This blog has been a bit neglected lately, mostly because my youngest was too young for playgrounds until recently. In the meantime, a discussion on one of my parents' groups has made me realize it would be helpful to collect a list of indoor playspaces appropriate for infants and toddlers. Here are the ones I've checked out so far:
Brookside Nature Center: This is one of my favorites. The indoor part of the nature center has a really nice playroom with lots of wooden and nature-related toys, as well as exhibits of bumblebees, turtles, and a nature diorama. There's a really great bird-watching area, too. Good for all ages for a short visit, but I find that babies and toddlers can easily spend hours there.
Meadowside Nature Center: This free, spacious nature center has: (1) a combined playroom/animal exhibit room stocked with baby and toddler toys, with turtles, snakes, and some other animals in glass display cases along one wall, (2) a woodlands room featuring a crawl-through tunnel with a small slide at the end, (3) a large atrium with a couple of hands-on historical exhibits -- most popularly, a dug-out canoe that kids can climb into, and (4) judging from the signs on the wall, a variety of programs geared toward young kids.
Downtown Silver Spring Library: This list doesn't include all the libraries, but you can take it for granted that most of them are good for babies. I find that they are less helpful for toddlers -- mine, at least, have always had a singular focus on pulling all the books off the shelves. This new library is particularly interesting because it has a great baby/toddler play area that is a bit set apart from all the books.
White Oak Library: Also a standout library because of its high concentration of toys. It doesn't have as much space as downtown Silver Spring, though, so the book-pulling-off-shelves issue still exists. NOTE: CLOSED FOR RENOVATION AS OF MAY 2017
Ellsworth Place Playspace: The bottom floor of this mall in downtown Silver Spring has a small play area especially good for toddlers. It tends to be pretty quiet and not overcrowded.
Silver Star Gymnastics: This gym has open play hours, usually from noon-1:00 but you can check their website. It costs $9 per child. My daughter has loved this place since the moment she learned to walk, but you will get more for your buck with older kids who can use the equipment. [pictures to follow]
The Little Gym of Silver Spring: The Little Gym of Silver Spring usually has 3 open play times per week (times vary depending on the semester, but should be on their website). They cost only $2 per session, BUT you have to be a member. If it's something you would go to often, though, I find the $40 membership fee to be well worth it for access to the playspace. (And of course, you can also sign up for classes.) This gym is my 16-month-old's favorite place in the world. As a bonus, it's in an outdoor shopping center that also has a nice cafe, a pizza shop, a supermarket, and a fabulous candy store.
County-Run Playspaces: The county runs two open plays per week, on Mondays from 10:30-noon at the White Oak Recreation Center, and on Wednesdays from 10:30-noon at the Long Branch Recreation Center. In each case, they set up a gym with some balls, soft structures, toys, etc. -- but mostly, the appeal of these play areas is that they are both spacious and free. They do follow the county school calendar, so are closed on days that school is closed.
Playspace at the Wheaton Mall: Personally, I find the mall exhausting, so I've never gone just for this playspace. With that said, they've gathered quite a collection of "things to keep kids happy/bribe them with so parents can shop"): the free playspace, which is always crawling with kid, a little ride, a miniature train that goes through the mall, and there is also Bubble Bounce right near there. Of all these options, only the playspace is free, but the rest are pretty reasonably priced. [I'll post pictures when I get them...]
Dynamite Gymnastics: Dynamite Gymnastics Center in Rockville has open gyms twice a day, usually at noon and two o'clock; you can check the schedule here: http://www.dynamitegc.com/schedule/. Cost is $8 per child. Most of the gym is geared toward older kids (and older kids will love it), but there is plenty for toddlers to do, too.
Dynamite Gymnastics: Dynamite Gymnastics Center in Rockville has open gyms twice a day, usually at noon and two o'clock; you can check the schedule here: http://www.dynamitegc.com/schedule/. Cost is $8 per child. Most of the gym is geared toward older kids (and older kids will love it), but there is plenty for toddlers to do, too.
Still to be explored: Bubble Bounce, Dynamite Agility Center, Playseum, College Park Aviation Museum
What have I missed? Please comment and recommend your favorites!
