Mary Cliff has always believed that kids learn best from play.
That's what prompted the 34-year-old mother of two to create an indoor space for children to play, which opens Monday.Β
When you walk into Our Play Place on the northwest side you instantly wish you were still a child. Luckily, you don't have to sit on the sidelines (parents can play, too).Β
We want to play, too! This is the kitchen of the camper at Our Play Place.
Mary Cliff, along with her husband, Brandon Cliff own Our Play Place, located at 3951 W. Costco Drive
One side of the room is decked out like a small town with beautiful wooden playhouses chock-full of accessories, places to sit, dream and pretend.
There's the veterinary clinic, a diner, a construction site and a camper. There's also a floor mat with wooden cars and roads, a big slide and dress-up costumes.Β
The camper, which has a kitchen inside, is on a camp site with a pretend campfire, BBQ grill and picnic table. The construction site has wood and pvc pipes kids can play with and the diner looks like it came straight from a 1950's movie.
Happy Trails Veterinary Clinic at Our Play Place.
The space is small, giving it an intimate feeling where parents can sit and chat (if they're not hanging out in the awesome camper) without having to run around after the kids.Β
"My main goal is it's a space parents want to come to as much as their kids do," Cliff said. "Parents can sit and relax or interact with their kids."
Children can pretend they're building a house on the "construction site" at Our Play Place.
For $10 you can bring your children, ages 1-8 to play for as long as they wantΒ during the hours of 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. during the week and 8:30 to 11 a.m. on the weekends. Additional children can play for $7 each and kids under the age of 1 and over the age of 8 can play for free (same for you, mom and dad).
There are no memberships to worry about but you can buy a Play Pass where you get 7 plays for $50 or you can get the Monthly Unlimited pass for $65 which entitles you to unlimited playtime for the month.Β
Kids can get some floor time playing with wooden cars on this mat.Β
You can also book birthday parties there. During the week, 90-minute party slots are available after from 4 to 5:30 p.m. and on the weekends two-hour parties are available after 11 a.m.
Cliff has thrown a bribery option in the mix. For $1 you can get a token for the kids to exchange for a snack pack on the way out. It includes a snack and a juice.
There's even something for the parents, a coffee bar. That's right, you can sitΒ with other parents sipping on $1 coffee while the kids play. Sounds pretty sweet to us.Β
Look at the detail on this play house!Β
If you go
What: Our Play Place
Where: 3951 W. Costco Drive
Cost: $10; $7 each additional child
Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8:30 to 11 a.m. Saturday and Sunday
