BY JUSTIN TRAUSCH
FOR THE OBSERVER
OPELIKA — Auburn and Opelika will always be considered college towns before anything else. The downtown areas of both are primarily targeted for college kids and adults. For many local parents, there isn’t much to do for their kids under the age of 18.
That will be changing in just a few months.
Coming soon to the Opelika area: Playday Karts, a family amusement park unlike any other in Eastern Alabama. With a targeted opening date in mid-August, Playday Karts is sure to have it all.
Located on a six-acre plot of land next to the Opelika RV Center on US-280 E., the future amusement park will open in phases, starting with the newly constructed go-kart track. The track will start with 17 karts in total, five of which are double seaters for parents with young kids.
Owner and proprietor of Playday Karts, John Blount of Opelika, has always felt that there are not enough attractions for younger kids and families in the Auburn-Opelika area. He thinks this is a huge untapped market that is ready for something new.
“I grew up in Memphis, Tennessee, and there we had go-karts, arcades and things like that,” he said. “Down here, there’s really not much of anything for kids.”
Of course, an amusement park wouldn’t be such with only a go-kart track. Blount plans on putting in many other attractions to accompany the headliner including an arcade, virtual reality games, an axe-throwing area, inflatable bounce houses and even a putt-putt-golf course.
“I’m just really wanting to create a family fun environment,” Blount said. “That’s the whole thing I’m going after. Go-karts was always a fun thing to do when I was growing up, so I figured it could do well here.”
If you’re thinking about planning a birthday party for you, your child, or a friend in the fall, then look no further than Playday Karts. It’s sure to be an exciting experience for the whole family.