A Guide to Indoor Play Spaces for Kids Near Oak Park
Freezing temps, heat advisories, and heavy precipitation might prevent your little ones from playing outside—but that doesn’t mean they (or you!) will be happy about it. Fortunately Oak Park and the other near western suburbs offer plenty of indoor play spaces.
From swings and slides to blocks and balance beams, these alternatives prove that the fabulous indoors can be as fun as the great outdoors. So bundle up the kids and escape to a favorite indoor play space, where they can burn off their excess energy without damaging your furnishings. Bonus: You won’t hear “I’m sooooo bored” even once.
(Hours, dates, and programs are subject to change. Although we try our best to provide up-to-date information, Explore Oak Park and Beyond recommends checking each venue’s website for the most current information before visiting!)
Oak Park
Cubhouse Indoor Playground | 49 Lake Street, Oak Park, IL
With its mini slides, tunnels, and climbing structures, the Cubhouse Indoor Playground in the Park District’s Stevenson Center offers all the physical fun of an outdoor playground in a comfy indoor setting. And when (or if!) the little ones are ready for a breather, they can sit at a table and play with blocks, put together puzzles, and enjoy arts and crafts.
Open Tuesdays through Saturdays, 9:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m., from October through mid-April, the Cubhouse welcomes kids as young as 8 months old up to 5 years old, accompanied and supervised by an adult. There’s a dedicated space for infants and daily story time, and you can also rent the space for parties. It’s always important to check their website, however, as dates and times can shift.
Brookfield
The Social Play | 3741 Grand Boulevard, Brookfield, IL
The Social Play on Grand Boulevard in Brookfield is one indoor play center parents won’t mind hanging out in, thanks in part to its coffee bar. (The coffee’s so good, people stop by sans kids to grab a cup to go.) It also helps that the space is light and bright, with wooden slides, toy kitchens, and other play structures in warm neutral hues that help prevent little ones from becoming overstimulated.
Founded by a bilingual speech-language pathologist, The Social Play also offers English and Spanish/English language enrichment classes for children ages 1–3, plus sensory-play sessions led by an occupational therapist for kids ages 1–5. The regular play sessions are open to kids 6 months–5 years old, and you can buy monthly memberships as well as daily passes. Hours vary, and some weekend days are booked up with birthday parties, so check The Social Play’s website for the weekly schedule. Kids must be accompanied by an adult.
Franklin Park
We Rock the Spectrum Kid’s Gym | 10123 Grand Avenue, Franklin Park, IL
Inclusivity is baked into We Rock the Spectrum Kid’s Gym, located on Grand Avenue in Franklin Park. Among the myriad toys, crafts, and pretend-play accessories are a dozen pieces of specialized equipment, including a zip line, a rope bridge, and a crash pit, that kids with sensory processing disorders enjoy as much as their neurotypical peers do.
Another element that makes We Rock the Spectrum especially appealing to families with special needs are its Respite, Break Time Care, and One-to-One Attendant Care services, in which staff will supervise a little one, giving caregivers a break. These services are also available for kids without special needs; otherwise an adult must be present during sessions.
Youngsters up to 13 years old are welcome to open play, which generally takes place Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m., Wednesdays 9:00 a.m.–6:30 p.m., and Sundays 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m., though check their Facebook or Instagram page to be sure the facility isn’t closed for a party or other special event.
La Grange
La Grange Park District Indoor Playground | 536 East Avenue, La Grange, IL
Located in the Park District of La Grange Recreation Center, this indoor playground is chockablock with brightly colored slides, ladders, tunnels, mini climbing walls, and more to keep kids moving. The colorful murals depicting oversize flora and fauna add to the adventurous ambience.
The indoor playground is generally open 9:00 a.m.–7:30 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 9:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Fridays, and 9:00 a.m.–noon on weekends; however, because hours sometimes vary, the center posts a monthly schedule on its website. Although the playground is open to kids of all ages, accompanied by an adult, toddlers might have more fun at the recreation center’s Toddler Playtime sessions, held in the gym Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 10:00 a.m.–noon.
Waterlemon | 25 LaGrange Road Unit A, La Grange, IL
Slides, trikes, a playhouse, toys, books: Waterlemon in downtown La Grange offers all that and more for little ones up to 5 years old. And though kids must be accompanied by an adult, Waterlemon has a coffee and juice bar to help make the time fly. There’s a shop as well, with cute kiddie clothes (those tutus!), toys, and books, along with party accessories and even gifts for adults.
Open-play hours are 9:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. on weekdays and 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. on weekends, except when parties are being held (check the website or call ahead). Speaking of parties, Waterlemon offers several packages for not only kids’ parties but baby showers and gender-reveal parties too. It also hosts Fun Fridays, 10:00 a.m-5:00 p.m., complete with a bounce house, unlimited cotton candy, and goody bags.
North Riverside
FunFlatables | 7501 West Cermak Road (North Riverside Mall), North Riverside, IL
For youngsters ages 1–12 who love bouncing, sliding, and playing hide and seek among big inflatable play gear, FunFlatables in North Riverside Mall is heaven. No wonder it’s a popular party venue!
Children must be accompanied by an adult, who is allowed to interact with their kids among the inflatables—great news for those with toddlers. And FunFlatables allows participants to exit and reenter throughout the day, so you can take the kids for a session in the morning, then coax them to leave and go shopping with you in the mall before returning for more play. Hours are generally noon–7:00 p.m. Mondays through Thursday, noon–8:00 p.m. Fridays, 11:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m. Saturdays, and 11:00–6:00 p.m. Sundays.
Ninja Squad Gym | 7918 West 26th Street, North Riverside, IL
Some kids have more fun in a structured setting, such as the classes offered by North Riverside’s Ninja Squad Gym. And unlike at most open-play sessions, here you can drop off little ones as young as 2 years old for their classes rather than stay to supervise, though there are also Buddy Ninja sessions for 2- and 3-year-olds where parents or guardians interact with the kids. Youngsters with special sensory needs can partake in one-to-one coaching sessions as well.
In addition to year-round classes, Ninja Squad Gym hosts afterschool and school-break camps where kids take part in arts and crafts as well as play games and make use of the ropes, climbing gear, and other apparatus. And during Parents’ Night Out events on Fridays 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m., kids ages 5 and up can play games, run obstacle courses, and chow down on pizza while their caregivers head out for a few hours of me time.
Urban Air Adventure Park | 7401 West 25th Street, North Riverside, IL
Your typical outdoor playground doesn’t offer go-karts, trampolines, bumper cars, and virtual reality, but Urban Air Adventure Park in North Riverside does—and plenty more besides. In fact, it’s more like an amusement park, albeit one with climbing walls, dodgeball, battle beam, and a playground replete with slides, tunnels, and obstacles. And because kids are sure to work up an appetite after all that physical activity, there’s also a café.
Certain activities have height requirements, and kids must wear Urban Air Socks (available for purchase on site) to participate. Open hours are Mondays through Thursdays, 4:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m., Fridays 4:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m., Saturdays 10:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m., and Sundays noon-8:00 p.m. On the second Saturday of each month, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., Urban Air offers sensory-friendly play, with subdued lighting and sound and a calmer vibe. What’s more, you can make your youngster’s birthday especially enviable by booking their party here.
River Forest
My Gym | 7625 Lake Street, River Forest, IL
At My Gym in River Forest, babies as young as 6 months old can gurgle and coo during songs, stretches, and other activities with their caregivers; toddlers from 20 to 30 months old get to swing, jump, play games, and watch puppet shows. Classes for preschoolers and kids up to age 10 include obstacle courses, relays, and beginning gymnastics.
The closest thing My Gym has to walk-in sessions is Practice & Play several times a week, for children 6 months–10 years old, during which adult supervision is required. Caregivers can drop off kids ages 3-10 at the monthly three-hour Parents’ Night Out parties, however (check the website for dates), and at half-day sessions during school breaks. My Gym offers birthday-party packages as well.
Westchester
Forest the Fox’s Playbox | 10835 Wakefield Street, Westchester, IL
When your kids have energy to spare in the morning, head to Forest the Fox’s Playbox. Located in Westchester’s Mayfair Recreation Center, it’s open 5:30 a.m. (not a typo!)–8:00 p.m. on weekdays, 7:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. on Saturdays, and 7:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. Sundays (except when hosting parties).
The two-level soft play structure is suitable for tots as young as 2 years old, with toddler-scaled slides, tunnels, and climbing equipment as well as larger versions for older kids (though those above the age of 6 might find the play structure a bit cramped). No food or drink is allowed, but you can bring snacks or avail yourself of the vending machines and munch in the lobby.