The Children's Play Gallery

We once visited the Children's Play Gallery when it was in its old location.  They have expanded!  There is so much to do there now!
 
The first thing you see when you walk in is a giant pirate ship.  So fun!

 

Behind the pirate ship, there are more play areas.   There is a market, a kitchen, a veterinarian shop (think Doc McStuffins), a playhouse, and a slide - to get to & from the vet office, of course!  They also have a quieter area with books and Legos hiding back there behind the umbrella.

 

For the littler set, there is a closed-in play area designed just for them.  There are lots of just-right toys to climb and age-appropriate toys to play with.  It's also a nice place to let them move at their own place without worrying about protecting them from the big kids.

  

Moving into the back are of the Play Gallery are more themed play areas, starting with the construction center.

 There is available any tool or material a child could need to construct a fake structure:)  Plus, don't forget to dress the part!

 

Near the building area is an art center.  Again, this is completely closed in, so wayward wanderers don't create a mess before you catch them.

There were lots and lots of art supplies, as well as project ideas.

 Here is the science area.  Our favorite was the dinosaur scene, which has trees, grass, ponds and LOT of dinosaurs to move around.  There are magnetic letters and pattern shapes for the white board.  They also have magnifying glasses to examine bugs encased in clear blocks (ew!).  There are light-up table with building sets as well.

Upstairs, the Children's Play Gallery has an Imagination Playground (with the big blue blocks to build your own play structures).  Also housed on the top level are a lunch area and party rooms.

We found the experience to be well worth the price we paid.  Especially since they are one of the few children's museum-type places I have found where the ADULTS ARE FREE!

The whole place was very tidy and quite clean.  The employees were constantly walking through putting things away.  It also helps that there are no shoes allowed, so BRING SOCKS!  If you forget, though, they do have some to borrow!

You can carry in your own food, but they ask you only eat in the designated area.

I found The Children's Play Gallery to be a phenomenally family-friendly place.  I would highly recommend it to anyone in the area.

The Children's Play Gallery
126 East Wisconsin Avenue ~ Oconomowoc, WI ~ 262-354-0819
Admission: $10/1-18 years old, Adults & Under 1 Free, membership available

Tivoli Island Natural Park

Tivoli Island Natural Park is a nice quiet place to enjoy nature.

Feed the ducks from the bridge, but be careful!  There is no railing on the bridge, so it is easy lose a kid off the side!

We enjoyed a nature walk.  Bring the bug spray!

I don't remember coming across any bathrooms.

Tivoli Island Natural Park
S Concord Avenue ~ Watertown, WI

Riverside Park

Riverside Park is the main park in Watertown.  The prize feature is the community-built playground.

There are areas designated for different age groups, but really both of my two were very able to enjoy the whole thing.  There are slides, ramps, swings, bridges, stairs, and more!

Aside from this playground, there are paths to walk and ducks to feed.  There is also another smaller playground in a different area of the park.

There are bathrooms as well.

Riverside Park
812 Labaree Street ~ Watertown, WI

Grinwald Park

There is not much to Grinwald Park in Watertown.  It is really just a soccer park.

This is pretty much it.  If you are looking for big open grass, this is your place.  If you are looking for an hour of time where YOU don't have to entertain the kids, try somewhere else!

Grinwald Park
760 Milford Street ~ Watertown, WI

Timothy Johnson Park

Timothy Johnson Park is in Watertown.  It is a fairly generic park, but we had fun there.

It was well-visited while we were there.  It definitely wasn't overrun with children, but I get the idea that when you are there playing, chances are you will get to interact with other kids too.

Timothy Johnson has two climbers, one designed for young children, one for older.  There is also a nice covered picnic shelter with bathrooms and a bubbler! 

Timothy Johnson Park
1115 Oak Street ~ Watertown, WI

YMCA at Pabst Farm

The YMCA at Pabst Farm houses an aquatic facility that is great for young swimmers.  There is a small climber, zero depth entry, and a water slide.

The toddler/preschool crowd enjoyed themselves.  I think kids much older might be less impressed.

This is a nice place, but the price seemed a bit steep for swimming.  In all fairness, we really didn't use any of the rest of the facilities, so maybe it could have been more worth it.  I felt like there were more economical options as far as swimming goes.

YMCA at Pabst Farms
1750 East Valley Rd ~ Oconomowoc, WI ~ (262)567-7251
Admission: $8-$21/day, depending on age

Imagination Station @ Roosevelt Park

Imagination Station is a "universally accessible" playground.  They have equipment for children with all degrees of abilities, which means they also have some items you may not normally come across in playgrounds.

There is an enormous climbing structure, as well as outlying pieces of equipment.

My toddler's favorite part was the area modeled after a train.  My preschooler had a blast running through the structure and zooming down the slides.

The kiddos loved this playground!  I think they easily could have stayed for hours, though we got rained out:)  There was so much to explore!

There were bathroom facilities.

Imagination Station
110 E Forest St ~ Oconomowoc, WI