Glow Worm Play is an indoor playground rooted in Reggio Emilia & Montessori principles for kids 6 and under, that also serves as a gourmet cafe and bakery for adults. Our play cafe is geared toward children 6-ish and under and their parents and caregivers, but bigger kids are welcome as long as they don’t bulldoze the little ones. We serve locally roasted coffee and espresso from Sunergos, and baked goods, breakfast and lunch items from our in-house baker, Dara Staggers of Staggeringly Delicious. We also have smoothies (in kid and adult sizes) applesauce pouches, yogurt pouches, fresh fruit, and plenty of other snacks. Adults can relax in our caregiver lounge while children play nearby in the same room. Caregiver supervision is required and drop-off is not permitted. All guests can shop our unique selection of children’s goods, join us for community classes with or without their kids, and even reserve our space for parties, private play dates, and events. All are welcome in our cafe & bakery with a separate seating area to boot!

We took our favorite parts of each educational approach and married them in our play space. Both approaches are rooted in children being the center of their own learning and the initiators of their learning processes. We believe that all children are competent, curious, creative, and capable, and they are able to freely express themselves in our spaces. We focus on low-impact play and creative exploration versus other play spaces in our area that are geared more toward the fast-paced, overstimulating & hyperactive aspects of play.

Yes, that is preferred. We have capacity restrictions in place, so the only guarantee you have that your entrance will be admitted is to reserve tickets online ahead of time. We hate turning families away at the door, but sometimes need to do so in order to respect our other guests and our promised capacity limitations. Call us to see if we have room!

Our Play Lounge is closed for 30 minutes in between play sessions to properly clean, sanitize, and reset the play and seating areas. We have a rigorous schedule for sanitizing toys and structures on a daily basis throughout and at the end of the day, and deep clean the space on Mondays when we are closed.

No! Our cafe and bakery is open to the public. We are happy to serve to-go drinks and treats to our community whether they are attending for a play session, class, to shop, a caffeine boost or if they fancy themselves a sweet treat from the bakery. We have seating in our cafe for our neighbors to come visit us, so you are welcome to stay a while and enjoy your food and beverages.

We are not a daycare, but we do provide an awesome, safe, clean space for your kiddos to play and hang out, while you comfortably chill in our lounge area nearby with a book, a friend, or a laptop to get some work done. Parents and caregivers are responsible for watching their children.

We also provide a Parents Day Out program two days a week, and offer camps on school breaks!

Play sessions range from $11-13 for the first child. Siblings are welcome at a discounted rate. One sibling under 12 months old is free with a paid child. We also offer memberships and bulk play passes for our more frequent visitors.

Two adults per household/family reservation are permitted. Please reserve one additional play session for every two extra adults you are bringing to ensure we have enough seating for your group and our other customers.

Outside food and drink, aside from water or baby bottles, are not permitted during classes, play sessions, or private play dates. This is a health department rule. Food and drink is available for purchase in our cafe. Outside food and drink is permitted ONLY for private birthday parties and other types of private rentals, as well as our Parents Day Out program.

We have a private parking lot on the side and rear of our building, as well as street parking on Barret Ave. Street parking is not metered, but we do ask that you pay attention to street signs for “no parking” hours!

We take all major credit cards, cash, and Glow Worm gift cards.

You may cancel or reschedule your play session up to one hour before your scheduled play session begins. While refunds are not available for canceled appointments, store credit will be given to the customer in the amount of the original purchase within 24 business hours. We can make exceptions on refunds for out-of-towners and true medical emergencies.

Shoes are not permitted in our play area, and we have cubbies for shoes when you enter the play area and caregiver lounge. Please bring socks, or purchase a pair in our retail area before entering. We have grip socks for kids and adults available for purchase. Grippy socks are recommended for all.

Yep! You can book a private party here.

We do not allow outside food in our cafe, play area or caregiver lounge, so there should be no nut products in those areas aside from what might be purchased in our cafe. Nut products are clearly marked in our cafe and bakery case.

All gift certificates that were purchased for the Beechmont & East End locations are valid for use at the Highlands location on Barret Ave.