Baby, it's hot outside! Which I'm guessing is precisely why you are looking for a place to take the kids for some fun OUT of the sun. Worry not - I have kids between the ages of 5 - 14, and I get it.
And we live in Waco, so I've got the inside scoop on the best indoor playgrounds in Waco where you can escape the heat.
FREE INDOOR PLAY
Glory Bell Coffee
Local Libraries
Waco Community Centers
PAY TO PLAY INDOORS
Waco Skate
Waco Location: Skating, Arcade, Laser Tag
Bellmead Location: All That + The Playground
Mayborn Museum
Urban Air Trampoline Park
Little Land of Waco
Main Event
Note: If you have seen "Jump N Place", and "The Little Gym" in Waco listed online as spaces for kids to play, those locations have permanently closed and are no longer available.
WACO'S BEST INDOOR PLAY SPACES
We're going to break this down into two separate groups of spaces for kids to play indoors. The first section is going to be the free places. The second section will be places that charge for playing inside.
Some of these are actual "playgrounds", others offer things like trampolines, obstacle courses, designated kids play spaces, etc.
FREE INDOOR PLAY
For free indoor play, we're going to start the list off with the newest space in town - a coffee shop in downtown Waco.
GLORY BELL COFFEE HOUSE
Yes, I realize it seems strange to list a coffee house as a place for kids to play, but (aside from the fact that it has ice-cold air conditioning) that's probably what makes Glory Bell SO unique.
Glory Bell is designed specifically with families and kids in mind.
Now, that doesn't mean that it won't be packed with Baylor students, or people who don't have kids - it might be.
But your kids are welcome, and they can make as much noise and have as much fun as they want to in the designated indoor kids play place.
And you can't miss the kids indoor play area. It's a giant green shipping container inside the building that's been converted into a play house for kids. It has blocks, legos, a kids play coffee stand, books, wood toys, four-in-a-row and much more.
Oh, and every purchase comes with a free lemon vanilla cookie - which one of my daughters LOVES. I never get my free cookie - she does.
Glory Bell also serves kid-friendly drinks like hot chocolate and different variations of lemonade. During the hot summer months, an ice-cold cup of strawberry lemonade is simply divine.
Glory Bell is my kids favorite coffee shop in Waco, and I've also rated it as one of the best coffee shops in Waco in general.
LOCAL LIBRARIES
Another great free space for kids to go play and have fun are the local libraries throughout the Waco area. Many of them have designated kids spaces with legos, and small toys, as well as learning stations and wide-selections of books for kids.
The main libraries in Waco are:
Central Waco Library
East Waco Library
South Waco Library
West Waco Library
The Waco-Mclennan County library system also frequently hosts indoor events for kids such as fun Story Times, Art Classes, STEAM classes, Roblox & Minecraft Clubs, and more. They're usually all free to attend.
You can view the calendar of upcoming library events for kids to see if there is anything of interest for your family.
The South Waco Library also frequently offers special events in their designated green space where they feature outdoor movies on the lawn and other family-friendly events.
WACO COMMUNITY CENTERS
Waco community centers are fun, and they're FREE! Waco is home to three different community centers:
Doris Miller Community Center: East Waco
Dewey Community Center: Central Waco
South Waco Community Center: South Waco
Each of the three Waco community centers feature indoor gyms, basketball courts, computer rooms, game rooms, and other spaces for fitness, community events and more.
When it's 100+ degrees, and it's borderline dangerous to have the kids outside for more than a few minutes at a time, we enjoy going to the community center where they can:
Play Foosball
Play Air Hockey
Get on computers
Watch TV
Play basketball, dodgeball, etc
Play on the shaded playground
Get soaked at the splashpad
If you're looking for an indoor space to let the kids play, then I'd highly recommend one of the Waco Community Centers; so would my kids.
Pro Tip: You do not have to be a resident of Waco to use the community centers.
PAY TO PLAY INDOORS
This section will feature incredibly fun places to play indoors in Waco, but it comes with a cost. First up - an indoor skating space.
Waco Skate
Waco Skate has two locations in Waco:
Waco Location: Skating, Arcade, Laser Tag
Bellmead Location: All That + The Playground
The Waco location features skating, an arcade room, and laser tag. But the Bellmead location (on the Northern side of the city of Waco) also features The Playground which is a massive indoor playscape for kids ages 10 and under.
So if you have older kids and younger kids, they all have something to do at Waco Skate.
And the prices are probably among the cheapest indoor play spaces you'll find in Waco. Depending on the day (and other factors such as activities available that day or if you bring your own skates), admission is usually $10 or less per person.
Mayborn Museum
Mayborn Museum is an attraction that is affiliated with Baylor University, in Waco, Texas. Established in 2004, the museum's stated mission is to encourage learning and exploration in natural science, science, and cultural history.
The Mayborn Museum Complex features a 142,000 square foot building and has more than a dozen exhibit spaces, including a natural history exhibit, a Texas history exhibit, and a children's discovery center.
The Children's Discovery Center is a really awesome space that my kids LOVE going to because of all the fun things there are to do!
The Discovery Center features sensory experiences, challenges, and simultaneously entertaining and educational toys to play with.
Over The Years at Mayborn Museum - by ExpertTexan.com
There's also a:
Massive play train track set up with an operational toy train
Tornado simulator (the kids love seeing it in action)
Life-sized shopping center and grocery store for kids
The museum also hosts traveling exhibits throughout the year, so even if you have been there previously, chances are, they have a new exhibit for you to see now.
The museum also frequently offers a variety of educational programs for children and adults, including summer camps, workshops, and school field trips.
A lot of their programs are hosted during the Summer, which makes it a great indoor place for the kids to play and get out from under the hot Texas sun.
Urban Air Trampoline Park
Urban Air Trampoline Park is an indoor trampoline park in Waco, Texas. It is a part of the popular Urban Air chain of trampoline and adventure parks that offer a range of attractions such as trampolines, climbing walls, obstacle courses, and more.
The Waco location of Urban Air Trampoline Park has a variety of activities for children and adults of all ages.
The 3-Story Playscape
The Waco location has an "American Ninja" style obstacle course lofted a few feet above a colorful ball pit, which my kids thoroughly enjoy testing their strength and endurance skills on.
This indoor playground in Waco is incredibly fun and on select evenings, they do "Glow Nights" where they shut off all the lights, and only the strobe lights are on. It's a wild time and the kids love it.
Trampoline Basketball
Just keep in mind that the monthly/annual membership is dirt cheap and well worth the price, but the one-time admission without a membership is NOT.
If you are only going to Urban Air one time, then you may want to consider going somewhere else where you can get more bang for your buck.
Little Land of Waco
Little Land of Waco is an indoor playground in Waco hosted by Little Land, which is primarily a Pediatric Therapy business.
In fact, you can get Pediatric Occupational, Speech and Physical Therapy at Little Land of Waco and many other "Little Land" locations throughout the state of Texas.
But you do not need to hire them for pediatric therapy services in order to take advantage of the indoor playground for kids. This indoor playground is available to the public with a monthly membership.
If you have smaller kids, then Little Land of Waco is a fantastic space to take them to.
Little Land also offers classes for young kids such as Sensory Art Classes, and Music Classes.
And, if you need a parents night out, they offer that too!
Main Event
Gravity Ropes
Games
Billiards
Laser Tag
VR Gaming
Those are just a few of the exhilarating things you can find at Main Event in Waco, TX. It's a blast for the whole family.
My kids (5 - 14) have all been to Main Event, and they enjoy going whenever they can.
Right next door to Main Event is Cinemark (one of the best movie-theaters in Waco), and across the street from Cinemark is Top Golf which is home to one of the four mini-golf courses in Waco. Both of those are great places to take the kids, though, the mini-golf course is outdoors.
THE RECAP
Because Waco is a relatively small city compared to other major metropolitan areas in Texas, your options for indoor playgrounds for kids are somewhat limited.
However, there are outdoor spaces that may be just as fun where you can also stay relatively cool. I've listed many of them in another article about fun things to do in Waco with kids, but here are a few of them:
Cameron Park Zoo
Texas Ranger Museum
Waco Riverwalk
Magnolia Market
Cameron Park Playgrounds & Splashpad
Homestead Craft Village
Waco Surf (Formerly known as BSR Cable Park)