If it’s too cold outside and you just need to get out of the house, the kids can explore in the outdoor play centers. On Long Island, family-friendly indoor play areas are filled with challenging mazes, bouncy houses, make-believe villages, sensory play areas, arches and more. Whether you book the time slots in advance or visit them, each center has its own personality. Which center is right for you or your family?
Here are five categories to consider. If you have serious cabin fever, plan a trip to one every day for a week of fun.
IMAGINATIVE AND INSPIRING
Once upon a time there was a treetop is an open play center that looks like a village. Small, kid-friendly rooms sit side by side as if they were part of a neighborhood. There are prams for children to travel from one room to another. Owner Antonella Antonacci says with a smile: “We call it our little town.” There is a grocery store, a school, a veterinary office, a Lego room, a transport station, a fire station and a bakery cafe. Plastic and wooden toys fill the rooms to inspire imaginative play. The village also has a maze.
Antonacci explains: “It was an imaginative playground. Everything we do is based on children learning through play.”
Although the play center is supervised by staff, parents are encouraged to join their children in the village and play pretend with them. Some parents get together and rent the facility for a big play date; other times, children with special needs hang out with their therapists and enjoy sensory activities in the village. There are classes and events at least once a week that include pumpkin decorating, fun farm activities and cultural holiday celebrations.
Most of the children who come to the center are crawlers until they are 6 or 7 years old. There is even a separate section for babies and toddlers with stuffed animals. Antonacci adds, “We encourage everyone to play.”
COST Starting at $20 per child, adults free.
INFO 151 DuPont St., Plainview; 516-349-1140, onceupontreetop.com
A-MAZE-ING AND BOUNCE-TASTIC
If your children bounce against the walls of the house, Active Kidz Long Island might be a better place to do it. Here, they can bounce around a huge room filled with three different bounce houses. One house has an obstacle course where kids can climb stairs and go down slides. A second has a court with soccer and volleyball nets. The third one is smaller and better for younger children: it has small slides, a rocket and jump rings.
There is also a huge maze. It has five tunnels, two slides (one for speed and one for turns), numerous obstacles, ropes and mats, and a section where children walk diagonally to get where they are going. It is suitable for children from 1 to 13 years. One-year-olds can explore the interior with their parents. Older kids become friends as they climb and race each other to the top.
A toddler play section has age-appropriate toys. A game room is also available during open play. This fall, check the website for holiday events like Spider-Man Day and open games based on laser tag, bowling, and rock climbing.
COST Starts at $10 for babies, $15 for crawlers, $20 for walkers; one adult free, additional adults $10.
INFO 200 Robbins Lane, Jericho; 516-621-6600, activekidzlongisland.com
HOME AND HEALTHY
Two intimate open play centers known as Oh my goodness recently debuted. One is in Port Washington; the other in Garden City. Both places are small, bright and have a warm community atmosphere. Owners generally limit open play time slots to a maximum of 15 children. “Socializing happens here all the time, as the space is welcoming,” says co-owner Katerina Elenis. It is ideal for children from 5 years.
As soon as you enter, you will notice a winding chute. On the stairs leading to the top of the slide, you’ll find the “clubhouse” (a large room with a pretend kitchen, lots of building toys, and railroad tracks). Zip down the slide and play in a book and toy section, or ride stuffed animal swings.
In addition to open play hours, the owners offer kids’ yoga classes, kids’ meditation, and kids’ sonic bowl classes. The play area extends towards an organic cafe. Elenis says, “We’re big on health and wellness. Our mission is to educate the little ones and their parents on how to lead a healthier lifestyle.”
COST Vary, classes can be $30-$50.
INFO 61 New Hyde Park Rd., Garden City; and 301 Main St., Port Washington; 516-636-5444, ohmygoodnesskids.com
SENSE-SACTIONAL
A few years ago, three Long Island mothers were looking for a safe and clean indoor environment where their children could play. They opened their own open play center: Planet Play.
Kids can climb inside a multi-level jungle gym that has two slides, a ball pit with a ball launcher, a swing and obstacle courses. The center also has a mock kitchen, a bounce house, a play area for toddlers, a basketball area and a recreation room with virtual pods. Pod adventures range from Santa rides to roller coasters to educational adventures through the human body. While the kids play, parents can keep an eye on a latte at the center’s Cosmic Café.
COST Starts at $15.
INFO 418 Bedford Ave., Bellmore; 516-447-2686
THREE GAME MODES OPEN
Xplore Family Fun Center has three locations: Safari Adventure by Xplore in Riverhead, Xplore Commack in Commack and Xplore Port Jefferson in Port Jefferson Station. Each has its own characteristics.
At Safari Adventure by Xplore in Riverhead, there’s a hands-on section designed for children with special needs (although everyone can participate). The area includes a Lego train table where kids can build a racing car and race around a track. There’s a light table with magnetic tiles to create designs and an “air wall” where kids can throw balls into air-filled tubes and experiment.
At the Xplore Port Jefferson, at the Port Jefferson Station, there is a cell train rope course. Children attach themselves to a harness and move across a bridge. Xplore Commack offers open play laser tag during scheduled hours.
Both the Commack and Port Jefferson Station locations have a Lazer Frenzy machine. Kids enter a laser station and have fun dodging and jumping over the laser lights. Parents can watch them on TV directly outside the machine.
The three open play centers have mazes with many obstacles, children’s areas with small slides and climbing activities, a recreation room with redemption area and inflatable slides. The Commack and Riverhead locations also have inflatable dance domes.
During the fall and winter there will be special activities for Halloween and Christmas, and a New Year’s party. (On December 31 at 7 p.m., staff will pretend it’s midnight, shout “Happy New Year” and drop balloons from the ceiling.)
COST Starting at $16 for ages 1-2, $23 for ages 3 and up.
INFO Xplore Port Jefferson, 200 Wilson St., Port Jefferson Station, 631-743-9955; Xplore Commack, 54 Vanderbilt Motor Pkwy., Commack, 631-543-8300; and Xplore’s Safari Adventure, 1074 Pulaski St., Riverhead, 631-727-4386
