VICTORIA LASER WORLD ARENA A PLACE FOR FAMILY FUN BY KATHRYN CARGO kcargo@vicad.com
Laser World is the first of its kind in the Crossroads. The family venue has a three-story, more-than-6,000square-foot laser tag arena; about 30 arcade games; and a 4-D movie theater that plays six- to eight-minute animated films. People come from all over the Crossroads to enjoy Laser World. Parties are very popular, said store manager David Shelley. Jim Brand and Dante Garza own Laser World. Garza built the three-story arena that is all ramps and no stairs.
“It was a concept of one of the owners,” Shelley said. “He designed and created the whole arena and built it. He was hammer and nail out there.” The laser tag arena is top of the line and comes from the originators of the laser tag event, DarkLight Laser Tag. “If you get tagged, your equipment is disabled for six seconds so the person who tagged you can get away,” Shelley said. “It’s all about the score.” A laser tag game lasts about 15 minutes, with five minutes of instruction. Laser World’s laser tag arena is designed to look like an
Kayla Renie/krenie@vicad.com
People of all ages play laser tag at Laser World. 34
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ancient jungle with future technology to create a place out of this world. The arena has several paths leading throughout, allowing for every player to find a different way to try to win. “It’s a venue where people come to have fun for a couple hours at a reasonable cost,” Shelley said. “They can leave the world behind a little bit. We have a super crew” as well. Nancy Ives, 63, of Inez, took her grandchildren to Laser World for the first time this summer. She has three grandsons ages 6, 8 and 9 years old.
“There’s a big need in Victoria for this because the kids have nothing to do,” she said. “There’s not much for them to do, especially in a safe environment (like this) where you don’t have to worry about them.”
IF YOU GO LASER WORLD 310 E. Larkspur St. 361-578-3005 laserworldvictoria.com
HOURS // 5-9 p.m. Thursday; 4-10 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m-10 p.m. Saturday; 1-9 p.m. Sunday; closed Monday through Wednesday
Kayla Renie/krenie@vicad.com
Laser World offers fun activities for the whole family, including laser tag, a 4-D movie theater and arcade games.
