Party/venue ideas for 3yo old boy

[Loveallmyboys]

His last 2 birthday parties have been at the same venue, specifically designed for kids parties and tailored to their age group. The staff are great and the kids(and parents!) always have a fab time, and the parties and how good they were, are still talked about now!
Now, I don't want to 'top' the previous ones but I'm after ideas. I want something unusual and a bit quirky. The cost isn't a huge issue but obvs don't want to be too silly!
Our house isn't big enough to accommodate a dozen rowdy toddlers plus I couldn't be jacked with the clean-up afterwards!
any ideas, no matter how bizarre, are welcome

• soft play party exclusive use
• animal man with exotic animals
• soft play party double decker bus

-swimming pool party -party at a zoo

• hire a hall with bouncy castle , face painter , clown , craft activities etc
• build a bear party

What's he into?
For example there is an old station near us that hold thomas tank parties in an old train carriage
Octonauts could be a trip to the aquarium
The local castle hosts parties which is brilliant for Knights and princess theme. We had dds there.

He LOVES trains! The thomas thing would be awesome. But our nearest place is miles away... Think pp might be onto a winner with build a bear!!

Bear (!) in mind that Build A Bear don't provide catering, or allow you to bring food into the shop, so you would have to go somewhere else if you wanted to provide food.

DD had her 7th birthday there - and it was her best party ever, imo - but the children had no concept of what was within budget and so wanted several outfits each!

Tbh I'm a bit rubbish at sticking to within a budget, and I'm 30+ So I can't judge!
The kids are all 2/3 so parents will be there to reign in their spending.
How much did you allocate per kid, if you don't mind me asking?