Why I Recommend McDonald's Indoor PlayPlace in Aurora, Colorado (Store 4840)

McDonald's restaurant No. 4840 is at the corner of Quincy Avenue and Buckley Road in Aurora, Colorado. Safeway and King Soopers grocery stores, Target department store and Lowes hardware store surround it. It is also less than a mile away from the Quincy Reservoir and Quincy Avenue Dog Park. Like most McDonald's restaurants, No. 4840 has a McDonald's PlayPlace.

The best thing about this McDonald's PlayPlace is the fact that the play area is a large series of tubes. It is quite simply a large, colorful Habitrail for kids. If you have small children who are just beginning to explore and aren't capable of doing a great deal of rigorous climbing, this is the perfect PlayPlace to take them. If they don't climb at all, there is plenty for them to do on the first level but the second and third levels provide even more fun. For those little ones just being introduced to exploratory play, this is an excellent place to start. When my son was first learning to negotiate the tunnel system he'd get scared and unsure of himself as toddlers often do and I had to go in after him once or twice. If a tunnel system can support the weight and size of a 200-pound pregnant woman, rescues by parents are quite simple.

There are three downsides to this PlayPlace:

It offers very little challenge for bigger, more coordinated preschoolers.

I have yet to climb in there after my toddler and not have to dodge bits of hash brown or French fry. This is less of a cleanliness issue than it is a parental control issue. (Please don't let your kids bring food into the play places!)

The rest rooms are at the other end of the restaurant. This makes things difficult for parents as one must pack up the kids, shoes, jackets, strollers and uneaten food for an impromptu diaper change. The changing station is not terribly sturdy so I wouldn't recommend placing a child of more than 25 pounds on it. If you have more than one child, prepare for cramped quarters.

Children must climb five steps to gain entry into this tunnel system and advancing to the second and third levels involves climbing through a 45 degree angled tube that has stepping bumps approximately every foot. These can be challenging for smaller children, but that's the whole point of physical play, right? There is one cubby where a child of about 3.5 to 4 feet high might stand but the majority of play here is done by crawling. There is a two-story spiral slide that is windowless but surrounded by enough light that the slide will not invoke feelings of claustrophobia.

There is plenty of natural light here with three walls of tinted glass windows. This also makes for a very warm room at about 9:30 in the morning.

Seating, which is usually at a premium at these places is quite spacious. There are ten tables overlooking the play area that can seat 34. An adjacent seating area out of view of the play area will seat 24. The seating is strictly benches and chairs with uncushioned 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 toddlers that are just starting out in adventurous, exploratory play. Bigger kids will find more challenge elsewhere.

Following are 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.