I was invited for a media preview visit with my two girls and we had a blast!
Kelinda, the owner of Kidz Play Zone, opened up this popular indoor play space during the tail-end of the pandemic. It’s still running strong and is a popular resource for indoor play for the community. Playing indoors at Kids Play Zone, or KPZ, was a fun change of pace from all the regular playgrounds and toys my girls usually play with at home.
We visited right as KPZ opened at 10 am. Families continued to trickle in as we played, and KPZ reached capacity just as it was time for us to head home for lunch and a nap. We need bright, clean spaces to play and KPZ is exactly the place.
When we arrived, Kelinda the owner was warm and welcoming. The first thing I observed was how clean everything seemed: brand new, pristine and very clean.
I brought my two- and five-year-olds to explore KPZ and right away they were darting for the ball pit. I could barely get their shoes off before they were excitedly jumping into the ball pit, over and over and over again. Ball pits always feel iffy to me as a parent because of grimy little hands, but I knew (and could visually see) KPZ’s cleaning standards are super high, so I felt pretty relaxed and even played in the ball pit myself!
As a parent, I personally loved the tea bar and seating around the perimeter of the play area.
The bathrooms are super clean and have a changing table. I foresee myself returning and getting a little work done while my girls have fun playing.
How to play at Kids Play Zone
Check the calendar for open hours, drop-in play, and parties. They offer drop-in, memberships, drop-off play, field trips, and large group play.
Our favorite things at Kids Play Zone
- Ball pit! This was by far my kids’ favorite feature. I can’t even remember the last time they jumped into a massive pit of plasticky balls.
- Ice cream truck: for whatever reason, imaginary play at the ice cream truck was a close second favorite. I “ate” like hundreds of cones and sundaes of all flavors. Both my girls enjoyed this feature.
I made the mistake of showing up with my little one in sandals. Luckily, I purchased the required socks at the entry. I do recommend bringing grippy socks for little kids running around the place at Mach speed. Both my girls had the more slippery socks and fell a couple of times. Next time I will come prepared with grippy socks for them to run free.
Plan your visit to Kids Play Zone
Location: 900 Market St. Ste MÂ Oakland (plenty of free parking)
Admission: $15 for open play for the first child, $12 for the second, inquire directly for group reservations
Hours: Check the calendar.
Website >
Thank you to Kids Play Zone for hosting us. We’ll be back!
