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!

BLUF: Located inside the Columbia Mall, on the second floor, this is a sizable book store with…read morepuzzles and other paper goods. I passed by a store called BAM! and it conjured up visions of Emeril Lagasse but the only resemblance this store has to Emeril is that it sells cookbooks. Little did I know that BAM! Is short for Books-A-Million and this store has plenty of books, stationary, puzzles and other gifty items. Preferring to listen to audio books, I'm not one for physical books but this store had some lovely displays and vignettes that sucked me in. Although not as large as Barnes & Noble there is still a very healthy selection of well organized merchandise. There was something very nostalgic and cozy about browsing in this store. Overall, a nice experience.

I really like this bookstore. It's well organized and it smells good. Wasn't really in the market…read morefor a book tonight, but it was fun looking around. Friendly staff greets you on entry, but then everyone leaves you alone.

My son was turning 10, and I knew I had to do something special. Since he's a video game fanatic, I…read morewanted to do something fun that involved video games, and also kept his friends out of my house (Sorry, not sorry!) After reading a few mom blogs, I learned about GameTruck. The owner (I think he's the owner) Erik and his assistants are great. From start to finish, the entire process was seamless. The kids really enjoyed themselves, and Erik and his two assistants that he was training did an excellent job of managing all 20 (yes, 20!) kids. If I had to do it all again, I would book GameTruck in a heartbeat.

What a great and family thing to take your entire family to have some great fun. Excellent fun for…read morethe whole family. Your family's going to love this place...

If you want a soulful peaceful nice place with good people, this is the place. I happened to check…read morethis place out buying something on good recommendation. Place has soul, peacefulness and a sense of community. It's got a nice feel. Owner Steuart was very friendly, took his time to explain stuff I have no idea buying and helped me greatly. I am grateful. The place was full and the crowd was happy, mature and peaceful folks engaged in their gaming. If I was into gaming, this is a nice place to be. It's not commercial money place like many others I have seen.

I was passing through on the way back to northern Virginia from Baltimore, and figured I would stop…read moreby and check out the place. I was exhausted and generally not having a great time, but that immediately changed after walking in. I had a lovely chat with the staff present, got to see (and buy) some really interesting and gorgeous dice made by local artists, and fair prices across the board. The general stock was priced reasonably (especially compared to the shops near me around DC), and all the handmade and custom pieces were priced individually, considering the work that clearly went into them and properly supporting the local artists they work with. It was such a clearly supportive, pleasant, and fun environment that I am planning on driving the hour-long trip back soon, for the sole purpose of going here (and maybe even join in one of the one-shots they run.)

This location is almost two years old now! Still feels new as far as cleanliness. Initially I…read morewasn't impressed to be honest, but over time they've grown on me. The service is usually great and I always end up finding something!

This TJ Maxx is still quite new. It has pretty much the same stuff as my regular store in Silver…read moreSpring. I didn't find the dog treats that my fur friend lives, but I will be back when I visit with a friend that lives nearby. Lots of parking available. It's nice to not have to pay to park in a garage.

12.14.24 I came in…read moreto look at the calendars. I was hoping to get a large desktop calendar, but they were all wall calendars. As the store name indicates, they sell calendar, toys, and games. It was a fun store to peruse. Currently, select toys are 30 to 70% off and puzzles and games are buy one get 50% off. They are located on the lower level at the Mall in Columbia closest to Macy's.

We took a detour into here on our way to another store inside the mall. They have a ton of board…read moregames inside. That's what I was really impressed with. Every variation you could think of they have. They even had niche types. Such as Jurassic Parks tribal game. The store recently transferred to a new owner/management and they have some big changes. The plan seems to turn it into a true toy store. The employee make it feel like a local hometown type store. It's definitely worth a visit. Especially in a few weeks when they undergo the changes. If you are looking for games or the mini figure collectibles or kinetic sand. It just a neat little store that seems to be getting its footing. You also can't beat that it's locally owned!

*THIS* BAB is the one that you *need* to go to. Literally…read more I have *storage bags* full of Build-A-Bears dating back to early Y2K so needless to say, I've been to my fair share of Build-A-Bear Workshops. Anyway, after visiting the one in The Mall in Columbia, my standards have been set *really high*. Me and my girlfriend walked in and were instantly greeted by two associates (for the life of me I can't remember their names, but they worked on the 25th of January, one had black hair with red streaks if that helps anyone any. They both need raises by the by) We were browsing around and looking at the options. By far not the biggest Build-A-Bear but the selection was pretty okay. My girlfriend and I were swept into a very compelling conversation with the two young ladies about any and everything dealing with Spider-Man, Marvel Superheros, et cetera. We then decided to buy two Eevee's- one for me and one for her. They were very fun and professional! They made our date night a whole lot better and filled the experience with good laughs, good conversation, and great energy. The cutest thing was the ritual they do when putting the hearts in the bears after they stuff them! They really brought back the magic that I remember when I was little and made my girlfriend's first experience one to remember, so for that I thank those two ladies. Thank you for putting the cherry on top of a great night guys!

Got two bears stuffed today and the entire time the woman who worked there that stuffed our bear…read morehad a strange way of speaking per-say? Her first comment to me was that she liked my outfit and followed that with, "I wish I could wear something that comfortable." Which is just a little awkward. During the stuffing process, I attempted to make small talk about how I also work in retail, and during this exchange she joked about banging her head on the wall which I also felt was weird. Another older woman was subsequently very overbearing during this process. She came up to us twice prematurely to ask if we needed our bears tied (we hadn't even put the heart in yet). Then the older woman mentioned how "this is the first time we've had kids in here all day." Mind you, it was around 3pm (on a Wednesday) which is around the time most public schools let out. She made this comment in such an odd and demeaning tone. The younger girl who had been stuffing the bears even cemented the fact to her that "the adults are the ones that have the money," almost to lighten the fact that her comment was uncomfortable; as she herself had just gotten done talking to us about her collection of Build-A-Bears at home. Overall strange experience, and I only write this review because I work in customer service as well and this type of behavior seems a bit unacceptable. I have had bad days at work before, but never do I make it apparent to the people i'm working with or the people i'm helping; we all have jobs to do. I have always argued for Build-A-Bear and the idea that it is expensive because it is an experience. I remember it very fondly as a child and hope to pass on the tradition with my children too. This location fell short and that rarely happens. Their selection of bears and other plushies was good, one of the birth certificate kiosks was down, which left two available, and the accessory selection was nice. I want to add there was a younger brunette with braces (as a cashier) who put out bears in the condos in an extremely cute way and definitely made the ending of our trip better. Grateful for her. Will be back to Build-A-Bear, maybe not this location.

Good store for board game and TCG enthusiasts…read more Gritty Goblin Games is a well maintained game store that's stocked with wall to wall games. There spacious and clean environment makes navigating and finding what you're looking for easy and the employee working at the time was both informative and patient with my questions. I noticed not only popular board games and pen and paper games, but some kickstater varieties for those looking for something interesting. If you are a trading card game player, GGG has almost every TCG under the sun, from Magic and Pokemon to and Flesh & Blood. They even carry rarer Japanese TCGs such as Digimon, Vanguard, Duel Masters, and One Piece. The one card game I couldn't find was Yugioh, so this store might not be for you if you're a Duelist. Be sure to call ahead to check availability. GGG has a massive playspace used for hosting D&D nights and TCG tournaments. They have a library of board games you can rent so you can play them before deciding to buy them. My biggest critique regarding GGG is the stuffy smell that fills most of the store. I'm not sure if it's bad air circulation or some carpet that's gotten moldy, but there is a pervasive stench that while not crippling, it does distract from the experience. It probably doesn't help that their gaming room is massive, but only has a single doorframe that allows any air to pass in and out of the room. Gritty Goblin Games has excellent gaming variety and helpful employees, but a bad smell (despite otherwise clean environment) prevents me from wanting to shop there for long.

Great game store full of D&D and other role playing games. It has lots of space for in person…read moregaming too during non Covid times. The prices are a bit high, but the customer service is wonderful and makes it worth while.

This place is a pleasure to visit in large part to Jake. He's friendly and helpful. You'll meet…read morehelpful adults of all sorts of professions including art teachers, various aged kids and families. It's quiet and Jake and others are willing to teach games and painting. I started looking for a painting class and Jake said if I came in on slow nights he'd just help me and most of my paints are another brand. My painting has improved. I've watched his calm demeanor with kids and while running the store. They have game tables you may use and they're sturdy. I should have written a review long ago. I look forward to normality so people can hang out again.

This has to be one of the best Games Workshops I have ever used. A middle-sized store (seating for…read more6 modelers and 3 full-sized gaming tables), I think it is the management and clientele that make this place great. Tony busts his butt running this store and makes sure that regulars are having fun and visitors are taken care of. Unlike some of the other gaming shops, you do not get a horrible mix of elitism or social ineptitude. Many of the regulars are married with kids and use this place to relax and have fun. Hardcore gamers mix with part-time hobbyists and rules arguments take a backseat to enjoyment. If you want to get into Warhammer, 40k, or Lord of the Rings wargaming? This is the place to start.

This is a huge warehouse full of playground equipment. They sell swing sets for residential use,…read morebut you can also bring your kids by for free open play to try out the equipment. My son (20 months) had fun but he was really too young to appreciate most of the features. Still, this place would be awesome for anyone who enjoys swinging on monkey bars or climbing a rope ladder. They also host birthday parties here.

I had my daughter's 8th birthday party here recently and I must say it was a fun time. We had an…read moreafter-hours party so we had the entire showroom to ourselves. There are picnic tables in the back where we did all the birthday stuff. The play area is very large and it's perfect for preschoolers and young kids. I had to pay an extra $40 for a 2 1/2 hour party (standard parties are 2 hrs), and we had to provide our own food, tableware, etc. The only reason I did not give 5 stars was because I feel like we were rushed at the end of the party and I had to keep telling my guests to leave. Otherwise, it's a much cheaper alternative to some of the other kids birthday venues.