I have been to the play n learn for many birthday parties. It is the perfect place to host a kids…read morebirthday, maybe 3-7 years old. It is a backyard play set showroom that they made over for parties and free play. They have the play sets, trampolines, basketball, and ping pong. It's clean, well organized, and all the kids have fun. Their prices and play hours are transparent and easy to figure out. I highly recommend the play n learn for young kids.

Fun way to spend a rainy morning with an energetic four year old. Clean and safe. Trampolines,…read moreclimbing, ping pong. Lots to do

A 45-minute drive from D.C. on a good day, Ellicott Mills Children's Museum is the area's newest…read morechildren's museum. Open from 1-5p p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, here's what you should know: 1) Admission: It's free. However, considering giving a donation to keep the history alive. 2) Space: Located inside a historic Quaker one-room schoolhouse, the museum is literally three rooms- a classroom, a general store and a "great room." Through exhibits and an alphabet scavenger hunt in the general store, visitors learn about 19th century life in a mill town. 3) Staff: Most are volunteers and friendly. 4) Parking: They have parking at the court parking lot or on the street. There is a restroom on site.

Such a cute little museum! I would 100% go back here. My kids loved it and the people who work here…read moreare so incredibly nice! They are very knowledgeable about the history of the building and give you tours. There are aspects that are interactive and my kids learned so much.

We recently visited Playseum for a playdate, and overall, it was a really fun experience! Located…read moreinside the Columbia Mall, it's filled with imaginative play stations that kept the kids entertained for hours. There are themed areas like a café, Italian restaurant, veterinary office, beauty salon, barbershop, grandma's house, and even a stage where kids can dress up and put on a play. If your child enjoys pretend play, this is definitely a great spot. I also appreciated that it encourages creativity instead of screen time. It's refreshing to see a place where kids can use their imaginations and just be kids. The only thing I didn't love was the pricing. Admission is $15 per person, including adults. I understand their explanation that they want parents to participate with their children, but in reality, many parents are simply supervising. Other similar indoor play spaces only charge for the children, or at least offer a reduced admission for adults. That pricing model would have made more sense to me. They also offer several add-on activities like decorating cupcakes, making slime, decorating cookies, baking, and even an animal encounter at the top of each hour. They're all cute options, but they do cost extra, so be prepared for the visit to add up if your child wants to do multiple activities. The animal encounter was fairly small, with just a few animals, but younger kids will probably still enjoy it. There is seating available for parents, although it can be limited since so much of the space is dedicated to the different play stations. Overall, the kids had a blast, the facility was clean, and there was plenty to keep them engaged. While I wish the adult admission and extra activity pricing were a little more family-friendly, I'd still recommend Playseum for a fun afternoon of imaginative play. We'll definitely consider coming back.

Would I recommend this establishment...absolutely! Can't wait to go back!…read more I found this place by searching for play activities near Columbia mall. I had never been here and wasnt sure what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised. Location: Inside the mall, on the first floor, right outside the Nordstroms. Easy to find. Cost: Worth the entrance fee, both child and adults have to pay. Fair price. There are also take home activities and play that cost extra, such as slime, treat making, soap making, and more. These extra activities are also fairly priced and and so much fun. The entrance fee to the Kids Playseum allowed you access to the establishment nextdoor, Playseum upstairs. They also have playseum bucks as well. Staff: Super nice, helpful, experienced and attentive staff. Everyone one we interacted with for our time there was fabulous. We were able to go to both the Be with me playseum and the playseum upstairs. Cleanliness: The kept a tight shop. The toys and amenities were well kept, organized, clean and in good condition. Options: There were so many rooms to play in, so many cute toys, books, dress up and imagination play. My favorite was the ice bucket where the fish were kept in the Safeway. Super cute! The girls loved playing here and definitely want to come back. Overall wonderful experience!

I don't have any kids. But I went here for a family friends child's birthday. So I knew handful of…read morekids at this party. I was also the uncle to three of them. Is an outsiders point of view this place is pretty special for the following reasons. The staff is very exceptional and helpful They are polite with the parents and patient with the kids. This place center is very adult friendly. I say that because the play areas are actually taller so parents can join their children in the play area. Place is very clean. They also give you special socks to run around the place. I like the socks so much. I ended up keeping them. This location tucked away, and there is lots of parking. When it comes to the pay structure, it seems very affordable

I loved this place when it opened. Staff would be actively seen cleaning and maintaining equipment…read moreall the time. Sadly over time, maintenance doesn't seem to be a priority. Several things are broken and possibly unsafe. Management needs to pay attention.

Hyperkids has recently been redone and looks great. A lot of the previous comments about…read morecleanliness were not that bad. While I didn't notice any active cleaning while I was there, it didn't feel gross and I didn't find anything questionable. My kids had a ton of fun and loved everything available inside. My kids are on the younger side. If you have older kids there are certain areas zoned off for younger ages. If I had older kids I might be annoyed that 1/3 of the place was not for them. I also noticed that I lost my kid most of the time. The play space is great and offers a lot, but it is really hard to keep track of your kid once they go in the big jungle gym. I also tried to follow them and it is not created for an adult size to fit.

I recently attended a birthday party at Hyper Kidz in Columbia, and this visit was a much better…read moreexperience than my first one several years ago. When we first arrived, the entrance was pretty chaotic. Parking is limited, especially when birthday parties are going on, and the lobby felt very crowded. Checking in also took longer than expected because one guest ahead of us needed help completing the waiver, while everyone else waited. Thankfully, a manager stepped in and got our party checked in quickly. The shoe storage area was another bottleneck. Since each party has designated bins, there were a lot of people gathered in one small space, making it difficult to get in and out. Once we were inside, though, things improved. The facility itself was clean, including the bathrooms, and the kids had plenty of space to play. The birthday host was very friendly, but he seemed a little overwhelmed and forgot a few things throughout the party. It wasn't a bad experience--just not quite as organized as other birthday parties I've attended. Overall, it was a fun afternoon, and the birthday child had a great celebration. While I probably wouldn't go out of my way to visit this particular location, I would attend another party here if invited. I still prefer the Rockville location, which has been a smoother experience for me.

We celebrated my daughter's birthday at the Idea Lab last weekend and had a truly wonderful…read moreexperience. The experiments were led by three high school-aged young ladies, with help from the owner when needed. The young ladies did an absolutely amazing job; they were engaging and knew how to keep a group of 11 five year olds interested and on task the entire time. All of the kids (and parents) had a fantastic time. Logistics: The party was 2 hours; about 10 mins for everyone to gather, an hour and a half or so for the experiments, and another 20-30 mins for cupcakes afterward. We never felt rushed during our time there. The party room was immaculately set up when we arrived (table cloths, plates, napkins, cups, forks all provided). There were also tables available for food and gifts. They very nicely encouraged parents to stay out of the lab area (so the kids weren't distracted), but they weren't strict about this; there was also a large window in the hallway where the parents were able to see what was going on without being obtrusive. I truly can't say enough good things about our experience there. The ladies did a wonderful job!

From the owner: Preschool and K-8 STEAM summer camps, birthday parties, virtual school support, school's out camps…read more We also rent out our space - we have 4 classrooms, 1 gym space, 1 kitchen, located in Columbia MD. Schedule an appointment to tour in person during the weekends or daily, after 4:30pm. Our STEAM curriculum is developed by our Idea Lab Kids Corporate team. Our new offering, STEAM on Demand is an additional option for follow-along videos, enhancing our campus classes.

We've visited this location a few times and it's been a great option for homeschooling families…read moresince they offer a consistent weekly timeslot. It's never overly crowded or loud, which makes it easy to enjoy the space. You're also allowed to bring your own lunch and drinks, which is a nice bonus. Another big improvement is the change in music. They now play jazz--no singing and no inappropriate lyrics--which creates a much more wholesome atmosphere. The only downside is the arcade setup. Instead of using quarters, you now have to purchase a game card loaded with credits. The simplicity of old-school coin-operated games is definitely missed.

ClimbZone lived up to our highest of expectations. On our list for a long time, ClimbZone was the…read morehost of my daughter's classmate's birthday party. We signed waivers ahead of time and were checked in right away when we got there. Under one large roof are dozens of themed indoor climbing walls. There's a Candy Land one, a rubber duck one, one with emojis, and more. Once you go through a quick training, you get a harness. Every wall has an auto belay making it easy to clip in and out while being safe. There's a wall for all experience levels. There are restrooms, drinking fountains, party rooms, and an arcade. It was a blast and worth the longer drive from Washington, D.C.

We live right around the corner from Monster Mini Golf and had never been until we were invited to…read morea birthday party there. We had a great time! Monster Mini Golf is compact, but packs the punch in fun! The event room was well decorated. I had read that it's a women owned business, and it definitely shows! Each detail is thought out, and I can definitely see the care and love put into this place. We'd love to come again soon! This is perfect for bad weather! Come here on rainy, hot, or cold days!

I had been to Monster Mini Golf twice. First time in Gaithersburg & 2nd time here at the Jessup…read morelocation. It's a creative concept that it can be very cold, rainy, etc., and it's a viable mini golf option. In fact, the time I went was windy & pretty cold out. This was a work Halloween team building outing in early November 2023, where we dressed in costume and enjoyed mini golf paid for by our company, which was a nice treat (or was it a Trick? to get us to spend our Thursday night with work folks...haha...j/k). I actually did have fun. The staff was cordial and instructed us how we needed to score to take the individual's best score to save time, which I thought was a bit unnecessary. It was a little chaotic and kind of crowded. If you have say 4 people on a team, then people are awkwardly standing on ledges while other players are trying to putt, meanwhile you have other teams on other holes that directly butt up to the hole you're on. And remember, this was a private event. Imagine when it's open to the public, you might be dealing with a crowded scenario. As for the course itself, it's glow in the dark, which is kind of cool, but given the limited space constraints, the course is kind of subpar compared with almost any outdoor course in central Maryland. And the price is about the same as an outdoor course; I'd prefer an outdoor course and waiting until weather warms up to do that. They also have some Arcade games, which we got a $5 credit for each employee. That was fun. I played some air hockey & other random games. Overall, I appreciated what my company was doing, had some fun, but with the pros & cons of Monster Mini Golf, I feel a 3-star review is warranted.