Play Time at Fair Oaks Mall

I thought we’d have more time to explore outdoor adventures this year, but here we are with forecasts over the weekend already mentioning that dreaded word...snow! Don't get me wrong, I actually adore the stuff. It's just that all the leaves haven’t even changed. So, if we are in for an early winter, we'll just have to enjoy some indoor venues until there is enough snow to justify actually playing outside.

One popular spot is the play area at the Fair Oaks Mall. Located on the first floor in front of JC Penny, the “Baby Looney Tunes” train-themed play area provides a large contained space where kids can climb and play.

When we went last week, we were actually escaping the rain. Before we were even in visual range, my daughter perked up at the sounds of children playing. By the time she saw where we were, there was no containing her. She wriggled down from her stroller as I pulled off her shoes, finally turning her loose to climb into one of the choo-choo-train’s soft-sided cars. From there, I helped her in and out of most of the train cars, stopping to watch her joy as she shared a seat with Tweety Bird and Bugs Bunny. In fact, she loved saying “hi” to, and climbing on, all the larger-than-life animals in the play zone.

The space is open to kids under 42 inches in height, but since we were there during school hours, most of the children were toddlers and older babies. There were definitely several pre-schoolers in the mix.

COST: Free. That is, if you can make it out of the mall without spending any money.

THE BASICS: Indoor play area for children under 42 inches tall. Shoes must be removed. Located on the first floor in front of JC Penny, there are a lot of things for children to climb and slide on, and the ground is rubberized to prevent injuries from falls. Nice restrooms with a changing area are located near the Macys on the same level.