PlayLand of Aiken, SC: Fun for Kids, Easy for Parents

Quick Look: PlayLand of Aiken (Aiken, SC)
Location: 951 Dougherty Rd, Aiken, SC 29803
Cost: $10–$15 per person (approx.)
Best ages: 0–6 (welcomes birth–13)
Socks: Grip socks required; available for purchase onsite
Hours: Tue–Sat 10:00am; Sun 12:00pm (verify before you go)
Restrooms: Clean family restrooms onsite
Parking: Free parking in gravel lot

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Thank you to PlayLand of Aiken for providing complimentary admission and grip socks for us to experience your playspace and write an honest review for our readers.

As a mom of three young children, I am always on the hunt for a new indoor play place to take my kids. Indoor playgrounds are a life-saver on those days when it’s too hot, too cold, or too rainy. We recently visited PlayLand of Aiken, less than an hour from Columbia, and its affordability, creative design, and friendly staff have made it one of my new favorites!

What to Expect in PlayLand

The playspaces at PlayLand of Aiken are designed for ages 0-13 years old, but most of the play equipment is probably best suited for ages 0-6. While older siblings are welcome, they will need to be extra careful around all the little ones. I visited on a weekday morning, and there were only a few other families there, each with just preschoolers and toddlers.

Baby & Toddler Zone

There is one main playspace clearly designed for babies and toddlers. You will spot it to your left as you enter the building, separated from the rest of the play area by a mesh fence. There is one wide opening for kids to come in and out, and a conveniently placed bench right by the opening where caregivers can sit to keep little ones corralled in this area.

Hands-On Play Area

Creative kids will love the hands-on play area right next to the café. On the wall, there is a giant light-up peg board where kids can work together to make incredible designs like rocket ships, clown faces, mazes, and more. A low round train table offers a wooden railway winding through a tiny town, complete with train depot, suspension bridge, cave tunnel, multi-level parking garage, and more!

Open Ball Pit

The big open ball pit draws most children straight to it. PlayLand of Aiken might have the biggest ball pit I have seen so far at an indoor playground! The ball pit is just deep enough that my kids struggled gleefully to wade their way through it, but not so deep that I worried about my toddler as he crawled. My preschooler loved jumping off the soft platforms scattered throughout the ball pit, and my oldest liked the short climbing wall on one side.

Main Play Structure

The main play structure mixes traditional playground equipment with an obstacle course and has entrances on every side. My kids loved climbing up the soft but steep ramps from the ball pit and then racing down the 3 slides side-by-side. They were excited to discover a square trampoline underneath it all, and the entire play structure was accessible and safe for all my kids, including the toddler.

Honeycomb Rainbow

As a parent, the floor-to-ceiling honeycomb rainbow immediately caught my eye. I have never seen anything like it! It looked like a giant bird’s nest or beehive, and it seemed to be crocheted from a sturdy fiber like paracord. There were person-sized holes near the ground, and I cautiously peeked my head inside to find a multi-level climbing structure where kids could work their way all the way up to the ceiling!

This is sure to be the most exciting play element for your older children, but it does have the lowest visibility of all the play spaces. I did let my preschooler and toddler play on it, but if there had been other or especially older children playing on it, I probably would have directed my kids elsewhere to be on the safe side.

Play More in the Outdoors

While the indoor playground is the main attraction at PlayLand, their outdoor play area completes the visit when the weather’s right! Cross the parking lot to check out the jumping pillow in a large fenced space with just one open entrance.

Inside the fence, a long jump pillow is surrounded by thick sand where kids can take off their shoes and indulge their senses! Let them go barefoot to enjoy the sand between their toes, or have the kids keep their grip socks on to race across the jump pillow.

Just be sure you take a moment to read the rules before allowing your kids to play! My kids were awfully tempted to do somersaults and cartwheels once they got jumping, but I had to remind them multiple times that inverted maneuvers were not allowed—and for good reason.

We had plenty of falling and bumping into each other, even with no other children were around. If you have multiple ages jumping, be sure to remind older kids to watch out for younger ones, as bigger jumpers can easily knock a little one off their feet.

Plenty of Space for Parents

Whether you’re playing indoors or outdoors, one of the best things about PlayLand of Aiken is the tease with which you can supervise all your kids. All the play spaces are adult-accessible, and I found myself following my children around most of the time!

Indoor Options for Parents

The café offers a few round tables with 4 chairs each, and the vast majority of the play space is visible from here. I saw a few women sit down together to chat while their kids played nearby, and I could imagine it must be a great place for a mom meetup.

A comfortable bench is right next to the entrance to the baby zone, and a narrow bartop with stools lines the mesh fence. If you have a baby or toddler who is content to play independently, this would be a great place to get some work done!

Visibility is one of the biggest challenges I typically encounter at indoor playgrounds, especially those advertised as co-working spaces, but PlayLand has done very well with their design. There are very few spaces where visibility is limited, with the main one just being the honeycomb rainbow.

The best part? If I just barely raised my voice, all my kids could hear and answer me from anywhere across the room. It made it so easy to make sure I always knew where each of my kids were, even when they weren’t playing together.

Outdoor Options for Parents

Around the jumping pillow, you’ll find over a dozen picnic tables and Adirondack chairs galore. There are places to sit on every side of the jumping pillow, and if I lived closer to Aiken, I would definitely be checking this place out after dark to enjoy the fire pit and romantic string lights!

If you want to do some work in the fresh air while your kids have a blast, I cannot recommend this option enough. Whether you want to sit in the sun or shade, you’ll be able to find somewhere to get comfortable with a good line of sight to your kids.

Top Tips for Your Visit to PlayLand of Aiken, SC

If you live in the Aiken area, you probably already know about this local gem, but if you’re driving from nearby places like Columbia, SC or Augusta, GA, then you definitely want to plan ahead for your visit.

Hours & Admission

PlayLand of Aiken is a small, family-run business. The owners and staff are communicative, friendly, and incredibly helpful, so I definitely encourage you to reach out before your first visit! Hours and admission can vary due to seasonal changes, school holidays, or private party reservations, so always double-check before you go.

Standard Hours:

• Monday-Thursday | 10am-6pm
• Friday-Saturday | 10am-8pm
• Sunday | 12-6pm
• Monday | Closed

Indoor Play Pricing:

• Ages 3 & under
  $7 + tax on Monday-Thursday, or $8 + tax on weekends
• Ages 4-14
  $12 + tax on Monday-Thursday, or $14 + tax on weekends
• Adults (ages 15+)
  One free adult per group, then $2+ plus tax for each additional person

Outdoor Play Pricing:

• $3.50 + tax per person when purchased with indoor play admission
• $5 + tax per person when purchased by itself

Grip Socks (REQUIRED):

• $4.50 + tax per pair
• Free shoe covers available for adults

Don’t miss a discount: Request a punch card on your first visit, because once you’ve come back 5 times, you’ll get your 6th visit FREE! Military veterans and their spouses qualify for a discount on every visit to PlayLand of Aiken.

Parental Supervision

Adult supervision is REQUIRED at PlayLand of Aiken. You are not permitted to drop off minors without a supervising adult, and adults are expected to ensure their children’s safe and responsible use of the playspace.

If you are bringing older kids with you, please be especially careful to supervise them. Older kids may be more tempted to use play equipment outside of its intended purposes, and you might need to remind them to play in ways that are safe and enjoyable for everyone.

Best Times to Visit

PlayLand of Aiken is least crowded on weekdays and more crowded on weekends. My family visited on a weekday morning right at opening, and we only saw a few other families during our visit.

If you’re like me and prefer to avoid a crowd, then I recommend calling a day or two ahead of time to confirm there are no parties planned when you’ll be visiting, too.

Expect your kids to stay and play for at least 1-2 hours, especially if you do both the indoor and outdoor playspaces. If you decide to break for a snack or lunch, then your kids will probably be able to stay and enjoy themselves a good bit longer!

Food & Drink Policy

What to Pack for PlayLand

If you already own grip socks from a previous visit to PlayLand or another indoor play place, then save some money by bringing them with you! All kids are required to wear grip socks, so you’ll have to purchase a pair if you arrive without them.

If the weather’s nice, you may want to bring some things for outdoor play around the jumping pillow. Consider packing a proper picnic, some read-aloud books, or even some sand toys. Just keep in mind that this is a shared space, so you may need to think ahead about what your kids will be able to share and what you might need to pack up around other children.