The idea is nothing new - these types of leisure and entertainment hubs have been around 30 or 40 years, said Frank Seninsky, president and CEO of New Jersey-based Amusement Entertainment Management - but they do seem to be growing in popularity.
"It is one of the industries that's doing very well during this recession," said Seninsky, who has consulted for amusement centers in the Carolinas including MagiQuest at Broadway at the Beach.The reason is that they appeal to regional residents as a getaway in their backyards, they're relatively inexpensive (generally costing less than $20 a pop, Seninsky said) and many have a variety of activities in one place.

"There is no such thing as a standalone anything any more," Seninsky said. "If you think there's going to be a bowling center or a bowling alley built in the '50s that's going to survive all this, the answer is no. Most of them are building out right now and expanding."

In Shallotte, Planet Fun plans to have 36 bowling lanes, bumper cars, laser tag, a grill and an arcade, said Brian McCall, whose company, East Coast Entertainment, is developing the complex.

McCall, who has primarily been an owner and developer of movie theaters, said he thinks this type of attraction is somewhat recession-resistant. "People are starved to get out of the house and recreate, and we've seen it with the theater in the history of our operating," McCall said. "Even though they may not fly to Disney, they may not go to Colorado to go skiing this year, they're still going to go out ... and enjoy a nice experience with their family."

Another example is an indoor sports facility called The Plex that opened this year across from the former Hard Rock Park. The Plex will have 210,000 square feet of athletic fields, courts and pools by the time it's finished.Already, people are there for gymnastics, cheerleading, soccer, basketball, volleyball, baseball and trapeze arts, said owner Matthew Crawley. "It has exploded, and it just seems like every day we have more athletics being used," he said.

A few hundred people come a day, and The Plex has hosted as many as 1,500 people at a time for a soccer tournament, Crawley said. He expects traffic to improve during summer, after the theme park - now called Freestyle Music Park - and the Fantasy Harbour Bridge open."I think this is just the tip of the iceberg," he said.

On a smaller scale, a business called Wee Jump has opened off U.S. 501 in Myrtle Beach with inflatables for kids to play on. The facility hosts birthday parties, after school programs and field trips. It's similar to another indoor playground in Myrtle Beach and Murrells Inlet called Kidz Inc. Parents love them because they're places where the kids can be let loose, and children like them, too.

"I think it's really cool," said 5-year-old Rylee Wilson in between bounces on a huge inflatable Friday. "There's lots of slides, and I know how to jump in the slides and the slides are fun."

Rick Van Blarcum, who owns the two-year-old Sports Zone indoor sports complex in Little River, said all of the new places seem to be trying to cater to slightly different interests. "Everyone's got to find their own niche," he said.

The economy has put a damper on his traffic, but business is picking up as it usually does during the summer, with camps and basketball tournaments on the horizon.

Operating an indoor sports facility at the beach has its own pros and cons, he said.

He's always in competition with the beach, but "everyone wants to go to the beach to play in a tournament."Many of these indoor centers say that their core market is residents, but there's also big potential for the sports complexes to draw tourists, said Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce President Brad Dean.

The chamber has hired a sports tourism expert to guide them on how to be competitive in the sports tourism arena and also what sports facilities are needed, Dean said.

"The indoor facilities are pretty interesting because those events are not weather dependent. They tend to double as recreation centers that serve locals," Dean said. "The entities that have had the most success thus far seem to strike a balance between providing facilities and services to benefit residents, particularly youth and young adults, as well as the potential to double as a tourism generator."

Planet Fun will be hiring 70 to 85 employees in preparation for its summer opening. For an application, visit www.planetfun center.com. or call 910-755-2FUN (2386). Contact JESSICA FOSTER at 626-0351.

Rebecca Koenig rkoenig@thesunnews.com