RC’s Playhouse review

RC’s playhouse review for local friends. 

We decided to check out RC’s on Friday since it was half off during their soft opening. We met up with new friends so the kids could all play together. They ended up playing amazingly well for over 3 hours! There were almost no fights and the ones that happened were resolved quickly and easily. That’s like unheard of with a bunch of kids under 5 in a new place. 😳 

Pros: 

Location. It’s maybe 5min away from us so super easy to get to. We’re on the outskirts so it will be closer to 10-15min for those in town or towards cedar creek. 

Indoor. While we LOVE being outside, it’s nice to have an option for rainy days. It’s also going to be too hot to play outside before we know it and this will be perfect for that. We have memberships to the zoo and dinosaur park, but won’t be able to use those much during the summer. 

Variety. There’s a infant/young toddler area. There’s a smaller space for younger kids or less adventurous kiddos who want to play without going through the large tunnels. There’s a huge structure with different areas to start and end. The zip line was a huge hit. Then there’s more of a quiet area. Table and chairs with puzzles and building toys (magnatiles I think). The older kiddos rotated nicely between all the areas taking breaks to build together after chasing each other around

Relaxation: yes...you read that right. I got to sit and mostly relax! This is a great place to take your kids and be able to chat with other mamas. We almost didn’t know what to do with ourselves. We had to occasionally help a kid or tell them to stop something, but for the most part, we did nothing. Amazing right?! I even showed off a quick Color Street application. Lol

*Update* We went back again for their grand opening since it was free. I, again, got to relax with another mom! I even was able to do my nails while they played. So nice! I did the kiddo's nails too. How cute are our matching mermaid print nails?! And my friend has on Broadway Glimmer. (Join my FB page Crystal's Cute-icles for more info on our adorable nails)

WiFi: if you need to get some work done while the kids play, this is the place to do it! Bring your laptop and let the kids go wild. 

Snacks:  I like that we can bring our own snacks (and we even joked about pizza delivery). There’s also  some small snacks available for purchase. 

Tired kids: Emma took a nap for once! That almost never happens. All the kids slept in a bit the next day. 

Cons:

Size. While they do a great job of making the most out of their space, it’s on the smaller end of all the play spaces we’ve been to over the years. Not bad when there’s only a couple families, but if they’re busy, I think it will feel really crowded quickly. 

Seating: this is mostly due to space. Not a ton of seating for grown ups. Again, fine when slow, but when busy, people will be sitting on the floor. Which really doesn't bother me much, but some might not be fans. If I remember right, there's 2 small tables with chairs, a couch, and a loveseat?

Price. This is the biggest con for us. It’s $9/child. Times that by 3 kids and we’re at $27 a visit. They do have monthly and annual memberships, but even at their reduced grand opening prices, they’re still really high. $75/month for family of 3 or $450/year for family of 3. Even with $100 off of the annual membership this month, it’s a huge investment. This price point won’t be feasible for many families, especially those with single income households. 

Compared to the many similar facilities we’ve been to in the last 5 years, across multiple states, the cost was shocking. For the space and location, I’d expect closer to $5/child. For comparison, here are some membership prices for other Austin area places we’ve gone or plan to go. Pricing will be based on my family cost (me and 3 kids since Josh is usually working when we do activities) to keep it even. 

RC’s playhouse: $450/yr. $350/yr if purchased on April

Dinosaur Park: $75/year. Wyatt is still free here otherwise it would be $100/yr

Capital of Texas zoo: $99/yr 

Thinkery: $99/yr

McKenna Children’s Museum: $150/yr 

Mt Playmore: doesn’t appear to have annual price. Looks to be $45/mo for 3 kids so? This one is more expensive, but it’s also much larger. This is also the most similar concept to RC's.

*Update* I just saw they lowered their pricing for 12-23mo to $5/child. So, that puts us at $23/child per visit. I'm assuming membership pricing is the same since it wasn't mentioned. 

Final thoughts: Overall, this place is a great addition to the area. For as many families as we have out here with small kids, there are not many places to play indoors. Anything that can keep my 3 happily playing for close to 4 hours wins a prize in my book. I’m still in shock that they played so good for so long. Unfortunately, I’m not sure we can find room in our budget for more than the occasional trip and even that will be hard to justify. If it were closer to $150-$200/yr I think it would be more manageable for families. The owners and staff are all super friendly and great with the kids. 

My kids are still talking about it and want to go back so that’s always a good sign. Ethan said he wanted to stay FOR.EV.ER, asks nonstop for a membership, and said he wants to go everyday, twice a day. Lol Every time we leave the house they ask if we're going to the fun play place. 

Here's a few pics I snapped while they played. Look at those big smiles!