Imagine Play Indoor Play Center Opens In Elk Grove
Roxana Cheung enjoys pretending she is camping.
Imagine Play, an indoor play center for kids, just opened in Elk Grove. My family and I attended their Grand Opening, and I am thoroughly impressed by the quality and amount of activities they have to offer. My two daughters played for 2 hours straight and didn’t want to leave. If you have children ages 7 and under, I highly recommend you check out Imagine Play in Elk Grove.
Toddlers enjoy the rice table, which is similar to a sandbox but filled with rice.
Popular Activities
Carissa Cheung enjoys riding on Thomas The Train
First of all, there are many activities for kids to choose from. Popular activities include playing in the market, setting sail in the boat, pretend play (this month’s theme is camping), putting scarves in the wind tunnel, and playing at the rice table. Children can also ride on any one of a number of ride on toys, play in the infant play area, create art projects, or participate in hourly activities.
Most noteworthy, there is a variety of things to do for children of different ages. For example, my 5 year old daughter enjoys playing in the market, sailing as a pirate, and pretending she is camping. My 20 month old baby girl gets a kick out of the ride on toys, and loves pushing the mini shopping cart, and playing at the rice table.
Girls enjoy sailing as pirates.
Each month there is a pretend theme. The pretend theme for the month of October is camping. So children can play in the tent, sit by the fire and roast a marshmallow, or go fishing.
Girls enjoy making a Halloween spider themed art project.
The hourly activities widely vary. One hour the children may experience fun with bubbles while the next hour the children may have fun in a group parachute activity. Imagine Play also has a lot of great art supplies for children to create. Hourly activities occur during weekdays but not on weekends.
What You Want To Know Before Going
You will want to bring socks for each member of your family as socks are required. Should you forget, you can purchase sock at the front. Also, each child must have a waiver filled out by their parent or guardian. Everything is enclosed in. So you do not have to worry about children wandering out of Imagine Play.
I note that Imagine Play does allow you to bring outside food and drink in, so long as you keep it at the table and chair area. Most parents will appreciate this as you can bring food from home or buy food from elsewhere and eat it at Imagine Play.
A view of Imagine Play with the tables and chairs (area for parents to sit) and the children’s play area
Thoughtful Touches You Will Appreciate
There is a nice area with tables and chairs where parents can sit and watch their kids play. As aforementioned, you are free to bring in your own food and drink. In addition, Imagine Play offers free coffee and tea and sells some inexpensive snacks such as apples, cuties, chips, fruit snacks, and cookies. They also sell juice and water. Furthermore, the wi-fi is free and the wifi network and password is posted on the wall. I imagine that if I wanted to, I could easily bring my laptop, and work and enjoy the free wifi while at the same time watching my kids play. Also, if you want to charge your phone or plug in your laptop, you can check out a charging station from the front.
Especially relevant, there are thoughtful touches all around. There is a good variety of coffee and tea. The Keurig coffee/tea maker brews each cup individually. The bathrooms have changing tables, with wipes and even diaper bags, so you can tie a smelly diaper into a bag before tossing it in the trash. Having an active toddler, I really appreciate all the thoughtful amenities.
Imagine Play sells Melissa and Doug toys. Melissa and Doug products are on sale right now. During their opening week, Imagine Play is offering 25% off all Melissa and Doug products. Since Christmas isn’t too far away, it’s not a bad idea to start picking out Christmas gifts for family or friends. I personally bought some toys for my girls and I know my daughter is already thrilled with her Melissa and Doug mop and broom set.
The party room is perfect for birthday parties.
Birthday Parties
Imagine Play offers reasonable packages for birthday parties. Each birthday party package offers a birthday party package for a certain number of children, with a party attendant, private or semi private use of the play area, goodie bags, special crown or tiara for the birthday child, plates and utensils, water and juice boxes, and 20% off all Melissa and Doug toys. The $140 birthday party package is for 10 children and offers private use of the play area and the party room for 2 hours. Next, the $280 birthday party package is for 20 children with semi private use of the play area and private use of the party room for 2 hours. The $300 birthday party package for 20 children comes with with semi private use of the play area, and private use of the party room for 3 hours.
I will note again that you can bring in outside food or drink. The staff at Imagine Play will clean up the mess for you. Since many places don’t allow you to bring in outside food or drink, Imagine Play should be commended for keeping the budget of parents in mind. I imagine that many parents will just bring in pizza and their own cake for their child’s birthday party.
Roxana Cheung enjoys playing in the market.
Memberships & Passes
On Imagine Play’s Square site HERE you can buy vouchers, memberships, and passes. They have some great opening special deals. All prices mentioned here are good until October 31, 2017. After October 31, 2017, prices are subject to change. A pass for one child is $11 while a pass for 2 children is $22. If you want a pass for 3 children, it is $27. An 8 punch card for 1 child is $88. For two children, a punch card is $114.
Imagine Play also offers different memberships. Their Grand Opening Membership for $168 offers up to 2 general admissions a month, 10% off snack bar products, and special member hours. Memberships are valid for 1 year from your first check in.
The 3 month Open Play Membership for one child at $57 offers unlimited general admissions, 10% off snack bar products, special member hours, 20% off special events, and 1 Monthly Guest Pass. The 3 month Open Play Membership for two siblings at $97 offers unlimited general admissions, 10% off snack bar products, special member hours, 20% off special events, and 1 Monthly Guest Pass.
The yearly Open Play membership for one child at $235 unlimited general admissions, 10% off snack bar products, special member hours, 20% off special events, and 1 Monthly Guest Pass. At $364, the yearly Open Play membership for two children offers unlimited general admissions, 10% off snack bar products, special member hours, 20% off special events, and 1 Monthly Guest Pass. The yearly VIP Membership for one child at $256 offers unlimited general admissions, 12 Special Events a Year, 10% off snack bar products, special member hours, 25% off birthday parties, and 2 Monthly Guess Passes.
“Would you like some cake?”
Go Check It Out
You can tell a lot about a business by simply observing the staff. The staff of Imagine Play is knowledgeable and friendly. I watched the staff around my kids. Especially relevant, I note that the staff carefully interacts with and encourages the kids, while still cleaning up and making sure everything runs smoothly.
The activities for children are many in number and really are very well thought out. Since the hourly activities are all different and the pretend theme changes each month, there is no danger of any child getting bored. Rather each child engages with thoughtful and creative play which stimulates their mind. Hence, there are many things to do for children of different ages. In addition, I know Imagine Play is also planning activities for older children as well.
My family and our friends really had an enjoyable first experience at Imagine Play. My 5 year old daughter is already begging to go back. I take this as a good sign. They are clearly doing something right. In conclusion, I really have no reservations whatsoever about recommending Imagine Play. I know I will be taking my own two daughters back soon and have already purchased a VIP membership. If you have a child ages 7 and under, I wholeheartedly suggest that you grab some socks and take them to Imagine Play.
