I love Let’s Play. My kids love it. I just think you have to have a certain personality that can handle it for more than 15 minutes without going into sensory overload. I don’t have that, so when I saw a smaller version opening up near our house, I was down to take the kids and see what it was all about. 

Enter Playville. While I don’t have ties to this business, I also promised to only write good news. If the experience hadn’t been wonderful, I would just skip that article all together. 

But here we are. It’s wonderful. First of all, it’s clean. Monica clean, if you watch Friends. There’s no smell, like that mix of feet and antiseptic that most play areas smell like. If you’re old enough to get that Monica reference, it’s the smell of a 1992 Discovery Zone mid-way through a birthday party. 

Second, it’s reasonably loud. It’s fun loud, not overwhelming loud. 

Third, you could possibly work there. There’s a glass divider between the play area and the chairs. I’ve seen people working at Let’s Play, but I have no idea how they have that much concentration. This is also heavily dependent on your kids. You have to have the right kind of kids to let them play alone. I do not have those kids. I have a kid with the charisma of a cult leader who can and has — Tate Farms 2022 — convinced large groups of other older children to do really stupid things. He doesn’t get to play alone while I work. 

Fourth, they’re open on Sunday. We run a small business Monday through Friday, Saturday is spent recovering and Sunday after church is when we have fun. 

There are three inflatables and one baby/toddler area. I took my wildly adventurous 1-year-old down the inflatables a few times before he realized he could do it himself. If you haven’t tried to climb one of those with a 25-pound baby, you should be prepared that it’s a lot more difficult that doing it alone. 

A few more notes before you go: 

You have to wear socks. I strongly recommend the ones with the grippers on the bottom if you’re going to be chasing kids. Or if you’re clumsy. Or both.

They offer a few snacks, but if you have a picky eater you might want to bring your own. 

Sign the waiver online. They have iPads, but if your goal is a screen-free afternoon, it’s easier for the kids to not see them (at least in my world where I’m arguing with a 3-year-old). 

They’re closed Monday and Tuesday, but open Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

Admission is $12 for children 1 to 12, babies under 1 are free. Children 13 to 18 are $5, and adults are free with a child’s admission. Birthday parties start at $350 for 15 kids.