Spirited - A Creative Play Café is located in the industrial area of Taylors Beach, a short drive from Salamander Bay in Port Stephens. It is a new indoor play centre for kids, with a café attached to it which you can sit in within the play zone, or outside near the front entrance. There are comfy, brown leather couches to sink into, an extensive menu with healthy snacks, a separate play area for children under 3, as well as a brand new, colourful play zone for the older kids. Do the kids like it? They
love it!
Spirited - A Creative Play café is located at the end of Innovation Close, Taylors Beach (just follow the signs)
My daughter and I visited this indoor play centre for the first time on a hot summer's day, and I was expecting the air-conditioned venue to be jam-packed with kids. Before we got there, I warned my daughter, age 7, that if it was too crazy then we would have to come back another day, when it wasn't so busy. When we arrived, however, there were only a few families inside and it was surprisingly quiet, serene and cool.
Phew!
There were various prices options to enter the play area, depending on how long you plan to stay. If you would like a quick visit, it is $10 for 1 hour or $14 - $16 for unlimited time (weekday/ weekend). If you have more than one child there are family passes and they also have a
kids club, for the regulars. Children (and adults) also need to wear socks to play on the equipment - if you forget them, however, they sell them at the counter for $3. Parents, carers and babies in arms enter for free and then take a seat at the tables or couches, while the kids start exploring their colourful wonderland.
Multi-level play zone, suitable for older children
Toddler area, for ages 3 and under
While toddlers giggled happily in the area for under 3's, my daughter made new friends in the larger play area and raced down the slides. Inside the multi-level play zone, there were also a myriad of areas to explore. Kids could swing from ring to ring like a monkey, climb up levels on open mesh, navigate a wobbly tunnel, jump onto a swinging ball, bounce off colourful yoga balls, sit in a space window and discover new areas of soft play around the zone. We paid $10 for one hour and my daughter spent the entire hour up inside the levels, discovering new areas to explore, jump on, climb through, squeeze under and roll between.
Various levels to explore
Colourful lights and mesh levels to climb up or down
Swinging rings and soft play areas behind the slide
While the kids had a play, parents and carers appreciated having a quiet moment to themselves, to enjoy a coffee and a healthy meal from the cafe. Smaller children were going back to Mum and Dad to enjoy the share plates that you can order, with sandwiches, fresh fruit and veggie sticks displayed attractively. These share plates were a hit with the kids and also the parents, as the kids were eating something healthy after a play, instead of something hot and fried. See
here for the full menu, or click on
large image below.
Menu from January, 2019
Graze Meal Deal ($10) from the cafe. Image: Spirited Facebook
My daughter had already eaten lunch before we arrived, so she was happy to play for the full hour. This gave me the perfect opportunity to have a little "me" time and indulge in a coffee and read one of the magazines that I saw on the bookcases, as soon as we walked in. When I went to the café and ordered my coffee, I also couldn't go past a home-made Paleo chocolate mousse using coconut cream, which was rich, smooth and oh, so good.
Spirited - A Creative Play Café has only been open since July 2018, but it won't be long before locals and tourists discover this new indoor, family-fun play centre. They have playgroups, party deals, school holiday coding camps and
events planned throughout the year. Check them out on
Facebook for all the latest news and deals.
It is a tucked away locals secret, that is so good, that
everyone needs to know about it.
Fun for kids, relaxing for adults!
