Disclaimer: We were provided complimentary entrance into Funtastic Playtorium in return for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed herein are my own and not influenced by Funtastic Playtorium and/or its affiliates, in any way.
For months, I had seen playdates and parties held at Funtastic Playtorium. I even passed it on my route from KidsQuest Children's Museum to Target every week for a month. Every time I saw the colorful, massive playspace, I grew more and more curious and Kate became more and more difficult to distract that blocking her line of sight with my body or carrying her and smothering her with hugs and kisses as we passed became my go-to tactics to avoid a potential meltdown.
Months later and after being holed in a few days by last week's rain, I knew my 2-year old needed the space to roam free while I needed to have contact with the outside world. So I called a friend for a last minute playdate, "Meet me at Funtastic Playtorium in Factoria."
We were welcomed right as we walked through the doors and Kate's eyes widened just shy of her jaw dropping. I knew she couldn't believe we had finally made it in! We got our wristbands, parked the stroller, took off our shoes, and Kate made a beeline for one of two trampolines. We then took the two little girls to the toddler area that included its own trampoline, a climbing wall, large, padded building blocks, rocking animals, and a dance mat piano. My friend was in heaven because the area was designated for kids 3 and under. She had been to some indoor playgrounds where kids of all ages played in the same space, which was a downside especially when her 18-month old often got run over by older kids.
Kate escaped the low blockade of the toddler area and we began to explore everything the indoor playground had to offer. She stuck to the first level and discovered the area with ball rockets and target practice. The balls were soft so I wasn't too concerned, but I still steered clear of any child's aim. She went through all the obstacles and even slid across the zipline. She probably thought it couldn't get any better until she saw a slide and discovered the second level.
I crawled up the steps with her so she could go down the slide and quickly realized the crawl space was meant for fun-size kids, not adults. So she ended up exploring the entire second level all by herself! And I was able to follow along with her down below. She rushed through every tube and every obstacle, and was safe inside the net walls. She got the best of both worlds -- independence to freely explore and the security of me a floor below.
She finished out playtime with a ride on the spinning octopus, then left happy, exhausted, and famished. We ate lunch at the mall, ran a few errands, and she napped. If that wasn't a successful, productive, fun-filled morning, I don't know what else it could be! So if you ask me if we're going back to Funtastic Playtorium, I emphatically say, "Yes, I don't know why it took us so long!" And as she gets older, I will definitely get comfortable at one of the tables bordering the play area so I can make use of the free WiFi while still keeping a watchful eye.
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Funtastic Playtorium is an indoor playground for kids ages 1 to 10 years old located in the Marketplace at Factoria. It is open Monday-Saturday 10:00am – 8:30pm and Sunday 11:00am – 6:00pm. SURPRISE! You get 15% off weekday admission, all you have to do is mention MACARONI KID!
