Small Park Showcase: The Funplex Mt. Laurel, NJ

When thinking of amusement parks in New Jersey, your mind is probably already thinking of one of three places – Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, parks along the Jersey Shore like Morey’s Piers, or all the way up in the New York City metro area, you’ve got Nickelodeon Universe. However, what if we told you that, just about half an hour outside of Philadelphia, there’s a park that’s part family entertainment center, part amusement park, part water park, and on top of all of that, yes, there is a coaster credit to be had.

Welcome to The Funplex in Mt. Laurel, New Jersey – the next park in our Small Park Showcase series.

If you’re a longtime reader of this site, you’ll remember a previous small park we visited with the same name – Funplex Myrtle Beach. Situated on 18,000 square feet just off of Myrtle Beach’s “Grand Strand,” The South Carolina outpost for the Funplex closed following the 2024 season. However, in New Jersey, the 25-acre Funplex has continued to grow and expand since its opening in 1997.

Describing itself as “More than a traditional amusement park,” The Funplex offers more than 100,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor attractions – and there’s truly something for everyone to enjoy. This is not an exaggeration – after you enter the Funplex, it truly keeps going and going.

Unlike traditional family entertainment centers where many of the attractions are a la carte, guests at the Funplex have access to a majority of the park’s indoor and outdoor attractions (bowling, laser tag, miniature golf, go-karts, amusement rides, and water park among them) with a one-day wristband (price starts at $35, and varies dependent on time/date!) As someone who has visited a number of amusement centers and been “nickel and dimed” with an $8 coaster ride here, $12 mini golf round there, $10 round of laser tag, the pricing strategy definitely works for me. (Note: The arcade isn’t included, but you do receive a $5 “fun card” good in the arcade with a wristband purchase.)

Upon entering The Funplex, you’re first greeted by the 12-lane bowling alley, along with a newly-renovated bar area. (There is also a VIP Bowling Lounge with four private lanes available for an additional fee.) As you explore deeper, Funplex’s main arcade is your next stop, with a number of ticket redemption (but actually cards), prize, and a number of modern arcade games. I’m no arcade expert, but all of your favorites are here. Once you get through the arcade, you have two options – turning right and heading towards The Funplex’s “Boardwalk” area, or heading outside for the park’s outdoor attractions.

For the sake of this write-up, let’s say you decide to turn right. Meandering down a long hallway, walking past the Funplex party rooms and laser tag arena, you’re greeted with a pair of indoor amusement rides – bumper cars, and Ocean Tide – a Zamperla ride designed for younger children – before entering “The Boardwalk.” Designed as an indoor version of a classic boardwalk park, the space is filled with more traditional arcade games, a tilt-a-whirl and “Air Shot” – an SBF-Visa “Airborne” flat ride. Anchoring the back third of the boardwalk area are the all-electric go-karts.

I was told that FunPlex used to have outdoor go-kart tracks, but they made way for their indoor and electric counterpart while the park expanded its water offerings (more on that later!) Much like any electric vehicle, the go karts shockingly quiet, but provide the same level of medium-speed thrills. Rounding out the Boardwalk include an XD Dark Ride from Triotech and “Foam Frenzy” – a two-level play area filled with thousands of foam balls (and dozens of ways to fire those foam balls around the room.)

Heading outdoors, many family entertainment staples are visible, including bumper boats and a 36-hole miniature golf course. However, what many FEC’s don’t traditionally have is a wide array of classic flat rides. You’re immediately greeted by an SBF-Visa Drop tower and Midi-Dance Party, and for most people who read this article, the main attraction at The FunPlex – the FunCoaster, a wild mouse-esque spinning coaster, also from SBF-Visa, that opened at the park in 2013. At just over 1,000′ of track, and standing just 36′ tall, the FunCoaster isn’t going to break any records, but the coaster was true to its name – Fun! – and the spinning was fairly mild, which was appreciated!

The park’s 36-hole miniature golf course is well maintained and features some fun and challenging holes – and also some great views of the FunCoaster. While crowds were light during our visit, and we had a “party of one,” we were able to get through the course in a short amount of time. One of my favorite aspects of the miniature golf course was the “19th” hole where you could return your ball for a chance to win a prize (the prize was a game card that was good in the arcade)

There are several more flat rides on the “dry” side of The Funplex’s outdoor area, but another area where the Funplex excels is its compact water park – Splashplex – that features nine slides, a lazy river, a lagoon pool, and a racing themed splash pad (complete with dumping bucket!)

Among the nine slides are four mat racers, two speed slides, two tube slides, and a “wall” slide known as “Whipsplash.” Admittedly, I’m not a huge water park fan, but I was impressed with the amount of water attractions that The Funplex managed to fit in a compact footprint. I could definitely see spending an afternoon in a lazy river or on a poolside chair. The park also has a number of private cabanas and villas in the Waterpark for rent to upgrade your water park experience.

If hungry (or thirsty) during your visit, The Funplex has four main Food & Beverage outlets serving up a wide array of traditional (fried) amusement park eats (and beverages) – the Pit Stop Cafe & Boardwalk Cafe (indoors), and Sharkey’s (outdoors). There are also two bars – Strike & Sip (by the Bowling Alley) and Surfside Bar. Our visit was a “quick in, quick out” trip – so we didn’t stop for food, but it was good knowing it was there.

Another interesting addition at the FunPlex that isn’t typically found at most family entertainment centers is an on-site hotel. Dual branded as a La Quinta & Hawthorne Suites by Wyndham, the on-site hotel features 125 rooms, and also has “stay and play” packages.

While our visit was quick – we added a round of miniature golf, a few arcade games and a lot of walking around to our coaster ride – it would be very easy to spend half a day (or longer) at The Funplex Mount Laurel – with all of the rides and attractions, you definitely will be entertained. True to its word, I could see the Funplex as a go-to venue for birthday parties, corporate outings, teambuilding, holiday parties and special events, 363 days a year.