Indoor Play Area for Children in Jia-Yi! Babyway 親子遊樂屋

A friend recently shared information about this new playspace in Jia-yi City.  It looks really clean and has top-quality toys for kids to play with.  The entrance fee for kids includes a snack.

You can look at this personal blog for some clear pictures of the play area. 

Address: 嘉義市民族路83號4樓 (民族路與融和街口)

Reservations:05-2768680

Entrance: Children 299元 (Includes snack and juice.  Limited to 2 hours of playtime.) Adults100元(Includes 20NT discount on snacks). Babies under one year old 100NT, does not include any snack.

Minsheng Community Center

Minsheng East Road Section 5, #163-1, 9^th Floor & 3^rd Floor

http://www.wretch.cc/blog/tinahawk/21672544

There’s a children’s play area on the 9^th floor and a toy library on the 3^rd floor.

Beitou Resort

http://btresort.trtc.com.tw/about1.aspx

This is near MRT Fuxingang station. It has an indoor children’s play area and costs about 60NT per hour.

112臺北市北投區大業路527巷88號 (Beitou District, Da Yeh Road Lane 527, No. 88)
Hours look like 9am-10pm

Danshui Toy Library (Part of Danshui library)

http://www.toylibrary.tw/img/showimg.php?lang=tw&id=12

Danshui Zhongshan North Road Section1, #158, 4^th Floor

This is a place where you can go and borrow toys to play there for free.

Zhuwei Toy Library (Danshui Area)

First of all, apologies for not editing and getting all English information up right away.  If you need any help when you read these posts, please let me know.  I just want to get the information out there so you can start your adventures.

http://www.toylibrary.tw/img/showimg.php?id=20&lang=tw

Danshui, Minsheng Road, #27, 4^th Floor.

Another toy library in Danshui.

We Play Indoor Play Space - Nanjing East Road

Thanks again Chieni!

http://www.weplay.com.tw/ugC_KidsContactUs.asp

Nanjing East Road Section 5, #315, 3^rd Floor

It’s $200 per child & parent so a bit more expensive than other venues but it’s a nice change from Playspace and it’s good for crawlers and toddlers. You do have to make reservations ahead of time for this place but I think it’s a good option for a rainy day.

Flora Expo Park - Indoor/Outdoor Spaces

Yes, I did give the Expo a hard time in previous posts, and no, I have never entered the area.  But, my friends recommend it, so I should share it with others.

http://www.taipei-expopark.tw/MP_3.html

This is now a really big park with lots of flowers and open spaces for kids to run around. On rainy days, there are actually a lot of pavilions to go into. It’s free to enter the park but it costs around 50-100NT to enter the special exhibitions.

Place to Play, Rent, and Buy Board Games - Taipei City and New Taipei City

I just found this "Board Games Center" online.  I haven't been there, but as my children are getting more interested in board games, I hope to visit during the Summer holidays.  You can go along as a non-member and play for 20NT/hr or 100NT/day, or pay 399NT and get a membership that allows you to play and accumulate points to use for discount later, as well as to rent games and buy with 10-15% off.

This will be a place where you or your children will have to be able to speak and understand a fair amount of Chinese, I'd imagine.


http://www.cacacity.tw/

Here is a list of spaces/stores, in Chinese:

門市	電話	地址	營業時間	門市
三重店 Sanchong	02-2970-1593	新北市三重區光興街１４０號	週一～週五13:00~22:00 週六、週日10:00~22:00	三重店
青年店 Wanhwa	02-2309-9579	台北市萬華區青年路６６號Ｂ１	週一～週五13:00~22:00 週六、週日10:00~22:00	青年店
永春店 YungChuen(Hsinyi District)	02-2749-2979	台北市信義區虎林街１２０巷８７號	週一～週五13:00~22:00 週六、週日10:00~22:00	永春店
師大店 Shida	02-2365-5614	台北市大安區師大路１１９號Ｂ１	週一～週五14:00~23:00 週六、週日10:00~23:00	師大店
士林店 Shilin	02-2886-6617	台北市士林區承德路４段８０巷５２號	週一～週五14:00~23:00 週六、週日10:00~23:00	士林店

Get Fit and Fabulous with Colleen at Parentsplace (Family community center, Neihu)

My dear, fit and fabulous friend Colleen is back in town and ready to help mums and mums-to-be stay fit and healthy in body and mind.  Colleen is a really fun person to be around and I promise just being in the class will make you happy, even before you start moving!  Here is the class description below.  Please go to the website for me details and to register. 

Moms Fit and Fabulous prenatal and "baby and me" exercise class registrations open now. Available to start after the new Chinese year, these classes are specifically tailored to suit your needs.

Moms to be that want to stay healthy both for themselves and their baby, can join other moms to be in either a first/second trimester class or a more gentle and muscle releasing third trimester class.

New mums have the chance to increase the beautiful bond with their baby and begin the process of reshaping that overworked body by incorporating moves that involve both mum and bub.

All this in English too so let's get started!

http://www.parentsplace.com.tw/

Y17 : Indoor Playspace for Children of All Ages

With the weather in Taipei so unpredictable, it's important to keep some indoor spaces in reserve for those days when the children need to run but there's nowhere to go.  The great thing about Y17 is it is a one-stop indoor space for children and adults, so you can entertain everyone in your family.

These pictures on the Chinese site show the different floors in the building.  You can see the:

• Climbing wall
• Rollerlading rink
• Baby/toddler playroom
• Classroom area (for dance, language, music, gymnastics...they have TONS of classes)
• Gym
• Restaurants
• Bookshop
• Concert Hall

The playarea on the third floor is a wonderful place to take your little ones (from a few months old to kindergarten; first graders are not allowed in the area) when you need a break and they need to let off steam.  There are three rooms, which are filled with toys and tools to keep the children busy.  The last time I went, there was a playhouse and car area, infant room, sandroom, balloonroom, climbingframe and ballpool, and a puzzle area.  To get puzzles, look in the catalog, show the lady at the counter which one you want, and give them a piece of ID to borrow the puzzle.  The area is open all day until about 9pm, with breaks for lunch and dinner.  Your ticket is good for the fullday.  You buy tickets on the first floor (the counter on your left when you walk in).  You can buy single tickets or a book of tickets.  Everyone in the playarea need to wear socks.  If you forget, they sell them at the playarea.  There is an eating area outside the playspace, so you can take a picnic or snacks.  Alternatively, eat at the coffeeshop on the first floor or Chinese restaurant in the basement.

The rollerblading rink is a good place to take older children to play.  All the gear you need is for hire.  You can also join rollerblading classes.  They might also like using the climbing wall upstairs.  You can ask about different classes available at the front counter.

This year, their Flea Market will be every Saturday.  You can sell your own things from home or go and pick up some great bargains.  They also have a book exchange program.  I can't find the time for the Flea Market but here is some Chinese information.

There is a carpark in the basement, and street parking around the building.

Address: 台北市仁愛路一段17號　(Taipei City, Ren-ai Road Sec 1, No. 17 - near the corner of Lin-sen South Road)
Tel: (02)2343-2388
Near MRT stops: CKS Memorial Hall Exit 5; NTU Hospital Exit 2.
See a Chinese map here.

It's Cold! Why Not Iceskate? Taipei Arena Iceskating Rink

This is an option I had never considered!  The Taipei Arena (the beautiful arena at the corner of Tunhwa North Road and Nanking East Road, Taipei) boasts an iceskating rink, open to the public, and with rentals available.  At $190 for two hours, plus $80 for rental of equipment, it is a good option for these rainy, cold days.  I am not sure exactly what the lower age limit is, as the site only mentions that children under 7 need to be accompanied by an adult.

The English site is pretty comprehensive.  Just run your mouse over the informational headings to find out what you need to know.

Playspace (for 0 to 8 yr olds) - Wonderful Indoor Space for Children

Playspace is a play area attached to a preschool, that is open to the public.  It was definitely one of our favorite places when both my children were preschoolers, and for our playgroup, too.  For infants, they have a padded area with mirrors and floor toys.  There are sensory drawers, an art area, dressups, a reading area, and ride-on toys for toddlers.  For older kids, there is a waterplay area, sandpit and climbing wall.  Everything is under-cover, which makes it a good choice all-year-round.

You are not supposed to bring food in from outside, but they are not too strict about it.  You can buy coffee, juice, and cookies, and eat them at the little eating area.  There are magazines for parents to read in that area.

I just read on their Chinese website that they are not open until March 2011, due to renovations.  If you are not familiar with Taiwan's school holidays, you should probably give them a call before you go, as they do close during vacations, and I believe they are also closed Mondays.

At time of writing, the entry charge was $250 per child + 1 adult for 3 hours.  Each extra adult $50 each.  You can also buy a 10-hour card.

Address: No. 22, Lane 265, Alley 20, Xinyi Road, Section 4, Taipei City

Tel: 02- 2784-0326

Taipei Metro BeiTou Resort

The Taipei Metro Bei Tou Resort was buillt for employee training during construction of the Bei Tou Electric and Machinery Plant.  In 2004, it was opened to the public.  It boasts an indoor children's playground, swimming pool, gym, basketball court, coin-operated games.

Membership:  $200/per year.  You need two ID photos to apply for the membership card.
Play Area: $60 for 1hr 50mins for members, $90 for nonmembers (take socks, parents free)
Parking: $40/car (no time limit)

Hours: 3pm~10pm Monday to Friday, 9am~10pm Holidays, Summer and Winter Vacation

Address: No. 88, Lane 527, DaYe Rd., BeiTou Dist., Taipei City (112臺北市北投區大業路527巷88號)
Tel: (02) 2893-0105
Website: http://btresort.trtc.com.tw/