Big Top Entertainment Center

"Big Tops is Tops"

My family recently spent a couple of hours at the Big Top Entertainment Center at Snowshoe Mountain Ski Resort.  Big Top has rock climbing, euro-bungy, a mechanical bull, several inflatables, pool tables, a small indoor playground and an abundant supply of coin operated video games.  You can purchase individual activity tickets ($3-$12) or all-access passes ($25-$35 depending on time of day) for two hours which is a much better deal.  There is also carnival style food available for purchase at reasonable prices.
Big Top has a good variety of activities for school aged kids but the toddler set might get a little bored.  Young teens love this place.  My 13 year old daughter was able to enjoy all of the attractions, but my 9 year old son was too short for the sky bikes and the Orbitron.  Not a big deal since he was more than happy to spend some extra time playing video games.  The video games were current and all of the ones that we played were working properly with the exception of one of the skee-ball games.
The food that was available was similar to what you would purchase at a county fair and the prices were about average for the area.  We paid about $30 for a family of four to eat lunch.  The food is precooked and reheated when you order, but was surprisingly tasty.  We especially enjoyed the chicken sliders and the Italian Sausage.  They also have funnel cakes, cotton candy, and popcorn in case you just want a snack.  
The only real complaint I have is that Big Top doesn’t have adequate staffing during the day.  During the two hours that we were there, only two staff members were available to run all 10 of the attractions.  This meant that every time the kids wanted to move to a new activity, they had to wait until a staff member was available to assist them.  Once staff members were available, they were friendly and helpful.  We visited in the middle of the afternoon so the staffing may be improved during the evening hours.
The positive side of visiting in the middle of the day was being able do an activity as many times as we wanted without waiting.  Before we went to Big Top, I looked online to see what they offered and showed the kids.  My daughter had already planned on making a bee-line for the mechanical bull.  Even though she only lasted a few seconds, she jumped up and asked with a look of pure joy, “Can I go again?”  Since the Center was almost empty, she was able to ride as many times as she wanted.  It took several tries before she got the hang of it but that last ride was pretty triumphant!
Overall, Big Top was a really fun activity for our family.  Even though we had to wait for staff members, the lack of crowds and the responsiveness of the staff made up for the inconvenience.  I would recommend purchasing the all-access pass because your kids will want to enjoy the attractions more than once.  Make sure to bring your camera to get some great shots of your kids hanging off the climbing wall or riding a raging (mechanical) bull!  

*This review is based on a complimentary visit to Big Top Entertainment Center.  I received no other compensation and the business owner did not state any requirements that I express a particular point of view.