Kids Find Fun 'Under the Sea'

I've driven by in Manhattan Beach hundreds of times with Smith in the car, but we never stopped until recently. I assumed that it was just another play place that I would eventually get around to visiting. Boy, was I right.  

For a mere $9 for an entire day, Under the Sea offers a ton of activities for your toddler. I would say it's best for kids 1 to 5 years old. Babies would get trampled; older kids would get bored and trample toddlers for sport.  

It has a little bouncy house that is open, so it's easy to get your toddler in and out. They also have those big plastic tubes for climbing and sliding.

(I don't know the term for these tubes, but when I Googled "McDonalds plastic tubes," I found this guy ... so I gave up my search and made a mental note to not go to McDonalds in Witchita.)

Under the Sea also has a train table, a big play kitchen, numerous toddler vehicles, an air hockey table, a foosball table and a bunch of lemurs running around. OK, so I'm kidding—there are no lemurs, but there should be.  

Make sure you bring socks for you and your child. As a South Bay dweller, you may be used to flip flops or bare feet in most establishments, so if you forget yours, they will sell you socks for a dollar. If you forget snacks, they'll sell you those, too. They also have a wide variety of Melissa and Doug toys and puzzles if you need them that make for a great last-minute birthday gifts!  

Speaking of birthdays—they hold birthday parties there that include cake, pizza, favors and even a character. The website has prices for the different types of parties, but because the Manhattan Beach Under the Sea is privately owned, the price for extra children is only $10 instead of the $16 quoted on the website.  

They also offer private parties for groups of 10 children or more from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. The manager told me that you can bring in whatever food or drinks—including wine for the grown-ups—that you want and just have the place to yourselves. It sounds nice because it's a huge room full of all kinds of safe activities, so you are able to actually hold a short—albeit broken—conversation with another adult until your child pushes another child off of the toy motorcycle. During our visit, Smith tried to take the toy motorcycle down the slide. I caught him in time to save him from eating a face full of carpeted floor.  

I'm learning that the only time you can take your eyes off your toddler for a second is when they are asleep—and even then it's dicey.  

Under the Sea, which is located at 204 S. Sepulveda Blvd. in Manhattan Beach, opens at 10 a.m. and closes at 6 p.m.

The seaweed is always greener in somebody else's lake, Redondo Beach.