Play Union
Overview
Expert Summary
Detailed Insights
Play Union is a highly-rated family entertainment venue, particularly celebrated for its vast and engaging selection of 'little toys' that keep children happy for hours, often outperforming larger spaces that lack such variety. It's a 'true gem' for the community, beloved for its consistently caring, friendly, welcoming, and attentive staff who create a relaxed, home-like atmosphere. The venue is renowned for its stress-free, full-service birthday party hosting, where staff 'handle everything like a breeze.' Beyond parties, it offers a clean, spacious environment with 'lots of activities,' including regular events and drop-in creative options like painting, making it an excellent choice for indoor play, especially when outdoor options are limited.
Key Highlights
- ✓Amazing and extensive selection of 'little toys' that engage children for hours.
- ✓Exceptional staff: consistently described as caring, friendly, welcoming, attentive (Debbie specifically mentioned), and highly supportive for events, handling everything 'like a breeze'.
- ✓Clean and spacious play environment.
- ✓Stress-free, full-service birthday party hosting; staff 'do everything' so parents have 'nothing to worry'.
- ✓Offers regular events similar to public libraries and drop-in creative activities like painting.
- ✓Creates a relaxed, 'as if you are home' atmosphere for both children and parents.
- ✓Parents are encouraged to get involved in activities with their children.
Standout Features
- ⭐Vast and engaging collection of small toys, ensuring continuous entertainment.
- ⭐Highly supportive and friendly staff who contribute significantly to a positive experience and seamless event planning.
- ⭐Dedicated staff for birthday parties who 'handle everything' and are 'super helpful'.
- ⭐Clean and spacious indoor environment.
- ⭐Regularly scheduled events and drop-in creative activities (e.g., painting).
- ⭐Limited, but available, dedicated parking spots in an adjacent lot.
- ⭐Relaxed, home-like atmosphere for families.
Perfect For
Ideal For
💡Pro Tips from Reviews
- →If planning a casual visit, confirm availability, especially on weekends, as they are often booked for private parties.
- →Consider Play Union as an excellent indoor option during inclement weather or when outdoor play isn't feasible.
- →For birthday parties, book knowing that the staff provides a full-service experience, significantly reducing parental stress.
- →Be aware that general parking in Somerville can be challenging, but look for their specific 'couple of spots' in the lot next door.
- →Check their schedule for details on regular events or specific drop-in creative sessions like painting.
Things to Consider
- ⚠Weekends are typically reserved for private parties, limiting drop-in play opportunities for casual visitors.
- ⚠General parking in Somerville can be difficult, though the venue does provide 'couple of spots' in an adjacent lot.
- ⚠Online pictures might not fully convey the positive experience of the space, as it might appear smaller online but is well-equipped and engaging in person.
Price & Value
While no specific prices are mentioned, multiple reviews state it is 'well worth your time to pay a visit' and highly recommend it for birthday parties, implying good value. The full-service approach to parties, where staff 'do everything,' suggests that birthday packages offer significant value in terms of convenience and stress reduction for parents.
♿Accessibility & Special Needs
- •No specific accessibility accommodations (e.g., wheelchair access, sensory hours) were mentioned in the reviews.
🍎Food & Drink Policy
- •No explicit food policy was mentioned in the reviews. The context of birthday parties suggests food is handled, but details are not provided.
🚗Parking Info
- •Parking in the surrounding Somerville area can be 'little difficult'.
- •Play Union does provide 'couple of spots' in the lot directly next to the venue, which is a helpful amenity.
👥Crowd Levels
- •Weekends are primarily 'reserved for parties', implying that these times are generally not open for casual drop-in crowds, or that party guests have exclusive access.
- •No specific information on crowd levels during weekdays or for regular events was provided.
🛡️Safety Features
- •While no explicit safety features (e.g., gates, security cameras, first aid station) were mentioned, the consistently described 'caring staff' and 'attentive' nature of employees (like Debbie) suggest a general level of supervision and care for the children.
⏰When to Avoid
- • Attempting a spontaneous drop-in visit on a weekend without confirming availability, as these days are frequently reserved for private birthday parties.
- • If you are expecting a minimalist play space with large, open areas and few small toys, as Play Union excels in its dense collection of varied 'little toys'.
Pricing/Package/Events
Pricing & Packages
Day Pass
$20Duration: Day
Unlimited play time for one child
Includes:
- •Unlimited play time
Additional Child Day Pass
$10Duration: Day
Unlimited play time for one additional child, accompanying a primary child
Includes:
- •Unlimited play time
Day Pass Ages 0-1yr
$10Duration: Day
Unlimited play time for one child aged 0-1yr
Includes:
- •Unlimited play time
5 Day Pass
$90Duration: 5 visits
Punch card for 5 unlimited play time visits for one child, never expires
Includes:
- •Unlimited play time (per visit)
Additional Child 5 Day Pass
$45Duration: 5 visits
Punch card for 5 unlimited play time visits for one additional child, accompanying a primary child, never expires
Includes:
- •Unlimited play time (per visit)
5 Day Pass Ages 0-1yr
$45Duration: 5 visits
Punch card for 5 unlimited play time visits for one child aged 0-1yr, never expires
Includes:
- •Unlimited play time (per visit)
10 Day Pass
$160Duration: 10 visits
Punch card for 10 unlimited play time visits for one child, never expires
Includes:
- •Unlimited play time (per visit)
Additional Child 10 Day Pass
$80Duration: 10 visits
Punch card for 10 unlimited play time visits for one additional child, accompanying a primary child, never expires
Includes:
- •Unlimited play time (per visit)
10 Day Pass Ages 0-1yr
$80Duration: 10 visits
Punch card for 10 unlimited play time visits for one child aged 0-1yr, never expires
Includes:
- •Unlimited play time (per visit)
1 Month Membership
$130Duration: 1 month
Membership for one child
Includes:
- •Unlimited play time
- •10% off all parties
- •2 crafts per week (for children ages 2+)
Additional Child 1 Month Membership
$65Duration: 1 month
Membership for one additional child, accompanying a primary child
Includes:
- •Unlimited play time
- •10% off all parties
- •2 crafts per week (for children ages 2+)
1 Month Membership Ages 0-1Yr
$65Duration: 1 month
Membership for one child aged 0-1yr
Includes:
- •Unlimited play time
4 Month Membership
$440Duration: 4 months
Membership for one child
Includes:
- •Unlimited play time
- •10% off all parties
- •2 crafts per week (for children ages 2+)
Additional Child 4 Month Membership
$220Duration: 4 months
Membership for one additional child, accompanying a primary child
Includes:
- •Unlimited play time
- •10% off all parties
- •2 crafts per week (for children ages 2+)
4 Month Membership Ages 0-1Yr
$220Duration: 4 months
Membership for one child aged 0-1yr
Includes:
- •Unlimited play time
6 Month Membership
$600Duration: 6 months
Membership for one child
Includes:
- •Unlimited play time
- •10% off all parties
- •2 crafts per week (for children ages 2+)
Additional Child 6 Month Membership
$300Duration: 6 months
Membership for one additional child, accompanying a primary child
Includes:
- •Unlimited play time
- •10% off all parties
- •2 crafts per week (for children ages 2+)
6 Month Membership Ages 0-1yr
$300Duration: 6 months
Membership for one child aged 0-1yr
Includes:
- •Unlimited play time
Birthday Party Package
$450Duration: 2 hours
Exclusive use of the entire space
Includes:
- •For 1-15 children
- •Free balloon bunches
- •15 minutes additional for set up
- •15 minutes additional for clean up
- •Basic paper goods
- •Table cloths
Events & Schedule
🍎Food Policy
- • Complimentary coffee/tea available for adults.
📅Booking Policy
- • Contact for private bookings including birthday parties.
🚗Parking Information
- • Private lot parking (spots 1 & 2) for Play Union customers.
- • Nearby 2-hour street parking.
- • Metered spots in Union Square.
- • Somerville residents with a residential sticker can park on any side street nearby.
What People Say
What's Great
- Clean and well-maintained facilities (mentioned in 2 reviews)
- Friendly and helpful staff (mentioned in 8 reviews)
- Fun and entertaining activities (mentioned in 2 reviews)
- Great for birthday parties (mentioned in 5 reviews)
- Spacious play areas (mentioned in 5 reviews)
Areas for Improvement
- Parking can be challenging (mentioned in 2 reviews)
Recent Reviews
lise capet
2 months agoWe love Play Union. The space, the amazing selection of toys and the caring staff make it a true gem for the community. This place has been an absolute favorite for our kids for the past 7 years, and they couldn’t imagine celebrate a birthday elsewhere. Thank you !
Michael Chen
4 months agoMy daughter and I had a wonderful time here at Play Union. I been wanting to visit for a long time now but since their weekends are reserved for parties the opportunity was not there. I wasn't expecting too much from the pictures posted online since the space didn't look that big but after coming here they are filled with little toys that kept my daughter happy for hours. Most of the indoor space around the area would be bigger but lacked the small toys so that was very appreciated. The owner and staff here were all very friendly and it's quite nice they have regular events similar to public libraries. Definitely well worth your time to pay a visit when it's not so easy to play outside. Since it's in the middle of Somerville parking can be little difficult but they do have couple of spots in the lot next to them so that was welcoming
Smallie Michelle (Michelle Turner -Young)
7 months agoA BEAUTIFUL time celebrating my nieces 3rd b-day here. From the moment we walked in Debbie was super welcoming and attentive. Clean and lots of activities for the kids to play with and for the parents to get involved. Looking forward to going back and dropping in to paint! 🎨
Nikola Jokic
4 months agoGreat experience celebrating our son's 4th birthday. Very friendly and welcoming people. You feel relaxed there, as if you are home. The place is clean and spacious with a lot of different toys. Kids had a lot of fun.
Weiye Yao
3 months agoWe had our son's birthday party. The staff is super helpful! Handled everything like a breeze. Highly recommend to have little kids birthday party here. Nothing to worry they do everything.