food, including curly fries and small pizza.
  • A "large and clean" cafe and "beautifully clean family dining area" are available for dining.
  • No explicit information regarding outside food or drink policy was provided in the reviews.

🚗Parking Info

  • No specific information about parking availability or cost was mentioned in the provided reviews.

👥Crowd Levels

  • No specific details about typical crowd levels, peak times, or quiet periods were mentioned in the reviews.

🛡️Safety Features

  • Staff are described as "constantly in motion... circulating the grounds," implying a level of supervision in play areas (Review 2).
  • Plenty of full hand sanitizer dispensers are available throughout the building (Review 2).
  • **Significant safety concerns were raised by one reviewer (Review 5) regarding "broken parts" and "wobbling floor plates" in the high jungle gym, questioning the frequency of safety checks due to "caked on grime."**

When to Avoid

  • Families for whom meticulous cleanliness and guaranteed safety of all play equipment are non-negotiable, given specific reports of "caked on grime," "broken parts," and "wobbling floor plates" in the jungle gym (Review 5).
  • Visitors whose primary interest is a fully functional arcade experience, as many games were reported broken or faulty in one review (Review 5).
  • Very tall adults who wish to fully immerse themselves in the main play structure without crouching or potential discomfort from hitting their heads.

Pricing/Package/Events

🍎Food Policy

  • Kiki's Cafe available on-site, offering fresh cheesy pizza, crispy wings, soft pretzels, cotton candy, ice cream, and signature Island ICEE Flight.

📅Booking Policy

  • For parties, scheduling and execution details are handled by Makutu's Island staff.
Information extracted from official website • Last updated: Sep 29, 2025

What People Say

What's Great

  • Clean and well-maintained facilities (mentioned in 4 reviews)
  • Friendly and helpful staff (mentioned in 7 reviews)
  • Safe environment for children (mentioned in 2 reviews)
  • Great for birthday parties (mentioned in 2 reviews)
  • Spacious play areas (mentioned in 7 reviews)

Areas for Improvement

  • Can get crowded during peak times (mentioned in 2 reviews)

Recent Reviews

Justin P

Justin P

2 months ago

As everyone says, the slides are awesome! The arcade is very decent. A machine gave us an issue and they refunded without an issue. The food is pretty good, curly fries and small pizza were yummy. It's a pretty cool place and worth a trip. Kid admission is $21.99 and one adult was free. Second adult was $5 and change. Socks were normal priced $3-4.

Justin T

Justin T

in the last week

Bottom line up front - Go. It's a great place for kids. They will have a blast. Makutu's Island has new owners/management from the last time I was here and everything is cleaner, in better repair, and more well lit. The staff is friendly and constantly in motion cleaning surfaces and circulating the grounds. There's the giant central tree playground with snake slides. A blue tree playground. A Flintstones style cave playground with fish tank and waterfall! And a toddler's playground. Any child will find something to enjoy and get a workout. The cafe is large and clean. The bathrooms are clean and have adult and kids heights toilets and sinks. Price includes cool grippy socks for the kids (see pic). AC is good. Completely comfortable for play while it is 106 outside. There are plenty of hand sanitizer dispensers throughout the building and they are actually full. I am very impressed with this place. UPDATE: Attended a kid's Birthday Party. Makutu's staff decorated each party room to a requested theme. Everything went off like clockwork. Great staff. The kids had a blast. Would definitely recommend.

Rebecca ClarkGravley

Rebecca ClarkGravley

3 weeks ago

We decided to come here today, cause it was 100 out and she still needed to get out energy and play. It’s ALMOST not built tall enough for us big kids. I did hit my head a couple of times from crouching and standing up too soon. You can be a story high in the air, there’s so many slides to go down. The climbing metal posts are kinda sketch, and I got dizzy really fast from going around in circles. They have an arcade. The restrooms have kid toilets. I used one and thought “they took pooping into control with this one” but I checked other stalls and the rest were big toilets 🤣🤣😭 oh well.

J. Nicole Barrett

J. Nicole Barrett

2 months ago

My family loved this establishment! Wonderful staff, and just the absolute BEST play area! Loved that there was a beautifully clean family dining area as well. Worth every penny!

Ril “O” k

Ril “O” k

8 months ago

This place would be cool if it were sanitized/kept clean and wasn’t falling apart. I understand normal wear and tear, but this place seems like they don’t do routine maintenance. The bathroom needs a deep clean and the massive jungle gym needs maintenance and cleaning. There is caked on grime. It’s overpriced for its quality. I question the safety of the jungle gym after climbing up into myself. With the broken parts and caked on grime, I just wonder how often they perform equipment safety checks. It’s a high drop and many of the floor plates creak and wobble when stepped on. My suggestion would be to lower the cost and draw more people in so that they have the money for updates. Edit to add: half of the arcade games are broken, others swipe credits and don’t work properly or at all without signage. I had to go back 3x to have credits reimbursed and by the 4th time I just gave up and said “whatever”. My daughter (pictured) was visibly disappointed which isn’t how a child should feel after a $30 something entry fee. I wouldn’t pay more than $11 for this place unless the give attention to the areas I mentioned, but even then I’d only pay $16. I gave 2 stars for the friendly staff who were kind throughout this experience.

Contact Information

6919 W Ray Rd, Chandler, AZ 85226, USA

View on Google Maps

Opening Hours

Monday: 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Tuesday: 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Wednesday: 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Thursday: 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Friday: 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Saturday: 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Sunday: 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM

Quick Stats

Overall Rating
4.3
Total Reviews2512
Recent Reviews5