Load Up on Indoor Foul Weather Fun

My daughter asked yesterday, “Is summer over?” Even though summer technically lasts for another 19 days, with school beginning in days we might as well call Labor Day the official end of summer.

I try to keep my kids outdoors as much as possible while the warm weather lasts, but with rain and iffy temperatures, this is the time of year that I stock up on indoor play space passes. What are the top picks in the Hoboken, NJ area for kids ages 0-12?

Kidville
A national chain with franchises all over the United States, the Hoboken Kidville has doubled its capacity since opening in January 2010 after expanding into the retail space next door when the tenant moved out. With three classrooms and a padded gym in uptown Hoboken, this is a very popular choice for classes, especially the Rockin’ Railroad music sessions. Play space access is available at an additional cost for member families and their guests – one-year family membership is included when you register one child for a class. Passes are $10 each purchased at the register, with occasional discount packages offered on Groupon and Living Social.  Play space access is typically available seven days a week but the schedule is subject to frequent change.

Transportation: The New York Waterway ferry stops one block from Kidville, the closest train stop is the 7th Street station of the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail (16 blocks away)

Kathy’s Hat Tip: Kidville offers free validated parking at the indoor garage across the street from the main entrance on Shipyard Lane.

My Gym
Also a national chain with franchises all over the US, My Gym has one very large padded gym at the Monroe Center in midtown Hoboken on the far west side of town that opened in 2011. A monthly fee of $100 per child comes with one weekly class plus one prescheduled play space session. Appropriate-aged siblings can attend the same play space slot for an additional $5. Lifetime family membership costs $75 and brings significant savings on camp sessions ($40 for members versus $50 for non-members). My Gym offers occasional membership sales such as $25 off, I usually find out about them through postings on the HobokenMoms Yahoo! Group.

Transportation: One block from the 7th Street station of the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail, there is an outdoor parking lot in the Monroe Center backyard. Parking can be tight at peak hours since many businesses and gyms share the same facility.

Kathy’s Hat Tip: Members get free access to Little Bundles classes for babies ages 6 weeks to 6 months. With music, swings and exercises on padded gym equipment, this is a great way to get out of the house and meet other new parents.

Wild At Play
Opened in 2011 in downtown Jersey City, Wild at Play is a family-owned business operated by the owner of the New York City kid class provider Downtown Babies. The facility has one small classroom, an eating area with gerbils and a lizard terrarium, and a large room containing a padded two-story gym, bookshelves stocked with kid lit and a large open area with play stations suitable for all ages such as a lemonade stand, camping tent and mechanic workbench. The open space has a wall-mounted flatscreen television showing footage of camp sessions. You can see pictures of the play space here. Everyone is required to wear socks outside the lobby area, you can pick up a pair for $1.50 at the front desk. Play space passes are $25 for two hours and are good for six months. Annual family membership is $200 and provides discounts on classes plus special members-only offers such as the annual unlimited play pass.

Transportation: Wild at Play is located one block from the walkway connecting Jersey City to the Hoboken Lackawanna terminal, which has stops for NJ Transit and PATH trains, New York Waterway ferry and the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail. The walk from the Hoboken station takes approximately five minutes. Wild at Play is also located five blocks from the Newport PATH station. Want to drive to Wild at Play? Grab a slice after class across the street at Loradella’s Family Pizzeria and get your garage parking validated.

Kathy’s Hat Tip: The play space is open to anyone with a two-hour pass and can be used anytime from 9am-6pm Monday through Friday or Saturdays from 9am-12 noon. Wild at Play occasionally offers sales that I find out about via their mailing list. Wild at Play is currently running a sale of buy 5 passes, get 5 free that ends on Tuesday, September 3rd.

More – New Video Game Arcade in Downtown Jersey City

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Kathy Zucker, CEO of Metro Moms Network, mother of three young children and winner of the New York Life Keep Good Going Shorty Award, writes about juggling career and family in an urban setting. Read her MomCondoLiving blog, follow her on Twitter (@KathyZucker), friend her on Facebook and watch her on Youtube.