A couple of months back, my daughter called and told me that she had made a reservation for her little family and I to go to Casa Bonita in Lakewood, CO.

I had only heard stories of Casa Bonita, but wasn’t really sure what it was. The original Casa Bonita opened in the early 1970s. It changed hands many times, although keeping the same features. Then the pandemic happened and they had to close their doors. They weren’t going to be open much longer apparently. But, in September 2021 the restaurant was purchased by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creators of South Park. The venue received a $40 million dollar renovation.

My daughter put her name down on a waiting list for tickets last summer. It was a one year waiting list. It’s prepay, so you purchase your ticket and it covers your meal. They actually pay their employees a livable wage of $30 per hour and tipping is not allowed. My daughter ordered a glass of wine with lunch and there was no additional charge.

The only things you paid for were the Photo Booth, the Caricature artist and their store. Everything else was included.

We had a blast, there were magicians doing close up magic, there was a puppet show, a cliff diving show, pirates, an arcade, a volcano erupting, mines to explore, treasures to find, oh and some truly good food.

Here some pictures of our time there. There were some areas where photography or videography were not allowed.

This was for sure a new experience, and to be able to be with family made it magical. I don’t know if we will be back soon, but we will for sure be back.

The goal is 60 new things before I turn 60 and I have 31 more to go and I can’t wait!