Central Park Playland in Westerville, OH

Central Park Playland is an indoor play area located at the Westerville Christian Church off of College Avenue. The Playland has a huge netted maze-type jungle gym for climbing and sliding, small play houses and slides for the wee ones, and tables set up for coloring and crafting. Kids 2 – 12 are welcome to play and admission is my favorite four letter word: FREE!

I took my son to play for a couple of hours and he had fun. It was a touch overwhelming because there were lots of kids there, but during the colder months I’ve come to expect crowds. Moms sit along the sides and watch. There are some chairs for sitting, a coat rack for the coats and cubbies for shoes. Kids must wear socks for safety reasons. Central Park Playland asks that caregivers keep watch over children 5 and under, and there is even drop off available for children over 5. More information about rules and regulations here: General Rules. The jungle gym in the middle is huge, so you will need to follow your child around. Please don’t just squat and talk, try to keep a loose eye on your kids. And this is why…a boy was bullying other children and I had to talk to him three times before his mom showed up. This happens, and I didn’t mind giving him some guidance once, but after three times I was wondering where the heck his mom was.

Besides that, my son and I enjoyed ourselves. He played for almost two hours and was worn out by the time we left (just fyi – it is more of a space for climbing and playing rather than running). Free play times are offered every day except on Fridays. They also offer the space for birthday parties and it is one of the more affordable places I’ve seen to rent. Also, be sure to check out “Stories in the Park” where children 6 and under and their caregivers can sign up for just $1 a session and enjoy songs, stories and crafts. More information about open play hours, birthdays, and story time sessions can be found here: Central Park Playland.

Central Park Playland at Westerville Christian Church
471 East College Avenue
Westerville, OH 43081
614-891-6842

If you plan to go:

• Be sure your child has socks to play.
• Bring a small snack and water.
• There is a bathroom in the room that is kid-friendly.
• Plenty of space for meeting up with friends and letting kids play.
• Room for strollers to be parked, but it is a short walk from the car inside. I would suggest just carrying baby in their bucket seat.

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