Review of Kidz Muze Edutainment Village in Coppell, Texas

The Kidz Muze Edutainment Village in Northwest Coppell offers an innovative approach to play, learning and discovery for families in the Dallas Metroplex area. Designed for children age 12 years and under, it is dubbed as 'An Indoor Playground Wrapped in a Children's Museum'.

Walking into Kids Muze, I was amazed at how clean, elaborate, and well-structured this place was. This 22,000 square feet wonderland is not your typical play center. While it is mainly a place to take the kids to run and play, it is also where parents can relax while their children play- whether it be by lounging in the comfy sofas with a book, having coffee at the indoor Kafe Muze with a friend, or surfing the internet with a free WiFi connection. I had a small talk with one of the moms on my last visit there who told me that she gets her online work done there more than at her own home. She also told me that once in a while she participates in the GrownFolks Muze program where they have invited guest speakers talk about interesting 'grownup' topics like parenting and money matters. I found out later from one of the play coordinators that this is one of their on-going weekly programs for adults.

One thing that I noticed initially upon entering the Kidz Muze was that the play areas were divided based on age ranges, which I really liked. I have a toddler who is only two years old and is still a little intimidated playing with the bigger kids that for this and other reasons, Kidz Muze really worked well for us.

When we were there, we stayed mostly at the toddler-only area called HabiTOT Town. This area has soft crawling obstacles, small slides and a variety of developmental toys and is designed for children three years and under. Except for a small opening at the entrance, this toddler area is completely surrounded by long wooden benches where parents and caregivers sit and watch their kids play. At the center of the HabiTOT Town, an overhead closed-circuit television monitors the play areas for added security. Right across from HabiTOT Town is the Village Pretend Play where children can role-play. It includes a bi-lingual grocery, a café, exotic pet vet, rainforest campsite and a homeplace. When we were there, my toddler loved playing pretend in the mini-kitchen area where it showcased an 'almost real' kitchen environment complete with stove, sink area, microwave oven and refrigerator. He and my friend's four year old daughter took turns in playing 'cook' and were both delighted in 'eating' the different 'toy food' afterwards. It was very relaxing to see our kids enjoy themselves with the different activities in this area.

For older kids, the ThinkerTinker Zone offers games and construction toys that they can put together and take apart. Next to this area are wall climbing structures and a Ball Play Center with foosball and basketball shoot-out. Oversized slides, a tangled foam forest, and crawl-through mazes are especially well-enjoyed by the much older kids. My toddler even tried joining the older kids at the ball play area and he enjoyed shooting basketball there too.

Security at the Kidz Muze requires that every child-to-adult receives a numbered, matching wristband upon entry. When exiting, these wristbands are checked to make sure that they match. My friend and I, along with our toddlers, went on a Tuesday and the clerk who checked us in was quick to point out that we saved a dollar off our entrance fees that day because of their Toddler Tuesday Special. So that was an added bonus!

When the children grew tired, we all headed to their indoor cafe called Kafe Muze to have pizza. The menu (besides the pizza) consisted of sandwiches, paninis, stuffed breads, pastries and chips. I liked the fact that they have an indoor cafe, but I can say the service was lacking and the wait was unusually long. The food wasn't something to rave about either but hey, who cares if the children are having fun?

For the age-appropriateness and versatility of programs and activities being provided, as well as for the cleanliness and safety this facility has, my friend and I gave The Kidz Muze a thumbs up! We liked this place so much that we are planning another play date there in the near future.