Indoor Kids Play Places for Lansing Families
Rain or shine, winter or summer, no matter the mood, Lansing has indoor kids play places and options of all sorts.
We’ve been going to some places since we were kids like Impression 5, the Michigan History Museum, and touring the Capitol. While others are new ideas and places popping up as our awesome city continues to grow like Al!ve, the MSU Art Lab, and Launch Trampoline Trampoline Park!
Play comes in many forms – from chill to bouncing off of the walls.
These kid play places are tested and proven to be a good time. If I haven’t been to them myself, I’ve gotten close friend approval that these are up to par.
So…..drum roll please! Here are 34 places to play indoors around Lansing and mid-Michigan:
Thanks to our sponsor, Craig’s Cruisers Family Fun Center.
Craig’s Cruisers is your cabin fever reliever, offering families over 120,000 square feet of indoor fun to shake off the winter blues. Craig’s Cruisers Family Fun Center will keep the kids entertained for hours with indoor go-karts, laser tag, ninja course, trampoline park, virtual reality, arcade games and even an indoor coaster! Tempt your taste buds in the all you can eat pizza and pasta buffet! See website for packages and hours.
Your Top Ideas for Fun Indoor Kid Play Places
Indoor fun awaits at these fun kid play places:
1) Al!ve
This experience-based destination health park is located in Charlotte. It’s open every day of the week, and no membership is required, so you and the kids can have a blast doing crafts, cooking, taking part in fitness classes, and even enjoying specific “family fun time” on Mondays and Wednesdays. Tons of classes and activities are free.
Another option at Al!ve is to let the kids play in the treehouse area of fun staffed by Al!ve while you do – well, whatever you want! You can work out, relax with a drink, enjoying their spa and more.
2) Bowling
- MSU Union Building This is a family favorite. Bowling is always fun, but a stroll through campus makes it even better. Don’t forget to stop at the MSU Dairy Store located in the same building!
- Spare Time Lansing There are many other options for indoor fun here, too. Laser Tag, Arcade, and more.
- Royal Scot is another family favorite on Lansing’s west side.
- City Limits on the east side of Lansing and also in Mason.
3) CADL (Capital Area District Libraries)
Check one of 13 locations for indoor fun.
4) Castaway Play Cafe
Indoor play structures and bounce houses are such a great idea for those long winter months or to get out of the heat.
5) Community Centers
Indoor activities throughout the year including greenhouse workshops and more!
- Allen Neighborhood Center
- Foster Community Center
- Hannah Community Center East Lansing
- Letts Community Center
- Schmidt Community Center
- Valley Farms Community Center
6) Edru Skate
Blast from the past?! This is still alive and kickin’. Have so much fun bonding with your kids while you remember back to when you were hoping to hold the hand of a cute boy or girl.
7) Eli & Edyth Broad Art Museum
Enjoy their kid’s area in the lower level and a coffee bar with snacks and treats. They also have a First Saturday monthly Family Day.
8) Extreme Fun
Have extreme fun in Okemos and Lansing
9) Nature Centers
Fenner Nature Center: Play indoors with many different interactive science and nature learning stations. Our family loves it here and it’s home to the Apple Butter Festival in the fall and the Maple Syrup Festival in the spring.
Woldumar Nature Center: We absolutely love this place. They have storytimes and areas to learn about nature in their welcome center. Read, color, explore! Then, head outside for a great hike or play in their natural playground.
Harris Nature Center, Howell Nature Center, and Michigan Wildlife Conservancy are also wonderful places to visit with indoor activities and adventures. Read more about these nature centers here.
10) Gymnastics
Flip, flop, and jump the energy out at open gym times. Parents, you can even join in at some of these locations (I felt like a kid again during a birthday party at Red Cedar Gymnastics)!
- Red Cedar Gymnastics (South Lansing)
- Twistars (Dimondale)
- Kiki’s (DeWitt)
11) Ice Skating/Open Skate
12) Impression 5
Catch their FREE story and playtime with your CADL card. I’ll warn you, once you go you’ll want to get that membership. It will pay for itself within 2-3 visits. You can even bring guests!
13) Jump the Day Away
- Launch
- DEFY (formerly District 5)
- Jumpin’ Jax
- Springz
- Zap Zone
14) Lansing Indoor Sports Arena
Drop-in for soccer and kids play dates.
15) Library
Play games, do puzzles, put on a puppet show, enjoy crafts, and more at any of these local libraries:
- Delta District Library (story times all week and tons of options for the older kiddos)
- 13 CADL Branches
- Grand Ledge
- East Lansing
- DeWitt District Library
- Portland District Library
- Briggs District Library (SJ)
- Ionia Community Library
- Jackson District Library
16) The Mall
Talk with friends as your kids play at the play areas in Lansing and Okemos.
17) McDonald’s Play Place
Take all aged kids to the renovated play area located on Jolly and Dunkel: 2530 E Jolly Rd, Lansing, MI 48911.
18) Michigan Historic Center/Museum/Library
Your whole family will love it here. You know the saying that’s an “old faithful”? That’s the term I love to use for this place; I loved it when I was 5 and I love it now. Companies even have their work parties here. It’s a GUARANTEED great time.
19) Michigan Justice Building
Ever think about going here? Me either until I heard you can take a guided or self-guided tour.
20) Michigan State Capitol
Take a guided or self-guided tour in our beautiful Capitol Building.
21) MSU Children’s Garden Center/Horticulture Center and Butterfly House
Here you’ll enjoy indoor storytimes and their activity center all year long. Stroll through the greenhouses, too. Our family loves to go in the summer but surprisingly in the winter as well!
The warm greenhouses feel so nice in the cold weather months and there’s always something new to see.
22) MSU Museum
See the dinos and learn about Michigan’s wildlife. Their permanent exhibits never tire and they always have something new to discover. There are lots of options for young ones and scavenger hunts for the older kiddos.
23) See a Family Movie Matinee each month on Saturday morning.
24) play.
Parents like play. because it’s an all-in-one spot. Plus, play. continues to schedule fun events for kids and families.
25) Preuss Pets
Feed the koi fish and visit all of the animals.
26) REACH Art Studio
Get creative and learn different art styles on Wednesday afternoons/evenings during their Walk-in Wednesday events.
27) The Summit Sports and Ice
Here you’ll enjoy both ice skating and basketball!
28) Swim no matter the weather at:
- Schmidt Southside Community Center’s
- Goldfish Swim School offers open family swim times.
- Foster Community Center
- IM Circle Pool on MSU Campus.
- Hannah Community Center East Lansing
29) Taggart’s Place Playground
This amazing indoor playground at the Portland Church of the Nazarene is a favorite (and FREE) indoor play spot of mid-Michigan parents!
30) TimeOut Play Cafe
TimeOut Play Cafe is a cute coffee shop where you can actually sip a nice warm latte (hello parent time out) while your little one plays nearby.
31) Take a Kid-Friendly Tour
If a tour doesn’t automatically sound like something you’d like to take your kids to – I totally get that!
However, these two places are actually super fun for kids. The Capitol Building tour and the Beaumont Tower tour aren’t technically indoor play places but they make this list because of how mesmerized the kids become when they visit.
They love the way these buildings look, that they can lay on the ground in the Capitol and explore places that almost feel like they should be off-limits.
They love climbing the stairs of the Beaumont tower and getting a chance to see the massive bells in action.
32) Tree House
The TreeHouse in Chelsea is about a 50-minute drive from Lansing. This 9,000 square feet facility has a huge climbing and playing structure, five slides, a baby and toddler area, swinging bridges, basketball hoops, and of course, a huge treehouse!
33) Waterparks are so fun!
Visit one of several indoor waterparks less than two hours from Lansing.
- Mt. Pleasant: Soaring Eagle Waterpark, 1 hour from Lansing
- Grand Rapids/Lakeshore Area: Holiday Inn Express South, Holland Aquatic Center ($6 per person!), Kroc Center, 45 min to 1 hour from Lansing
- Ann Arbor: Splash Universe, 1 h 21 m drive from Lansing
- Windsor: Adventure Bay Waterpark, Do you have an enhanced driver’s license or passport and your kids’ birth certificates? 1 h 35 min drive from Lansing
- Frankenmuth: Zehender’s Splash Village, 1 h 15 min from Lansing
34) Zap Zone
Glow golfing, laser tagging, and arcade fun.
Does your family have favorite indoor kids play places or ideas? Comment below and let us know where we should visit next.