Play Date Place

If you find yourself cruising around western mass with a minivan full of kids aged 6 and under and you need some help occupying them, go here. If you have a toddler who will destroy your house if you don’t get him out of it stat, go here. If you have totes, bins, shelves and cubbies full of toys that have suddenly become sooo boring, go here. Have an only child who wants or needs to socialize? Want to schedule a playdate with a mom-​friend but don’t want to clean your house? Want to go somewhere where you can actually MAKE some mom (and dad) friends? Need to get the sillies out but the weather’s no good for a playground? To solve these and a bazillion other parenting problems, go here!
Super affordable (currently $ 8 for kids age 2 – 6, $ 6 for under 2 — two free adults per child) mega fun indoor adventure spot located below a dance studio in South Hadley. It’s not huge, but it’s well designed and packed with fun at every turn. Also, the visibility throughout is great and it’s easy to keep an eye on your kids.
The first thing you’ll notice is a roadway painted on the floor. Kids can choose from a variety of ride-​on vehicles to drive around the play space, which is all open but comfortably and thoughtfully divided into different activity areas.
There’s a small mini «town-​scape» with a firehouse (dress-​up gear, pole, etc.), grocery store, restaurant, stage with piano, microphone and dress-ups…and various points and modes of entrance and exit (including a slide!) to and from a sweet upper level crawlarama that runs above the storefronts. There are windows all along the length of it so that you can — for the most part — find your kid without climbing up there yourself (though you certainly can). Climbing up and down to the second level is a great way to tire them out and insure a solid nap :-)
Down the road past the townscape you’ll find the «back yard»…a tire swing hanging from a tree, a small slide that spills into a ball-​pit swimming pool, a trampoline in a gazebo, and even a toy grill and picnic table where your little one can serve his or her new friends.
There’s more. A train table, a really cute area for crawlers and cruisers which is separated from the main space by a low wall, nice bathrooms and even a private party room. No outside food or drinks are allowed, but they have things for sale. We saw some parents with Dunkin coffees so the facility may be lax on that or it may depend on the staff on duty, not sure. Anyhow, there’s a Keurig for a fee if you’re desperate and following the rules!
Oh – really important public service announcement — WEAR CLEAN SOCKS; it’s a put-​your-​shoes-​in-​cubbies-​at-​the-​entrance kind of place. You’re welcome ;-)