Now that winter has finally arrived in earnest, the demand is high for indoor play options. To help you fight the winter blues (and avoid being cooped up in the apartment on the winter weekends and afternoons to come), we’ve rounded up some of our favorite venues featuring indoor play spaces and drop-in play sessions. From Manhattan to Brooklyn and Queens, there’s an indoor play space for every family!
apple seeds: One of the city’s hottest indoor play spaces, apple seeds has two locations (Chelsea and the UWS) that both operate on two kinds of membership services. Parents can choose between the red apple membership ($124/month) and green apple membership ($156/month), which differ in amount of discounts, advanced registration option, and guest passes. Both memberships allow kids’ unlimited access to both locations that are jam-packed with fun activities for children ages newborn to age 5. The playground features a sports gym with basketball nets, soft play mats, tunnels, ramps, and large foam cushions. The playground also has a toy store and a kids cuts quick stop in case the little rock star needs to get his or hers locks in rocking shape! appleseedsplay.com
The Art Farm in The City: The drop-in option at this Upper East Side venue is open to kids of all ages where they can participate in activities like: animal time, arts and crafts, and creative play. You can purchase a daily pass ($20 per child per visit) or buy a 10 Play Date pass to save. Featuring live guitar music, singing, and dancing, kids get to learn with toy animals and then get to know a real life counterpart, and then create an art work about it. This indoor play space will introduce kids to farm animals and life, as well as teach them some caring and responsibility skills they can take with them home and apply to the family pet—they offer classes as well. theartfarms.org
Brooklyn Arts Exchange: Park Slope, Brooklyn’s, Brooklyn Arts Exchange is the place to be for kids ages 1-4 this winter. Known as the BAX play space, this under-the-radar gem is a favorite of local families and Manhattanites alike. Toddlers and preschoolers can navigate hoops and tunnels, color, play with balls, and read books. With so many activities, kids will spend hours in this cozy tot spot! The playground is $10 per family with discounts available for multi-session packs. They also offer a variety of classes. bax.org
Bounce N Play: Astoria, Queens’, answer to cold weather is the cozy indoor play space Bounce N Play. This Queens destination includes a special toddler area for tots, a separate oversized playground for children ages 3-13, a jungle gym, slides, a rock climbing wall, and other fun picks. The most distinguishing feature of this location is that they offer specially-tailored open play sessions, like one for kids ages 6 and under, as well as one for the whole family (which includes a buffet). So whether you want your kids to be safe and socialize with kids of their age or you want to have some bonding time with your tots, this play space caters to parents’ wishes. bouncenplayny.com
Chelsea Piers: Venture out to the Chelsea Piers this winter and check out the drop-in options at their 80,000-square-ft Field House. The Field House offers a ton of activities for kids of all ages, from open gym time to youth rock climbing, kids will crawl, jump and climb, and have a blast at this facility. A single session runs $12/class or you can save by purchasing an unlimited monthly pass for $150. From gymnastics to cage batting fun, Chelsea Piers has something for every taste! chelseapiers.com/fh
City Treehouse: City Treehouse is a reservation-required boutique play facility open daily for children ages 2 months to 8 years in Chelsea. This nature-themed winter time paradise features a two-story treehouse with a slide, a multilevel water table, and a stream for the young explorers. The facility is equipped with a Soft Play room filled with toys, games, and crafts supplies for kids of all ages. There is also a star fiber optic cave, an inflated ball pit, and a 12-ft whiteboard with markers. This place will encourage child-directed learning and develop your child’s sensory senses of exploration and discovery. Classes are offered as well. Membership is not required, but advance phone or email reservations are. First-time visits are $10 per hour, after $20 per hour, discounts for multiple hour packages. citytreehouse.com
Klub4Kidz: Williamsburg, Brooklyn’s, Klub4Kidz is a drop-in and membership facility for kids ages 0-12. Their attractions include a four-story indoor playground featuring a zip line, crawl tubes, mazes, slides, an 18-ft rock climbing wall, and a separate padded toddler room for the ages 3 and under. Open play is $20 dollars per child and rock climbing is $10 per child, and memberships are also available. klub4kidz.com
Play Greenpoint: This Brooklyn drop-in enrichment center is easily accessible with an all-day pass ($20 per child and $10 per sibling) offers a vast array of classes for babies and kids ages 0-5. Play offers an option of purchasing a monthly membership for $120 per month and other discounts for multi-session packs. Some of the play space’s offerings are play sets, activity stations like a food market and laundry set, a gym, and a separate baby area where infants can crawl safely and explore. playgreenpoint.com
Playgarden: This Tribeca venue offers 12 new, unique play spaces a year to keep the little ones’ imagination and excitement going. The studio requires membership for an annual enrollment; there is an option for unlimited playground time only membership or unlimited playground plus classes’ membership, such as their winter offering of $600 (class + playground). There are value packs and school year specials, including free playground for babies 3-11 months. Classes are offered as well. playgardennyc.com
The Playroom NYC: The Playroom NYC, on the Upper East Side, is haven designed for ages 6 months to 5 years. One time visit to the Playroom NYC costs $30 or you can opt in for a play pack or a monthly membership for $250/month. Some of the facility’s offerings for the younger crowd are a craft studio, baby steps program, and more. They also have a variety of class option available. theplayroomnyc.com
Recess DUMBO: Recess DUMBO, in Brooklyn, is a custom-designed facility that has slides, tunnels, poles, rope nets, as well as a lower-impact area for babies and beginning walkers outfitted with a magnetic wall, books, bead mazes, and a shorter, simpler climbing structure. For bigger kids, there’s even a bi-level cubby area with “secret” passageway to explore. Notably, there’s a brightly colored spacious area where children can have lunch or a snack. A drop-in visit costs $30 per child for unlimited play and $20 per additional child. recessdumbo.com
Scandinavia House: Scandinavia House, located in Midtown East, is open for play for children ages 1 and up. This drop in play space is $15 per child and is inspired by early childhood centers in Scandinavia. This gem has a room full of books in English and Scandinavian languages where your children can get acquainted with the literary worlds of new authors or revisit some of their favorites. This is a great place for less active kids who like to get lost in the faraway worlds that reading offers and for tots who want to learn about a new culture different from their own. There’s also an activity room where kids can enjoy a custom LEGO corner, landscaped BRIO train table, an indoor climbing corner, a mushroom house, and a light landscape with a “please touch” wall. scandinaviahouse.org/playing-learning-center
Sensory City: Sensory City, located in Long Island City, Queens, is a state-of-the-art sensory gym with a rock climbing wall with ropes, a ball pit, a two-story castle for imaginative play with an exit slide, swings, a zip-line and many, many toys. This safe, family-friendly environment allows the kids to navigate and explore, as well as improve their sensory-motor experiences, and work on their physical and social development. From tactile to taste and smell, this play space will challenge your little one’s all senses and its focus on sensory development is what makes it unique compared to others in the city. A single visit costs $20 per one hour session and siblings are half off. Make sure to call or email them to reserve a place as they allow only up to 10 children at a time. sensorycityot.com/open-sensory-gym
TLB Music Playroom: Another Upper East Side gem is TLB Music, where a drop-in indoor play space is filled with fun, eco-friendly, developmental toys and activities for babies, toddlers, and children ages 6 months to 6 years. Everything in the space was preselected to enhance your child’s cognitive, physical, social, and emotional well-being. And their specialty is environmentally-friendly facility and activities. It’s the perfect playground alternative on a snowy or rainy NYC day! Some of the exciting Playroom’s specialties are a clubhouse, slides for toddlers and big kids, a rock climbing mountain, a play kitchen, big soft blocks, a magnetic “word wall,” and ride-on cars. The cost is $25 per hour is discounts for multi-session packages available. tlbmusic.com/playroom
Totally Tots at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum: Take your child to Crown Heights, Brooklyn, and escape the cold at Totally Tots. This play space is free with museum admission ($11 for ages 1 and up) and is suitable for children ages 18 months to 5 years. There are colorful padded structures where infants can crawl, cruise, and get their silly on. There’s also a water-play area, a multi-level climbing structure with instruments to pound and play, a building zone for the curious crowd, and a theater. And if after all this your kid is still full of energy, why not take an afternoon and spend it exploring the magnificent Brooklyn Children’s Museum exhibits away from winter’s chill. brooklynkids.org
Twinkle Playspace: Williamsburg, Brooklyn’s, Twinkle Playspace is a drop-in playground operated by a local Brooklyn family. The 4,500-square-ft venue features creative custom-designed immersive activity stations unlike any others in the city. These include a water table, a firehouse, a salon, a general store, and a custom barnyard. It’s a great option for preschoolers ages 0-6 who love to pretend! Some of the special features include a stardust tree fort, a red hot fire truck, a 15-ft tall multi-colored dragon, a graffiti studio, a hardhat zone, and a pretty in pink station. First time visit is $25 dollars or you can purchase a six-session pass for $135. twinkleplayspace.com
