Kids Empire Chicago Kedzie
Overview
Expert Summary
Detailed Insights
Kids Empire Chicago Kedzie offers unlimited, all-day indoor play, making it a robust option for energetic children (especially 5-8 year olds) to get thoroughly exhausted. The open floor plan is a significant advantage, allowing parents to easily monitor multiple children across different play zones. While general cleanliness and safety are noted, the standout feature appears to be the exceptional customer service from manager Ariana, particularly for admissions and birthday party planning.
Key Highlights
- ✓All-day admission allows for unlimited play, ensuring children are fully engaged and exhausted by the end of their visit.
- ✓Manager Ariana consistently receives high praise for being helpful, kind, extremely knowledgeable, professional, and making guests feel valued and welcomed, especially for birthday party coordination.
- ✓The open floor plan facilitates easy monitoring of children of varying ages playing in different areas.
- ✓The space is described as clean and feeling safe.
- ✓Children aged 5-8 years old found an abundance of activities and never ran out of things to do.
Standout Features
- ⭐All-day admission provides excellent value for extended play sessions.
- ⭐The open floor plan is ideal for parents needing to supervise multiple children simultaneously.
- ⭐Manager Ariana's exceptional customer service for general inquiries and birthday party bookings.
- ⭐Features two distinct large slides: a 'super fast' pink one for thrill-seekers, and a 'more suitable for kids' purple one with sprinkles.
- ⭐A roller slide is available, requiring a provided sled.
Perfect For
Ideal For
💡Pro Tips from Reviews
- →If bringing toddlers (under 4), be prepared for continuous supervision within the mazes due to potential hazards.
- →Absolutely do NOT bring any outside food or drinks, including toddler snacks or juice boxes, as bags are checked and items will be confiscated or require you to return them to your car.
- →Consider wearing socks, as some floor equipment is hard and can be uncomfortable for bare feet.
- →Warn children about the 'super fast' pink slide if they are sensitive to high speeds.
- →Instruct children using the roller slide to hold onto the sled to prevent falls.
- →For birthday parties, manager Ariana is highly recommended for her professionalism and ease of process.
Things to Consider
- ⚠Some parents feel the $19 admission price is high given the perceived amount of activities available.
- ⚠Strict 'no outside food' policy; bags are checked, and even toddler snacks (chips, juice boxes) must be left in the car.
- ⚠On-site food options are limited to snacks, with little variety.
- ⚠Mazes contain 'dangerous holes' for toddlers (under 4), necessitating constant adult supervision.
- ⚠Some floor equipment is hard, causing discomfort to feet; a desire for more foam/soft surfaces was expressed.
- ⚠Inconsistent staff enforcement of rules; one employee was overly strict (bag check, ball pit rule enforcement) while others were helpful.
- ⚠Parents (with children 4 years old and up) are not permitted in the ball pit; only parents accompanying babies/toddlers in diapers are allowed.
- ⚠Sleds required for the roller slide may be taken by other children to different play areas, making the slide temporarily unusable.
Price & Value
General admission is $19 per child. While some find this price point high for the available activities, the all-day admission is frequently cited as a significant value proposition, making it a good investment for extended play.
♿Accessibility & Special Needs
- •No specific accessibility accommodations were mentioned in the reviews.
🍎Food & Drink Policy
- •Strict 'no outside food' policy is enforced via bag checks.
- •Outside snacks, including toddler-specific items like chips or juice boxes, are prohibited and must be left outside.
- •On-site food options are limited to snacks, with no mention of substantial meals.
🚗Parking Info
- •Not mentioned in the reviews.
👥Crowd Levels
- •The open floor plan suggests it can accommodate a decent number of children without feeling overly cramped, as parents noted easy monitoring.
- •A concern about kids taking sleds from the roller slide implies potential for disorganization or lack of supervision during busy periods.
🛡️Safety Features
- •Open floor plan allows parents to maintain visual contact with children across different play areas.
- •Staff presence is noted, contributing to perceived safety, although consistency in rule enforcement varies.
- •Warnings about 'dangerous holes' in mazes for toddlers highlight areas requiring parental vigilance.
- •Explicit advice to hold onto sleds for the roller slide is provided to prevent falls.
- •Offers two distinct slide speeds (pink: 'super fast', purple: 'more suitable for kids') allowing choice based on child's comfort.
⏰When to Avoid
- • If you have toddlers (under 4) who are prone to wandering or require less supervision in play structures.
- • If your children have specific dietary needs that necessitate bringing outside food or drinks.
- • If you wish to actively play with your older child (4 years and up) in the ball pit, as this is not permitted.
- • If your child is easily startled or scared by very fast slides (e.g., the pink slide).
What People Say
What's Great
- Friendly and helpful staff (mentioned in 7 reviews)
- Great for birthday parties (mentioned in 2 reviews)
- Spacious play areas (mentioned in 3 reviews)
Recent Reviews
Nairobi Henson
4 months agoThis is the place to take your kids for unlimited fun! I decided to purchase general admission tickets after speaking with the manager Ariana. She was so helpful, kind and extremely knowledgeable! She made my kids and I feel valued and welcomed. The price point is great especially since it’s all day admission. My kids (ages 5 - 8) never ran out of anything to do in the indoor playground. At the end of our stay they were exhausted (yay!) but very happy. We most definitely will be back!
Alexis Porter
4 months agoMy kids enjoyed theirself . I do feel like $19 is a lot & don’t have a lot to do in there. I do like that you can have all day access until they close . No outside food though & not much to chose from there but snacks.
Jessica Keogh
4 weeks agoI wasn't sure what to expect coming here and I was pleasantly surprised! The open floor plan allows you to be able to monitor your children varying in ages that may be playing in different areas. The space was clean, felt safe and the staff was friendly and helpful. I have already referred many people!
Magali Ayala Ocon
12 months agoI just recently went to Empire Kidz & from my experience what I can say is I had a good time my child enjoyed it. She’s 2 years old so we still had to follow her through the mazes so my partner & I also got to experience it for ourselves! Only warning⚠️ if your child isn’t 4& up you NEED to go along with them because the mazes do have these holes for different levels but for a toddler it’s dangerous. Also we hated that some of the equipment around on the floor hurt your feet because of how hard it is. I wish the maze had more foam/ soft spots, since it’s for kids it should have more soft surfaces. The second time I came around there was a different employee and she asks to check your bag so if u have any snacks for your toddler such as chips, juice box etc you’re forced to leave them in the car! They have two big slides the pink one is super fast your heart will skip a beat I swear! The purple one with sprinkles is more suitable for kids. Even tho the pink one is too it’s just super fast you have to be careful. There’s also also a slide with rollers but you need to get on the little sled they provide there. Just make sure your kid understands they have to hold on or else they can fall! I was trying to get on the slide where the sled is required and a bunch of kids had took them to play with them on the big slides and they weren’t stopped, the employee was quick to check my bag and kick me out the ball pit. You can’t be in the ball pit with your kid the only ones are babies/toddlers who wear diapers. No 4 years old & up. All a kid knows is their parents they want us to play with them, so we were forced to leave the ball pit because we weren’t allowed in there. Overall the spot is okay, I can’t speak for all employees there but there was one who was just doing too much, but I don’t think I’ll ever come back tbh.
DawnVision
5 months agoThe manager Ariana gave my daughter the best birthday party ever. Very kind and professional! She made the process easy.