A Primer For Your First Visit To The Café
Welcome to Catalillies Play Cafe
We are a space for self-supervised open play recommended for children 7 and under.
(We have no age limit for our play floor, but do require all people to play kindly and respectfully)
Enjoy our café space to supervise your child, meet and make new friends, co-work, play games and create.
Requirements for play:
Children need grip socks and adults need regular socks.
Waiver is required for play.
We have three facility rules:
Be Healthy:
All kids and adults should be healthy at the time of their visit, should use our hand washing station, and keep shoes off of the play floor area.
Be Kind:
Play and speak nicely with all children and adults, treat the space with respect by not abusing toys or the furniture so that we can all enjoy a good experience
Be Safe:
Supervised play helps us make sure kids are using equipment appropriately and age appropriately to prevent injury and damage. Grip socks for kids are required to prevent slipping on the play floor and to assist during climbing for a safer playtime, Alert us when something is broken or not working so that we can remedy to fix or remove the issue
Before your visit:
Look at our updates on social media for capacity notices or closures to avoid disappointment. Please make a reservation.
We will post capacity notes and closures on our front door as well.
We are located on James York Plaza on Merrimac Trail.
To the left of our corner building spot is a dedicated parking lot with a sidewalk to make sure your kids are safe from car to door.
When you enter our desk is left of the front door to check in.
Reservations for play are suggested but not required if we are not at capacity.
If you are driving more than 10 minutes to play, we highly suggest saving your spot!
We have reservations available each hour we are open for open play time, up until 90 minutes before clean up time. Reserve your arrival time and stay until your play time has concluded.
We suggest a 60-90 minute play session to allow for an enjoyable visit before kids turn to destructive or unsafe play due to tiredness or hunger. Enjoy as much of the play session window as you would like, and our last 30 minutes before closing is dedicated to what we call clean up time.
Kids can help clean up during the first 15 minutes of clean up time, finalize their play cycle with a final slide or ride, or simply move into the café space to enjoy a snack, book, game, or coloring to rest before exiting.
Having the floor empty for the last 15 minutes allows us time to organize and wipe down all high touch surfaces for the next group of kids to give everyone a quality experience during their visit.
This grants the opportunity for a peaceful exit at the end of your visit instead of the dreaded pickup and run out tantrum. It will prepare kids of expectations for the play cycle each time they visit and they will become accustomed to it so each visit will be a more enjoyable visit for parents and kids to enjoy together.
Our cubes for shoes, jackets, and bags is to the left of the gate to enter the play floor.
Shoes must be removed and socks(grips for kids) put on before entering the play floor.
Our retail area and snack bar are to the left of our entrance and all items can be rung up on your phone and enjoyed or taken to the front desk to be rung up as well. Scan codes can be found on shelves, column, and tables throughout the café space.
Our retail area is also home to our local market aisle that hosts local maker's shops.
If you would like to purchase from one of these “shops” then scan the code at their shelf section and use the directions provided to pay and show receipt upon exit with your purchase.
If you need help with your purchase at any time, just grab the front desk person and they will be happy to help!
We have two bathrooms both with changing tables and one with a bench for changing larger children.
These are located in the back right corner of the play floor.
Our Play floor has 3 no's which are no shoes, food or drink on the play floor. Otherwise this is a yes space for kids.
We have a marked area for children under 2 years old and we ask parents to redirect older children from this area to allow smaller babies space to explore safely.
Our beverage bar includes coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and water and is included in your entry cost to enjoy with no further charge.
Our café space has several seating options and armoires full of games, puzzles, books, and crafts to enjoy during your visit. These items should remain inside the café space and not be taken into the play floor area.
The back left corner is home to our craft room/party room. Please use this space for creating crafts or any sensory play enjoyed during your visit. We also use this space to host birthday parties and allow set up of decor and food for your guests in this area.
Our play floor begins at the front entrance and stretches the length of the space to allow for clear sight lines from the cafe area.
We have a grocery, vet/doctors office, hardware bench, traffic circle, gas station, and sensory room in our first imaginative play section.
Our space then moves into gross motor play and begins with younger age items and as you move further back the age range increases for the equipment.
There are several sections of imaginative and creative play alongside the edges of the play area.
Our under 2 area features softer smaller play items and cognitive builders for tiny hands. We also have a nursing room with space for kids to gather to share time together in a quieter space.
If your child needs a quieter space for a break we have a family room attached to the blue bathroom, our nursing room that can be found in the under 2 area, and our sensory room which are all good options for a reset to continue play.
If you have any questions before your visit, please email us at hello@catalilliesplaycafe.com