Best Indoor Play Spaces on Long Island

(Photo: Safari Adventure)

It’s too cold or rainy to play outdoors and your exuberant kids are rampaging through the living room. It's time to go out and play! But where? Here are some fun indoor play spaces we’ve found on Long Island. Many are also party spaces, so be sure to call them before heading over to be sure they are open for public play, even if their website says they're open at the time you're going, as a birthday party might preempt those times. And don’t forget your cozy socks—many of these spaces do not allow shoes, even on nonbouncing adults.

The Childrens Museum of the East End (CMEE)
376 Bridgehampton/Sag Harbor Tpke
Bridgehampton
631-537-8250
This is a wonderful place for kids to play on a cold winter’s day. Entry for kids, is via a hollow log. The museum features a number of themed play spaces where children can run a grocery store or an ice-cream parlor, sail a ship, play musical instruments, or dress up as firemen and play on a model truck. The museum also features an arts-and-crafts room where there is almost always a project going on that kids can join. There is a special discovery area for small children and a wonderful interactive faux-potato-chip-making machine that is a delight for all ages. Although many of the areas may be best for kids 10 and under, there are certainly areas of interest for adults and older kids as well, making it a great family destination. The temporary exhibit space is currently featuring an exhibit called “Fun to Be Fit,” which is designed to encourage wellness and fitness during the winter months. The exhibit includes balancing/climbing pieces, a ball pit, and a swing. The museum also offers a wide array of children’s programming, performances, special events, and classes. It is open Monday and Wednesday through Saturday from 9am to 5pm and on Sunday from 10am to 5pm; it's closed on Tuesday. Admission is $9 per person or $95 for a family membership for a year. Some local public libraries have one-day-membership cards available for checkout.

Hampton Kids
175 Daniel’s Hole Rd
Wainscott
631-537-4614
info@hamptonkids.org
This is a full–featured indoor and outdoor family–fun center for children in the Hamptons. It has bouncers, an arcade, an Xbox room, eight tennis courts, a preschool playroom, an art-and-ceramics room, and even a parents’ lounge with Wi-Fi. It also features an outdoor skating rink for kids up to age 7, outdoor ball pits, basketball courts, playground, tennis courts, and a baseball field. Hampton Kids offers family membership packages or individual nonmember daily rates. One unique feature is a drop-off program where you can leave your kids for 2 ½-hour supervised play sessions while you run an errand, go out to dinner, or play a game of tennis on their courts. The play center runs an after-school homework program, and offers a variety of weekend and after-school and preschool classes. It is open Monday through Saturday from 9am to 6pm and on Sundays from 9am to 4pm. Daily rates, which include eight game tokens, for nonmembers are $12 for one child and $5 each additional child on weekdays and $18 for one child and $9 each additional child on weekends. Memberships and multiday packages are available as well.

Safari Adventure
1074 Pulaski St.
Riverhead
631-727-4386
info@safariadventure.com
Safari Adventure is a fun space for younger children to play in. Six or seven is probably the upper age range for a truly enjoyable experience. The website has excellent pictures of the play structures and is worth checking out to see if your children have aged out. Open for play seven days a week from 10am to 7pm with no reservations required, it features a huge four-level gym maze with tunnels, slides, balls, and cargo nets, as well as a smaller climbing area for little kids. There are also three big bouncers with slides and a small arcade with about 30 games and a snack bar on the premises. Admission is $12.98 plus tax for children ages 3 to 12 and $8.52 for children 3 and under. Infants and adults are free. Socks are required and are sold in their cafe.

Bounce U
The Bounce U franchise has been popping up all over in recent years, and there are now several on Long Island. Each franchise has slightly different hours, programs, and rates, so check out their websites for details. Times and days for the open-bounce sessions vary from site to site. Most of the time they are reserved for parties and groups, but they do hold open-bounce sessions usually midweek and evenings. Several locations also have special bounce sessions during school holidays. Reservations are always required and should be made as far in advance as possible especially for the popular family bounce nights and the cosmic bounce sessions for kids of all ages.

Bounce U Smithtown/Nesconset
Country View Commons
62 Lake Ave. South
Nesconset
631-265-5867

Bounce U Farmingdale
101 Carolyn Blvd.
Farmingdale
631-777-5867

Bounce U Oceanside
3495B Lawson Blvd.
Oceanside
516-593-5867

Long Island’s Laser Bounce
2710 Hempstead Tpke
Levittown
516-342-1330
This large indoor complex has something for kids of all ages. There are rooms filled with bouncers; a big ball-filled climbing area with ball cannons, a laser-tag arena, a full-size game arcade, and a stuff-a-bear station. All of the activities are available for parties or public play when there is no party booked. The facility does try to list the times when each area is open to the public each week on its website here, but it advises always calling first, as the place can get crowded and it does not accept reservations. The cost for each area is $10 per session.

Pump It Up
This bouncy center franchise offers Pop-in Playtimes as well as bounce-and-art camps and structured play classes. There are two Long Island locations:

Pump It Up Great Neck
225 Community Drive, suite 250
Great Neck
516-466-7867
This center has open-bounce sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday from 10am–2pm. It also features a wind tunnel and hosts glow-bounce and supervised drop-off parent’s-night-out sessions. Any age, even adults, can bounce but there is a height requirement of 34 inches to play, and socks are required.

Pump It Up Plainview
135 Dupont St
Plainview
516–575–2300
This venue offers pop-in play for ages 2–7 years at various times listed on their calendar here and also offers special sessions for kids with special needs. These Sensory Jump Events do require tickets in advance. Occupational therapists are welcome to accompany a child.

Kangaroo Kids Inflatable Party Center
1015 Grand Blvd. (near Tanger Mall)
Deer Park
631-871-8762
This indoor bouncy party space is open seven days a week and offers two-hour open-bouncy-play sessions by appointment for $10 per child ages 2 to 12.

Fun 4 All Indoor Amusement Park
200 Wilson St.
Port Jefferson
631-331-9000
This large indoor play space is entertaining for kids from 2 to 10. It has giant twisty slides, tunnels, climbers, and bouncers and areas for the littlest kids to play safely. There's even a room themed to look like the moon. Sneakers are required for play except on bouncers, where socks are a must. Parents must supervise all play. The space is open 10am–8pm every day except major holidays.Admission is $10 per child over age 2 Mondays to Fridays and $13 per child ages 3–13 on weekends and holidays. Admission for children ages 1–2 is $5 on weekdays and $6 on weekends and holidays. Dollar off-coupons are available online here.  Adults are free. There is a snack bar on the premises. Sneakers required for all slides and climbers. Socks required for bouncers. Please note that new admission prices on the home page are a dollar less than the prices listed on the “general information” page.

Dreamnastics
Waldbaums Shopping Center
38 Great Neck Rd
Great Neck
516-829-8099
This gym offers open gym play at times when there are no scheduled classes. Times are listed at the bottom row of their winter schedule here and seem primarily to be later afternoon offerings from about 3:30–6:15 or so on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Please always call for availability as parties may preempt the scheduled open play sessions.

Le Play Café 
2465 Merrick Rd
Bellmore 
One block east of Newbridge Rd
516–308–7053
This lovely venue is just what a toddler or preschool child’s parent needs, a place to sit and relax and check e-mail or visit with friends while the children happily play at dress-up and try out a play on their stage, pretend to shop in their themed market place, or enjoy the building areas. There is a small play kitchen area, a slide, and a few ride-ons as well.  Do call if you plan to come in the late afternoon as it sometimes closes early if there are no guests. Admission is $12 per child, $8 per sibling.  Admission is free for adults. Socks are required to enter the play area.

Once Upon a Treetop
151 Dupont St.
Plainview
516-349-1140
info@onceuponatreetop.com
This large indoor play space focuses on creating settings for imaginative play. It is probably best for younger children, but older kids, especially if they are part of a mixed-age group, can have fun as well if they don’t mind pretend play. The space is organized as if it was a little town or city, with rooms set up as a post office, a restaurant, a school, a veterinary’s office, a grocery store, a construction zone, and more. Kids can run from room to room or ride little cars and bikes. In back there is a climbing tree house with a slide. Parents must supervise their children, but staff are available to help encourage imaginative play. There are benches for tired parents. Just be warned that even parents must remove their shoes, and bare feet are not allowed, so be sure to wear socks. Admission is $12 for children who can walk and $6 for crawlers (who must have socks on). Adults are free. You can buy snacks and beverages or bring your own. Food must be consumed in their dining area. As always, it is a good idea to call before you go in case the space is closed for a birthday party. There is a small toy store area at the front that your kids will have to pass through, so be prepared.

Active Kidz Long Island
200 Robbins Lane
Jericho
516-621-6600
Active Kidz has a number of attractions including an adventure maze, laser tag, inflatables, a toddler center, a ball pit/cannon area and a rock-climbing wall. Open play sessions vary from week to week and may include only some of the attractions. The schedule may be found on the events calendar or by calling them. Active Kidz is primarily a party space so it is wise to call and double-check the open play times.  Prices are either per activity or bundled into activity combination packages.  Sample prices per person at $13 for the maze, $10 toddler center, $16 inflatables and $9 per game for laser tag. 

Hop N' Bop
975 West Jericho Tpke
Morewood Shopping Plaza
Smithtown
631-265-2695
Hop N' Bop’s is a bouncy playground that offers free playtime for children 5 and under most weekdays from 10am to 2pm in two two-hour sessions. Open play for all ages is offered on Friday evenings from 6 to 8pm and often for some portion of Saturdays. The cost is $10 per child. The preteen pizza parties are no longer offered. Times do change and parties can alter their schedule, so please check out their online calendar and also give them a call before you go. And don’t forget your socks!

Bouncers & Slydos
1835 New Highway 

Farmingdale

631-752-2324

This bouncy party space features the occasional holiday all-ages open play and daily Toddler Time 
sessions for children under 5 on weekdays from 10am to 12pm and 12 to 2pm. Cost is $12 per child. Call to reserve a spot for holidays or school vacation days.

Wood Kingdom West
111 Milbar Blvd.
Farmingdale
631-845-3804

Wood Kingdom East (Medford)
3060 Route 112
Medford, NY 11763
 631-451-2200

Wood Kingdom East (Coram)
544 Middle Country Rd.
Coram, NY 11727
631-698-0212
The Wood Kingdoms are huge indoor- and outdoor-yard-play- and gardening-structure showrooms with spaces for children to play on the equipment. They now all also feature rooms with inflatable bouncers, and the two eastern showrooms have laser-tag areas. All three offer open-play sessions, but call the individual showrooms to determine prices and hours. You can also e-mail for more information at info@woodkingdom.com.

Monster Mini Golf 
This is not a play space, but it is a fun indoor activity that does not quite fit into our other winter indoor fun posts.  Monster Mini Golf is just what it sounds like--franchised indoor minigolf courses with fluorescent monsters on walls and on the course. There are also sound effects. The monsters are not especially scary, but very small children might find the dark a little alarming.  There are two on Long Island:

Monster Mini Golf  DeerPark 
410–C Commack Rd
Deer Park 11729
631–940–8900
Little Monsters: $7; Big Monsters $8

Monster Mini Golf Medford
Sunshine Shopping Center
700–47 Patchogue Yaphank Rd
Medford, NY 11763
631–775–8687

Go on! Escape the house and have some fun!