Learn and Play at Questers’ Way

Thank you to Questers’ Way for providing my family with complimentary admission to Pebble Park for the purpose of writing this post. All opinions are 100% my own.

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Cut to the chase. Take me to the Momsense.

I actually got my first glimpse of Questers’ Way back in the summer of 2016 when my family and I visited The Farmer’s Cow Calfé, which happens to be right across the street from the East Brook Mall in Mansfield, CT (where Questers’ Way is located). But it took me another five months to finally make it back to this new (opened spring 2016) indoor play and learning destination.

During that time, we had a record number of readers write in to tell me how much they loved this new venue, so I knew I was in for something special when we arrived last weekend.

As I mentioned, Questers’ Way is located in the East Brook Mall in Mansfield, CT. It’s about a 30-minute drive for me from my town of Glastonbury, CT (just southeast of Hartford).

There’s plenty of free parking.

Use the main mall entrance. Questers’ Way will be on your right after you get into the mall.

With features like the cafe and the large glass wall separating the indoor play space, you can already tell this place is unique when you walk in.

Today we are here mainly to experience Pebble Park, which is the indoor play area. So we head to the check-in desk where we fill out electronic waivers for the kids (you can also do that online).

Then the boys get their admission bracelets.

Shoes and coats go in nearby cubbies (although there are more cubbies located inside the play space if you’d prefer to use those). Socks must be worn in Pebble Park. That goes for kids and grownups.

You can’t bring a stroller into Pebble Park, but there is plenty of room to stash it out front. Food and beverages (with the exception of water) are not allowed in Pebble Park either.

Even in their haste to enter, the boys notice these interactive spots on the floor.

Once inside, we can see that this play space offers a wide range of activities for babies to tweens.

A giant playscape at one end is designed for kids ages 3-12. At the other end of the open space there’s a special area reserved for crawlers and early walkers.

Of course, at ages 3 and 6, my kids’ first stop is the playscape.

Besides all the requisite climbing, sliding and crawling activities, you’ll also find some games geared towards older kids nestled into the playscape.

And perhaps even grownups 🙂

On the far side of the playscape is an area with little tables and chairs.

It’s stocked with games and other activities. My boys (all three of them) enjoyed building with these slim blocks.

In the middle of the space are various soft structures for climbing on, into and through. All these pieces are movable so the kids can arrange them any way they imagine, like creating an obstacle course.

Toys are scattered throughout to encourage creative play. And a reading nook offers a place for a little downtime.

This climbing wall will keep your little monkeys busy. It’s actually more of a traversing wall, meaning the goal is to move from side-to-side rather than bottom to top. Feet must stay below that red line.

For quick pit stops, there is a restroom facility (with a changing station) cleverly located inside the park 🙂

Needless to say, both boys had a fantastic time exploring Pebble Park! While the boys played, I got a tour of the rest of the facility. Turns out Questers’ Way is much more than an indoor playground. It’s a whole neighborhood of experiences!

For starters, there’s the lovely Crossroads Café, stocked with healthy food choices (for kids and adults) and priced to be budget-friendly. It has plenty of seating and a glass wall separating the play area allows parents to hang out for a snack or a cup of coffee but still keep tabs on their kiddos playing inside Pebble Park (if your kids are age 4 and up you can drop them off in Pebble Park where there are staff members present who help keep an eye on everyone).

A variety of board games are available for use (no charge) in this area as well.

Farther back we find the classrooms, dance studio, martial arts center and birthday party rooms where kids can explore everything from Hip-Hop to Arts & Crafts.

Questers’ Way is quite special in that it offers an amazing variety of DROP-IN classes to encourage kids to try out new things and discover what they enjoy most. This means that for most of their program offerings (which are conveniently divided into age-based groups such as “Wanderers,” “Adventurers,” “Explorers,” etc), you do not need to sign up in advance or commit to a long series of sessions. There are even programs for adults! And each class is designed so that whether it’s your first time or your fifteenth time, everyone feels comfortable participating and learning.

Here’s a quick snapshot of what was being offered the day we visited:

One of my greatest challenges with getting my own kids involved in activities is that inevitable question of “well, what do I do with the other one?” (Sound familiar?) Questers’ Way is truly special in its commitment to family-centric programming. Got a 6-year-old who wants to take dance but an antsy 3-year-old tag-a-long? No problem! Your older kiddo can come for class while you hang out with your little one in Pebble Park (play in the park is just $2 plus tax per child while their sibling is taking a class!) or at the Crossroads Café. Or there may even be a class scheduled simultaneously for your 3-year-old too.

With so many unique and fun learning and playing opportunities, you may find yourself a frequent visitor. In that case, Questers’ Way has money-saving membership options.

Other offerings include camp programs and date-night options!

So much care, effort and creativity has gone into crafting every aspect of Questers’ Way. I can see why this place already has so many devoted fans 🙂

I hope you get to check it out too!

 

 

 

Questers’ Way

Eastbrook Mall

95 Storrs Road, Mansfield, Connecticut

Phone: (860) 931-5200

Email: TheTeam@questersway.com

Website: http://questersway.com

Find Questers’ Way on Facebook!

Hours:

Monday-Friday 9:00am-9:00pm
Saturday 8:00am-9:00pm
Sunday 11:00am-6:00pm

Pricing:

Pebble Park Indoor Play Area:

General admission is $7.00 (includes tax) for up to a two hour visit to Pebble Park (indoor play area).

$3.00 (includes tax) for re-entry on the same day.

$3.00 (plus tax) for entry 45 minutes before closing.

Admission is just $2 (plus tax)/child when a sibling is taking a class!

Details:

Stroller Friendly: You can easily use a stroller to get into the building and navigate around Questers’ Way, but strollers are not allowed in the indoor play area.
Coffee Mug Friendly: They serve coffee!
Restroom: YES
Baby Changing Station: YES; currently all the women’s restrooms and the family restrooms have changing stations. The men’s restrooms will have them soon!
Parking: YES, convenient parking right out front.
Food for Sale: YES
Outside Food Allowed: Only in the case of food allergies or small snacks, etc. for toddlers.
Cash Required: NO
Dress Code: Socks are required for Pebble Park; clean shoes are required for the studios (for adults too!).

Age Recommendations: Pebble Park is for kids ages 12 and under.
Evening/Weekend Hours: YES

Birthday Party Venue: YES. Get more info here.
Discounts: Multi-visit park passes include bonus visits. Sign up for their email list to receive additional discounts!

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