A generation of Wichita preteens spent vacations, birthdays at this about-to-close venue
A Wichita entertainment venue where a generation teens and preteens whiled away their spring breaks and celebrated their friends’ birthdays is closing.
Laser Quest, a laser-tag venue that opened in 1996 at Brittany Center, 2120 N. Woodlawn, announced via Facebook on Tuesday that it would close for good on Monday, Feb. 17 — just shy of two weeks from now.
When contacted, a manager who would identify himself only as James said that competition from new entertainment venues like Dave & Buster’s, which opened in September at K-96 and Greenwich, and the soon-to-open Round 1 Entertainment at Towne East Square, made things “a lot harder.”
It’s the second big entertainment venue in Brittany Center to close in recent years. An indoor go-cart track called Xtreme Racing & Entertainment closed last January.
Laser Quest is a Canada-based company, and Wichita’s is one of about 26 across the United States. It specializes in Laser Tag, a game invented in the mid 1980s that allowed players to shoot at each other’s light-sensitive vests with laser guns. A computer kept score.
The venue opened with a 7,000 square-foot, two-level course full of towers, castle walls, ramps, flickering neon lights and smoke. In 2016, Laser Quest added another entertainment fad to the venue: an escape room called Key Quest.
From today until Feb. 13, the venue is offering $5 games of tag. People are encourage to call 316-652-9500 to reserve a spot.
Laser Quest’s hours are 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, 4 to 11 p.m. Fridays, noon to 11 p.m. Saturdays and 1 to 6 p.m. Sundays. On Feb. 17, it will be open from 1 to 5 p.m.
This story was originally published February 4, 2020 at 2:50 PM.
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