May 23, 2008
970 Edwards Ferry Rd (map it)
Leesburg, VA 20176
As with the Burger King down in Chantilly, we love that the indoor play area here has booths in a room separate from the rest of the restaurant. It’s a friendly and cozy place to run the kids on days when the weather isn’t cooperating or days when no one can muster the energy to cook dinner at home. We’ve come a number of times and the place seems to have a different energy each time depending on who is there.
Sometimes it is really quiet and sometimes hectic and crowded. We usually end up talking to the other parents since there is no way to avoid overhearing each others’ conversations in such a small space. On a good day everyone plays nicely and gets to know each other. On a bad day the kids may find gross things in the tunnels or the play area may be overrun with unsupervised kids who look just a bit too old to be playing there. You never know what you are going to get until you get there, but it’s cheap, it’s close, it’s fun, and the good days outnumber the bad so we keep going back.
UPDATE (9/13/2008): The play area at this Burger King is closed for the repairs. Unless you are going for the food alone you might want to call ahead.
April 27, 2008
Active Family Services, LLC is proud to announce our new Loudoun Family Calendar. This is the resource I dreamed of when I new to the area, new to staying at home with my children, and new to mothering two children. I hope it will help other parents and childcare providers to easily find places & events to share with their favorite little ones on days when they feel the need to get out of the house and connect with others.
We make every effort to ensure that the information on our calendar is up to date and easy to use; however, we recommend that you double-check event details with the location. If you would like to suggest an addition to the calendar or notice an error, please contact us. As with our other informational services this calendar is made possible by our local sponsors. Thank you for your support!
March 31, 2008
Bowl America Dranesville
46940 Woodson Drive
Sterling, VA 20164 (map it)
(703) 430-1350
We managed to avoid testing the food and the video games, but we did try out the lanes at Bowl America last weekend. The bumpers made the game more fun for my two and four year olds. And maybe I have been living with my head in the sand for the past 20 years, but they have a nifty device we have never seen before. It is a little ramp for kids to use to aim and release a bowling ball to give it the momentum it needs to get all the way down the lane. However, my kids though the bowling ball coming back to us backwards was even cooler. Maybe they have a tilt button or a puff of wind that an operator hits when they see a little one’s ball stuck mid-lane, but as far as we were concerned it was pure magic.
Even though it was a Saturday night the vibe was still pretty family friendly. I don’t bowl often and always forget how close you are to the folks in the next lane. Either we were lucky or the staff is thoughtful in assigning lanes, because our neighbors on both sides were patient with the kids and seemed to enjoy them.
Other tidbits parents might care about:
- Smoking is allowed after 5pm on Saturdays, but we didn’t feel like the place was too smokey for a short visit with our kids.
- The bathrooms were clean, but very narrow so a bit awkward for wrangling toddlers or changing diapers.
March 26, 2008
Dulles Town Center
21100 Dulles Town Circle
Dulles, Virginia 20166-2400
The Dulles Town Center’s play area is in the center of the mall’s upper level just outside the food court, and above the area where Santa and the Easter Bunny make their seasonal appearances. This play space truly delights my children. The only downside is that it always seems to be crowded when we go. The fact that children are not injured in the chaos more often is either a testament to the designer’s genius or the innate self preservation instincts of the 1-5 year olds of Loudoun County.
The mall also boasts a train and a carousel, neither of which have been tested by my crew. We do frequent the fish tank in the Nordstrom’s Kids Shoe Department though, and highly recommend a visit.
November 12, 2007
My children have been to open play at the Play’n Around Gym a few times, and each time they asked to go again in the next day or so.
The place is very open - it is easy to see your kids from wherever you are in the room. It is also brightly lit (a little too brightly if you ask me), and has fun (loud) music playing.
If you are looking for another indoor place to run your kids and can afford to pay an entry fee it is worth checking their schedule.
November 12, 2007
Pump It Up
73 Lawson Road SE
Leesburg, VA 20175 (map it)
(703) 443-1400
My kids had no idea what a fun morning they were in for when I told them we were going to a special jumping place. They loved Pump It Up, and did more running than jumping!
The nitty gritty:
- bathrooms were spotless
- staff was friendly
- I felt Room A was better than Room B for the little ones, since B has one obstacle course/ slide combo that I couldn’t see the kids on for part of the time and was tricky some of the two year old crowd.
- The $10 per kid cost felt pretty steep while I was paying it for both kids, but it was totally worth it and I doubt a company could offer someplace like this for much less.
- The Leesburg Today article got some details wrong (cost for second kid is $10 not $8), so check hours and cost with Pump it Up.
Happy jumping!
November 3, 2007
Beans in the Belfry
122 West Potomac Street
Brunswick, MD 21716
(301) 834-7178
I may have raved about other cafes, but Beans in the Belfry is my favorite in the Tri-State area. They have a doll house. They have dress up clothes. They have books. They have toys. They have so much to look at. They put mangoes in their couscous. Beans in the Belfry is cool.
Mr. Don visits Beans in the Belfry twice a month (first Thursday 10:30 to 11:30am, third Monday 3 to 4pm), and during his performances the place is packed to an overwhelming degree.
Tips for your visit
- The service is slow. I won’t be a problem if you keep your expectations low.
- If you are hoping for a quiet cup of coffee and conversation you might want to check the calendar first to make sure you won’t be surrounded by a loud event.
- If you plan to attend a Mr. Don show you might want to arrive early.
- Brunwick may be a sleepy little town, but there’s lots of other cool stuff near by: train tracks, train museum (very limited hours), Book Crossing (locally owned independent book store), Potomac River access, very well fenced playground just across the river in Lovettsville and more.
October 13, 2007
Burger King
4406 Chantilly Shopping Ctr
Chantilly, VA
(703) 378-1653
We rarely enter a fast food restaurant for the food alone. The draw is usually the clean restroom, quick drive thru or the play area. The food is just our ticket in.
In this case the draw was the play area. For my TV starved kids it was the TV in the play area. They got their TV fix, and eventually peeled themselves away long enough to play for a little while. The other notable difference between this and the other fast food play areas we have come across was that there are booths inside the playroom, so it was easy to eat and play in the same space.
If you are looking for cheap indoor play space in Chantilly or near the Dulles airport it is worth keeping on your radar.
