Stomping Grounds Play Cafe - Gaines Twp

The first play cafe I've ever been to. I took my ~14 month old son who is just starting to walk. Wasn't sure if there'd be a ton he could do but wanted to see anyway. There's entrances on both ends of the building which helps with parking. There's TONS of parking and no stairs. Inside, there's a small dining area with four or five tables and two provided high chairs. Along the back wall is plenty of cubby space for diaper bags and shoes. There's also a high bar space directly behind the parent couch so you can stage any (much needed) coffee here. There are also outlets here in case you need to charge your phone/tablet/laptop. the play area is a menagerie of playthings. There's tiny jungle gyms for body movement and coordination. There's a small play kitchen underneath a lofted place space. The construction on the lofted place space is VERY STURDY. I'm 250 lbs and felt very secure going up the stairs to play with my child. I was too tall to stand, but was able to shuffle around on my knees the cushioned play mats up there made that totally painless which was a nice and unexpected touch. There's no wiggle in the railing and no real space for kiddos to get irredeemably stuck between dW.4 Grippy strips on every stair was nice but expected. The grippy strip at the top of the slide and the angled climbing wall was very unexpected but absolutely appreciated. The variety of toys was much appreciated. There were fine motor skill toys, dress up play, classic wooden train tracks and magnetic train cars, road play mats, there’s so much I'm not mentioning just because we didn't manage to get to them. There were rubber bumpers on EVERY corner. Does a corner exist? Rubber bumper. It was perfect! The decor was minimalistic but thoughtful and intentional with lots of color. My kiddo discovered the clouds on the ceiling before I did and he fell in love with the rainbow felt wall and the green “grass” shag rug. With the way these play cafes are popping up around Grand Rapids, I was concerned that there would be some level of safety being forgone in favor of a quick opening. I did not get this feeling here at ALL.

We got reservations for a play date for the first time today. This play cafe is about 35 minutes from us but I’ve been wanting to check it out. It was absolutely wonderful. My 4 year old and 2 year old had such a great time. I asked them what their favorite part of the play cafe was and their response was “the whole thing!” I ordered a dirty chai latte which was delicious. The staff was so friendly, the place is very clean and they really thought of everything. We will most definitely be back.

Love taking my daughter here! It was so much fun and she loved it. The coffee is so good and the owner is so sweet

We LOVE this place! My 3.5 year old and my 1.5 year old have so much fun here, and I love that I can actually sit down and relax knowing that there aren’t any choking hazards laying around and my runner isn’t going to bold out the door It’s really just such a thoughtfully and intentionally planned out space, and that really sets Stomping Grounds apart from other play cafes in the area for me.

I just stopped in for a visit and wow, was I impressed! As a Grandma, I love that everything is so clean and bright and fun, and as a preschool teacher, I was thrilled to see the developmentally appropriate activities geared towards the use of imagination. My favorite thing is the climbing wall! Seriously! An adorable little climbing wall for small children!