Limo Parties for Kids

A limousine party for kids allows kids to experience the excitement of traveling for a few hours in comfort and style, getting a taste of how it feels to be rich. It's also a chance for them to explore a city with scheduled stops at restaurants, cultural centers and places of entertainment.

The cost and size of a limousine, including how many kids it can hold, depends on the kind of limousine it is. The largest of these, a Hummer limousine, holds up to 24 people and may include accessories such as a DVD player, flat-screen TV and even karaoke machine. The "classic" Lincoln limousine lacks these amenities but still seats 16 people, while an SUV limousine offers plenty of storage space for those traveling with a lot of equipment, but can only seat six to eight people. A larger number of passengers typically means having to spend more money, and if you rent a limo for two or three hours, the prices likely rise even higher if the limo is traveling the whole time. Try to limit the mileage by having the driver stop every now and then so the kids can explore the city.

Before the kids enter the limo, give them a clear rundown of appropriate limousine behavior. Remind them that the car is not their own and someone else has to clean up whatever messes they make. Do not let them sit in the front seat, not only because this can spark unnecessary fighting but because many limousine companies forbid it. When the car stops, they must wait until the driver comes and opens their door before they get out. Finally, the adult who is paying for the trip should communicate to the driver where the limousine is going and where it's expected to stop, and should pay at least a 20-percent tip.

Throw a limousine scavenger hunt. Give kids a list of items they might find in the city and a specific time frame within which to find those items. Make the search competitive by hiring two limousines and splitting the party into two groups, with prizes for the team that finds the most items. Possible search items include a fountain spewing water; a newborn baby and a man over the age of 90; three live ducks; and someone playing guitar. Play a variation on the alphabet game, the classic game in which players compete to find words beginning with every letter of the alphabet. In the more challenging "second-letter edition" of this game, players ignore the first letter of each word and focus on the second letter.

Incorporate aspects of other parties into the limousine party to create a comprehensive "catch all" party with a number of different, fun activities. Given the kids are likely to become hungry, arrange for the limo to stop at a restaurant such as a pizza joint, and follow up a few hours later with a trip to an ice cream store, candy store, chocolate bar or bakery. In between these visits, entertain the kids with visits to a bowling alley, rock-climbing gym, museum, park, archery range or library.