Do you love a good indoor playground? Well I do! In fact, it has been a business idea my husband and I have been discussing for quite awhile. Where we live in Arizona, the summer heat can be pretty miserable. Having a cool place to take children to play is a great way to survive the summer.
This past week we took our two children to an indoor playground’s “grand opening”. I have decided to go ahead and share our experience for my local readers. Also, we may be more critical than most. When you spend a ton of time researching and brainstorming doing something very similar, you tend to scrutinize more. Remember too that we went on the very first day of their opening…
Giggles- An Indoor Playground in Chandler, Arizona
A little bit about Giggles
- Admission is $10 for first kid and $8 for each additional sibling. There is no time limit.
- There is a monthly membership option that is $49 for first kid, $39 for each additional sibling.
- Socks must be worn by everyone, and grippy socks must be worn by all children. They do sell them at entry if needed (I think they cost about $2).
- Hours are 10:00am-6:00pm Sunday and Monday. 10:00am-8:00pm Tuesday through Saturday.
- Giggles is located on the Southwest corner of Alma School and Elliot in Chandler Arizona.
- Outside food and beverage is allowed in eating area.
- There is a private party room available.
What I Like
- You can bring your own food and drinks. You could pack a lunch and snacks and stay for a long time. There is also a Starbucks with a drive-thru across the street.
- Free wi-fi. Starbucks, happy children, and internet to get some work done, I love it.
- Nursing Room. At Giggles there is a room for nursing mothers, which is fantastic. I am a supporter of breastfeeding in public (or where ever necessary) but having the option to go to a quiet private space in nice.
- Play options. There are two play structures that have different slides, a play fort, playhouse, pretend camping area, toddler area and trampolines. Giggles also has a ton of toys, cars, dolls, musical instruments and so much more.
What I Don’t Like
Lack of security. There is a gate with a child safety latch on it similar to pool gates. I do feel that Giggles should have some sort of verification that children are leaving with appropriate adults. Having matching wristbands or stamps could help with that.
Wood playground equipment. Actually, there is pretty much wood everywhere. It is around the support columns, playhouse and tent. The wood is sanded but unfinished which means it could splinter easily. Splitting and cracked wood can be seen on the playground structures. We were there on the first day open, and for there to already be noticeable damage is concerning to me.
Cleanliness. It was very clean, however, there are a lot of items that will require regular cleaning. My daughter loved playing pretend and jumped into a sleeping bag under the tent. At first I thought it was cute and fun, then I started thinking about lice and bedbugs. I know these bugs have been found at movie theaters but, if it were me as a business owner, I wouldn’t want to risk it.
Safety. I am just going to say overall safety because there were a few things that I didn’t feel were safe. The ceilings seem too low for trampolines. Thomas the train roller coasters, these are fun but I don’t think it would be safe while there are tons of kids playing. Seriously, I can see my 18 month old being slammed into by one of these while running by. Wood benches through-out play area for adults to sit, that are poorly made and will definitely break over time. I am assuming that there are some sort of safety inspections for a business like this, so I may just be over-protective.
My Conclusion
I love the concept of Giggles and I truly feel like they have put a lot of thought into it. With a little more work and hopefully more attention to potential hazards they can be great. My kids loved it and even my 11 year old asked to return the next day. If I return, I will be staying close by my little guys side and probably steering him more towards the toys rather than the larger equipment. I would really like to see this small business succeed, they are most certainly providing a fun indoor space for children and parents to play.
Do you have a favorite indoor playground? I would love to hear about it in the comments below.
As always, thanks for reading!
-April aka ZonaMom
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