With ample space and advanced safety features, the Blazer ensures every journey is as enjoyable as the destination.
Photo courtesy of TreeRunner Adventure Parks
Mini golf gives families a rare kind of outing: kids can play right away, adults can join without much planning, and the whole group moves through the same course together. Across Metro Detroit, these courses make putting the reason to go, while arcades, go-karts, batting cages, climbing, and easy snacks help stretch the visit after the final hole. The result is an afternoon built around mini golf first, with enough extras to keep the day from ending too quickly.
SportWay
19640 Allen Road, Brownstown Charter Township
38520 Ford Road, Westland
SportWay feels rooted in the classic appeal of putt-putt, where the 18-hole course sets the pace and the rest of the visit can follow from there. Mini golf gives families an easy starting point, especially when younger players need an activity that moves at their pace and older kids still want a bit of competition. Kids can line up their shots, watch the ball take an odd bounce, and get another turn soon enough to stay engaged. Also at SportWay, if you want to pick up the pace, go-karts add speed after a slower game, while batting cages give sports-minded kids a chance to focus on timing and repetition. It’s the kind of mini golf outing where the course can be the centerpiece, not just a quick stop before the next attraction.
Funway Amusements
30749 Grand River Avenue, Farmington Hills
Funway Amusements leans into the familiar rhythm of a family mini golf day, with putting at the center and a handful of easy add-ons nearby. The three unique 18-hole courses give kids small challenges and enough room for parents to participate without needing to coach every shot. Its personality comes from the old-school amusement feel, where mini golf, bounce houses, bungee trampolines, go-karts, and batting cages all belong to the same relaxed afternoon rather than feeling like separate plans. It’s especially useful for families whose kids don’t all want the same thing at the same time: one child can stay invested in the scorecard, another can look forward to the VR experiences, and the outing still feels anchored by the shared round of mini golf. When you work up an appetite, there’s pizza (by the pie or slice), wings, chicken tenders, fries, nachos, hot dogs, and slushies to wash it all down.
TreeRunner Adventure Parks
600 West Maple Road, West Bloomfield Township
7553 Meadow Brook Road, Rochester
TreeRunner Adventure Parks gives mini golf a different atmosphere by placing it within a broader outdoor adventure setting. Here, putt-putt can be the calm, accessible part of the day, especially for kids who want to warm up before climbing or ziplining, or for family members who prefer to stay closer to the ground. The setting helps the round feel less like a standalone game and more like part of an outdoor experience, where the course offers a break in between bigger physical challenges. West Bloomfield has an 18-hole course alongside its aerial opportunities, Bounce Forest, junior park, and gem mining, while Rochester has a 27-hole mini golf course and other outdoor fun. CFO Jeremy Fishman shares, “TreeRunner Adventure Parks are located just 30 minutes from anywhere in the D. Imagine ziplining and climbing in a forest and playing putt-putt golf sun-free. The ultimate outdoor nature destination for birthdays, corporate and school outings, and family adventures. With two convenient locations, TreeRunner is always nearby.” For families planning around different comfort levels, that combination matters: mini golf keeps the outing approachable, while the climbing and ziplining create room for a bigger adventure when kids are ready for it.
Paradise Park
45799 Grand River Avenue, Novi
Paradise Park is great for families who want a complete mini golf outing, but it can comfortably become a longer visit. The 18-hole putting course gives everyone a shared starting point, with a standout hole #9 that plays through a waterfall, which is all exciting before kids want to branch off into higher-energy activities like go-karts, laser tag, arcade games, miniature bowling, trampoline center, or climbing features. What stands out is the way food supports the flow of the day, allowing for a moment of pause instead of ending the fun. The Paradise Park Restaurant specializes in hand-tossed pizzas, ranging from chicken bacon ranch to veggie or supreme, perfectly paired with appetizers like the Stromboli bites, breadsticks, or mozzarella sticks. There are also deli subs, hot sandwiches, and even ice cream to finish it all off. The Paradise Cove Bar is great for parents, with draft beers, a variety of wines, and a full bar available.
Midway Sports & Entertainment
22381 Van Born Road, Taylor
Midway Sports & Entertainment brings a sports-and-play angle to the mini golf outing, which gives the experience a slightly more active edge once the round is finished. The 18-hole course offers the approachable fun of putt-putt, with its aiming, waiting, scorekeeping, and small celebrations after a lucky shot through obstacles and turns. If you finish the course but still want the feel of the green, check out the golf driving course that’s over 300 yards long. Afterward, batting cages, bungy-style jumping, rock climbing, and go-karts give kids a way to shift from careful putting to faster, more physical play, if desired. For those who want to stay a little longer, feel free to pack a picnic lunch or cooler, as there’s plenty of picnic tables set up throughout the park, or visit the Long Drive Grill for a burger, tenders and fries, or a hot dog.
The strongest mini golf outings for kids are the ones where the course still feels like the reason for the visit. A good round gives families time to move together, trade turns, laugh at missed shots, and let younger players feel included without needing special equipment or complicated rules. These Metro Detroit spots build on that foundation with extra activities and simple food options, but the putting remains the thread that holds the afternoon together. Whether the bonus is an arcade game, a go-kart ride, a batting cage session, a climbing course, or pizza after the last hole, each place gives families a way to make mini golf last a little longer.
This article has been updated to include new information. The original article was published on August 2, 2012, and was authored by Toni Cunningham.
