McDonald's Indoor Playland Review: Aurora, Colorado

McDonald's PlayPlace at McDonald's Restaurant #20247 is located at 6462 Parker Road in Aurora, Colorado. Old Navy, Office Max, Ross and King Soopers grocery store are in the adjacent shopping center. There is also a movie theater within one mile so this is a great place to bring the kids before or after a movie.

This McDonald's PlayPlace is set up like a castle. There are four towers (two square and two circular) connected by three tunnels on the second story level. The larger tunnel, connecting the two sets of square and circular towers has one foot of cargo netting on each end that creates a suspension effect that provides a bit of excitement for the more daring kids. It is fully enclosed and supported from above for their safety though. Smaller children who aren't as daring can have just as much fun in the solid two tower halves with their respective hardwalled tunnels between them.

While this PlayPLace is excellent for bigger preschoolers who need a good physical challenge, it also has plenty to keep smaller children busy and happy. In the center of the castle, at the bottom of the two back towers is an enclosed hexagon with a convex floor that provides a semi bouncy effect when they walk on it. There is also a large tic-tac-toe roller set that allows little ones to work on their manual dexterity.

Of course, what PlayPlace would be complete without a slide? This one doesn't disappoint. There is a tunnel style slide that runs the length of the castle area (approximately 20 feet) and descends at it's steepest at approximately 45 degrees. There are no spirals and only gentle bends in this slide so the smaller children who can climb up to it seem to love it.

I have great difficulty finding a downside to this PlayPLace. In fact it is one of my favorites in Aurora. It is fairly new and always clean. When my son can play in it for hours and still have clean white socks, I know for certain that the personnel here are keeping it very clean. The floor is cleaned like clockwork every morning and I have yet to visit without seeing at least one employee come in to sweep the floor. I've had to climb up the towers a few times to rescue scared children who realized how high they'd climbed and I'm happy to say the towers are solid and always very clean.

There is plenty of natural light here with three walls of two-story tinted glass windows surrounding the PlayPlace. Even with all the light, I've never noticed a propensity toward the sauna effect that most indoor playgrounds seem to develop.

For those with safety in mind, there is only one entrance into this PlayPlace. There is an emergency exit but it is alarmed. Nobody can come in through it and anyone leaving through it will set off the alarm. With each seat having a great view of the PlayPlace and the door, this is one PLayPlace where you can always monitor your child's whereabouts.

Seating within this PlayPlace is not packed too close and there is plenty of it. Between the tables for four, tables for two and counter seating, there is seating for 44 adults and each seat has an excellent view of the PlayPlace so you are never in a position where you need to get up and walk around to locate your child. The seating here is strictly bench style with no back support or cushioned seats.

There is one entrance into the play room from the restaurant and one emergency exit. This makes things easier for parents who have runners. They only have to watch one door as the emergency exit will sound an alarm if opened.

This McDonald's does offer Wi-fi service at the cost of $2.95 for a two hour block of time. Simply connect to the "Wayport Access" network and the McDonald's sales screen will open on your browser. You can purchase the access with a credit card. ATT, Boingo and Waypass are also available as roaming partners here.

Overall, I highly recommend this indoor playground for preschoolers and toddlers alike. It is an excellent place for all of them to build their physical skills and abilities. There is also plenty of room so that the slower, more careful children never manage to slow down the more daring and adept.

I have several general suggestions for parents bringing their children to indoor playgrounds:

Don't let your children bring food in to the play place. The last thing you'd want is your kid picking up a stranger's day old French fry and eating it so don't let your kid be the stranger.

Wash or sanitize your children's hands before and after they eat and play. Too many germs can be spread from mouth to toys by way of a child's hands.

Don't bring sick children into an indoor PlayPlace. The two times my son suffered from serious Emergency Room admission Croup happened two days after visiting an indoor play place.

Never leave your child unattended. This is not Chuck E. Cheese's. McDonald's is a restaurant and does not have security. We live in a day and age where children are kidnapped. Don't let the friendly atmosphere fool you. Children also often have altercations when they are just learning how to share and a little parental control can save a situation from escalating into a full blown romper room rumble.