KidVenture – Not Just for Kids
Imagine this: it’s a rainy spring day and your kids are vibrating with the endless energy only young metabolisms can emit. You’ve got an email Inbox backed up for days, and several calls you need to return before your family and friends send out the missing persons patrol to find out if you’re dead or alive. If only there was a place where your kids could play and you could get caught up on some work.
A place with inflatables AND complimentary wi-fi.
A place with a huge pirate ship AND hot coffee & tea.
That’s clean, secure and safe, with an open floor plan.

Everything at KidVenture is done from the viewpoint of a mom and with an eye to providing the feel of a community center. “Guests feel like it’s their home away from home. We invite them to bring in their own food, and they are always welcome to stay as long as they wish. All of our equipment is available for use with no extra fees, and we keep it very clean. Ultimately, we want to be your family’s favorite hangout.” The playground is designed for kids ages 0-9, with a special gated area for kids under 3 so that they can safely play without running into the older kids.
Rhonda opened her doors in July of 2009. “I was a stay-at-home mom for 8 years, and I kept wishing for a fun place I could take my kids to play. I would literally feel like the walls were closing in on me some days, and I would (too often) just go the store, spend too much money, and call it entertainment. I began envisioning a community-center type of place where kids could play and parents could take a break. After all, hasn’t every mom just wished for a few moments of peace in the middle of a crazy day? I finally decided that if no one else was going to open one, I would do it. So I started thinking about what features I would want from my perspective as a mom, as well as what I didn’t like. It took a couple of years of research and dreaming, plus a lot of help from friends, to make it a reality.”

Rhonda’s advice to other entrepreneurs is pragmatic. “To be a small business owner, you have to be naive, fearless, creative, stubborn, and refuse to take “no” for an answer. If you stop to think about all the bad things that can happen, you’ll never get off the ground. If you run into an obstacle, you look for ways to get over, under or around it. Owning your own business is certainly a lifestyle rather than a job–you work more than 40 hours a week, you take it with you when you go home, and it often keeps you up at night. It’s always in the back of your mind, no matter what you’re doing. And unless you’re really, really lucky, you’re not going to pay yourself very much for several years. But most small business owners started their businesses because they have a passion for what they do. You will inevitably make mistakes, but you just have to view them as the cost of real-life education and learn from each situation. And most of all–there’s no reason to go it alone. Make sure you network with other small business owners, because it’s good to be able to talk to people who understand your unique challenges.”
From the looks of it, Rhonda has achieved her vision and more. One happy parent recently left this note on her Facebook wall,
I want to comment on our visit yesterday. 1. We were so impressed with how you CLEANED several times while we were there. We loved seeing everything sanitized! 2. We’ve only visited a few times, yet you know my children’s names. 3. Ms. Lucy helps keep them safe in such a kind, sweet way. 4. Love the little ice packs for the little bumps that kids get. THANK YOU for such an “easy” fun day!! -Lisa W.
Now RCM readers can expereince the fun for yourself! Rhonda is giving away a 6-punch Play Pass to KidVenture, which is six visits, with no expiration date (worth $36). Go like their Facebook page and leave a comment on this post to win!
Rocket City Mom is a website about raising children in and around Huntsville, Alabama. Started in late 2010 by a local mom and newcomer to Huntsville, Rocket City Mom has grown into a thriving community of local parents and now boasts a staff of four, thirteen regular contributors, and tens of thousands of Tennessee Valley readers making it the #1 Parenting Resource in North Alabama.
We usually go to a fast-food place with an indoor playground
We usually try and go to the Y, so the boys can play and if I’m motivated get a workout in, if not then we go to Early Works.
We love KidVenture!
For some reason, Tony equates rainy days to watercolors. So that’s what we do when it rains.
Arts and crafts, board games, movies, Early Works, and KidVenture 🙂
I have never been but will be planning a trip soon. Looks like a great place for families!!!
My kids love reading and snuggling to watch movies!
Baking something fun, cookies, bread or something with fruit.
Sleep…but if the kids don’t agree, the Wii is always a hit!
Watching movies…or Kidventure 🙂
Kidventure or reading books at home are a great way to spend a rainy day indoors.
Will have to give this a try!
I love taking my kids here (3, 6, 8) The staff are great. The environment is parent, and child friendly! They let you bring your own food, or buy snacks there. Free wireless internet. Or, use one of their computers while your children play in the back. Which is supervised by a staff member. And, they clean all of the time! Highly recommended.
Fingerpaints! (For the kids, not myself. Lol)
Would love to win this for me and my friends with little ones!
We haven’t been to KidVenture yet, so I didn’t know there was a separate area for under-fours. Good info–thanks!
We like heading over to the $1 movies on rainy days. Also, the play area in the food court at the Madison Square mall is a huge hit with the kiddos.
We recently joined the Y, so we’d probably go there if it was raining. But my boys LOVE KidVenture, too!
watching movies, but thinking we will have to check out Kidventure soon!! 🙂
We usually pull out some games or crafts that we otherwise might not have.
We watch lots of movies.
On rainy days we like to cook a savory smelling/tasting crock-pot meal – the children love helping to put the spices in and help make it – then we’ll play with play dough, read books or even sit out on the back porch and listen and watch the rain and tell stories or sing. Bottom line, those rainy days are fantastic family fun times! 🙂
My favorite rainy day activity is making forts and camping in them. Can you tell I have 2 boys? 😉
My oldest LOVES kidventure and misses going there as often now that he started school. Would love to get passes to bring the siblings too!
Other than Kidventure, our favorite activity is any kind of art project 🙂
We love kidventure!!!
I think my twins would have a great time at Kidventure!!
My fav rainy day activity is to watch my grandson. Oh heck, to be honest, that is my every day favorite activity. 🙂
I really love KidVenture and so do my boys. Friendly, caring staff and a fun and safe environment for my two to play and burn energy while I relax. There are also so many special events planned throughout the year too: Lego nights, Nerf Gun nights, a fairy party, Animal Trax event as well as crafts and special music scheduled during the day. KidVenture is great!
We LOVE Kidventure! We love it so much that my daughter wanted to have her 5th birthday party there back in Feb & had a blast.
I liked Kudventure in FB, I would love to be able to take my 3 year old here. I know he would love it!!
We try and hit the library, Kidventure, or Jumpzone. We love all three. I enjoy Kidventure because my 3 yr old feels free to run and play and I don’t have to stand by her the whole time. She can have some independence. I know that she is safe and having fun!
On rainy days we rotate between the library, Sci-Quest, Kidventure, or Southerland Station. Sometimes we just stay in and watch movies or play boardgames.
Craft or art projects tend to be our go to activity if it is yucky outside. We also will go to the library or some place that has an indoor playground. We have been to kidventures a few times and have always had a great time.
Bowling
MY fav rainy day activity is sleeping but that hasn’t happened in years…the kids prefer coloring, building block towers, playing dress up & building “tent houses”
My son loves to attend birthday parties at kidventure! It’s a great place!
We like to go to $1 movies and walk around the mall.
KidVenture is a fun place!
Will have to check out KidVenture; my 2-year-old LOVES play equipment of any kind!