Hologram Zoo Illinois hosts kids birthday parties at 318 Hawthorn Center inside Hawthorn Mall in Vernon Hills IL 60061, serving families across the Chicago suburbs, Lake County, and the North Shore. Birthday packages start at $225 per 10 guests for the Core package, $274 for the most popular Plus package, and $349 for the Ultra package. Every package includes a private party room, walk-through hologram experiences, the Photo Studio, the Projectogram, and free admission for the birthday guest of honor. Outside food and cake are welcome. Three private party rooms are available with capacities of 12, 16, and 20 guests, and rooms can be combined for larger groups. The venue is fully indoor and weather-proof, with hologram experiences suitable for kids ages 3 and up through teens and adults. Book kids birthday party packages online through Peekpro.
The birthday they’ll talk about for years.
Not another trampoline park. Not a bowling alley. A private room, walk-through holograms of dinosaurs and deep space, and ten (or twenty) wide-eyed kids who won’t stop talking about it on the ride home.
What actually happens when your kid walks in.
You arrive fifteen minutes early with the cake, the balloons, and the nervous energy that every birthday parent carries. The staff takes the cake. Someone helps you set up the private room. Tables, chairs, your decor, your rules.
Guests trickle in. Shoes off at the tunnel entrance. 3D glasses on — the lightweight kind, not bulky VR headsets. The party lead explains what’s about to happen, but kids don’t really believe it yet. Then the tunnel lights up.
A sixty-foot T-Rex walks past them. A kid screams. Another laughs. A few stand completely still with their mouth open. That’s the moment you’ll remember — not the cake, not the presents. The face your kid made when the dinosaur looked at them.
After the tunnel, they come back to the private room for cake, pizza, whatever you brought. Then — if you booked Plus or Ultra — they do it again. A different world this time. Asia. Space. A hologram aquarium where a whale drifts past their shoulder.
You hand out loot bags. Parents hug. Every kid rides home explaining the party to their siblings at full volume. That’s the bar. That’s what a Hologram Zoo birthday is.
Ten-year-olds who already love space lose their minds here.
Our newest walk-through experience. Kids step past a real-feeling astronaut, drift over the surface of Mars, and stand inside the ring of a planet. Popular for tween and teen birthday parties.
Space pairs perfectly with the Dinosaur Tunnel for Plus and Ultra packages — two totally different worlds in one party. A lot of kids ages 8 to 14 specifically ask for Space as one of their two experiences.
Pick the birthday story you want to tell.
Every package includes private room time, at least one walk-through hologram experience, the Photo Studio, the Projectogram, and free admission for the birthday guest of honor. Priced per 10 guests — add more kids at a per-head rate.
Birthday Core
The straightforward birthday. 90 minutes, one hologram experience, cake and gifts in the private room. Works beautifully for kids 4 to 8 who just want their party without the whole day being logistics.
Birthday PlusMost Picked
The one most families choose. Two hours, two different hologram worlds — so kids get dinosaurs AND space, or aquarium AND Asia. More breathing room between experiences, more time for cake, more time for kids to be kids in the private room. If you’re unsure which package to pick, pick this one.
Birthday Ultra
The memorable one. Three hours, two hologram tunnels, plus two full HoloRoom sessions — interactive rooms where kids don’t just watch, they play. Big birthdays. Double birthdays. Teen parties where the whole grade is coming. Parents who want it to feel like an event, not a pit stop.
How a Hologram Zoo birthday actually runs.
No confusion on the day. Here’s what happens from the moment you pull into Hawthorn Mall to the moment you leave.
You arrive 15 minutes early
Pull in, park, bring the cake and decorations. We show you your private room and help you set up. Tables, chairs, plates, candles — all your setup, our workspace. Guests can arrive any time after this.
Guests check in & get 3D glasses
Parents and kids get signed in. Everyone picks up lightweight 3D glasses — not VR headsets, not bulky gear. The party lead explains what the experience will look like. Kids get restless. That’s on purpose.
The first hologram experience
Your group walks into the 60-foot tunnel you booked — Dinosaurs, Asia, or Space. The lights come up. Something 3 stories tall walks past. The birthday kid’s face is the photo you’ll frame.
Back to the private room for cake
Everyone comes back down from the high. You serve cake, pizza, whatever you brought. Kids compare notes, re-enact scenes, try to convince their parents this was real. You take the photos you planned to take.
Round two (Plus & Ultra only)
If you booked Plus or Ultra, kids head into the second experience — a totally different world from the first. This is where parents tell us they see their kid’s imagination completely unlock.
Presents, loot bags, goodbyes
Last 20 minutes in the private room for gifts and farewells. You pack up cake leftovers. We reset the room after you leave. You drive home, kid in the back seat trying to explain a T-Rex to their grandma on FaceTime.
What families actually say after.
Real reviews pulled from our Google Business Profile. Not marketing copy — parents who came, paid, and then took the time to write something.
A guaranteed hit with the kids! We did the dinosaur exhibit which was fun for the preschooler and kindergartener. The staff are super personable and explained everything well. Very clean and spacious as well.
We were very excited to try this new hologram 3D dinosaur experience, and it did not disappoint. The kids had an absolute blast and were amazed by the realistic and immersive visuals.
So fun!!! My kids loved it and had a blast. We did the dinosaur one and my kids really enjoyed the 3D experience. Super clean facility and spacious. Looking forward to coming again!
Three private rooms. Combinable.
Your party gets its own room — no mixing with other groups, no shared space for cake and gifts. Three room sizes fit different party shapes, and we combine rooms for bigger events.
The Intimate One
Perfect for smaller parties — close family birthdays, cousin-only groups, or the 6th-grader who wants their four best friends. Cozy, private, and enough space for cake and presents.
The Standard
Our most-booked room. Fits a full classroom-sized birthday plus parents. Tables for the whole group, cake table in the corner, space for kids to actually move around between hologram sessions.
The Middle
A middle ground — bigger than Room 1, smaller than Room 2. Good for mid-sized parties when Room 2 is booked out, or when you want less stadium energy and more focused space.
Hosting a bigger group? Rooms 1 + 2 can combine for up to 32 guests, and 2 + 3 for up to 36. Full combinations are subject to availability — mention your expected size when you book and we’ll route you to the right setup.
Families drive in from across Chicagoland.
We’re at Hawthorn Mall in Vernon Hills — about 35 miles northwest of downtown Chicago. Parents book birthday parties with us from all over the North Shore and Lake County.
If you’re searching for a kids birthday party venue near Chicago, a birthday place in Lake County, or something unique beyond the usual trampoline parks and bowling alleys in the northwest suburbs — you’re in the right place. Most of our birthday bookings come from:
Before you book.
The questions parents actually call us about. If yours isn’t here, call +1 (847) 281-7030 — a real person answers.
How much does a kids birthday party cost at Hologram Zoo Illinois?
What’s included in every birthday package?
Can we bring our own cake and food?
How many kids can attend the birthday party?
What ages are the birthday experiences good for?
How far in advance should I book a kids birthday party?
What happens if we need to cancel or reschedule?
Do you host teen or tween birthday parties?
Is this a good birthday venue for Chicago families specifically?
Is the venue accessible? Stroller-friendly?
What if it’s a kid’s first big birthday party at a venue?
Still have questions?
Book the birthday they’ll never forget.
Weekends fill first. Weekdays have more flexibility. The birthday guest of honor attends free on every package — that part never changes.