Remember This Fun Center In Western New York?

If you're a kid growing up these days, you have the world of social media and the internet to occupy your time. If you want to play video games, you break out the XBOX 360 or PlayStation 5 (or if you're like me, the PlayStation 2).

But back in the 1980s and into the '90s, kids favorite places to hang out were arcades and fun centers.

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Fun centers or entertainment venues combined arcade games, live music and even slides. Chuck E. Cheese, which is still operating, is the most famous of this type of establishment, but you also might remember Discovery Zone, which was pretty much the same concept, just no animatronics to entertain you.

If you did like animatronics and arcade games, there was another fun center that had that and offered major nostalgia for those who grew up in the '80s and into the mid-90s.

Major Magic's.

Major Magic's had two locations in the Buffalo area. One on Niagara Falls Blvd. in Amherst and the other on Ridge Road in West Seneca, according to Steve Cichon of The Buffalo News archives.

Major Magic's calling card was their animatronics, along with pizza and arcade games. It had a different feel than the other places of similar concepts.

While Major Magic's was popular, it quickly faded out of favor and both locations closed by the mid-90s here in Western New York.

The last Major Magic's went away by the 2000s, and the last revival attempt failed in 2020.

I have faint memories of Major Magic's as a kid, growing up in Amherst. I do recall being with my dad as we drove down Niagara Falls Blvd. and seeing the Major Magic's sign. I went in once as a toddler, but I hardly remember it.

Back in the '90s, you weren't cool unless you had a birthday party at fun center. It's pretty remarkable how quickly things can change. They're almost a thing of the past now, as Discovery Zone and Major Magic's are long gone.

If you're wondering, Discovery Zone went defunct by the start of 2002.