Easy indoor location for winter kid birthday party?
Looking for an easy local spot to host a casual one year old birthday party. In summer with no worries about being rained out, I would just reserve a picnic site at a local playground and bring some bubble wands. What is a similarly low-key and inexpensive indoor place I could book? Kids are young enough that I don’t need any Chuck E Cheese level stimulation, I just don’t have space to host 25 people at our home.
Sep 18, 2024
Parent Replies
I would a) pare down the guest list, and b) still plan to do it outside at a park like Totland, with my house as the rain backup. You may well be able to go ahead with your park plan!
Lots of parks in the area have club houses that you can rent very affordably. Kensington Park Clubhouse and Arlington Park Clubhouse are both lovely. If it is raining you can have toys and games inside, if it isn't they can play at the park.
Hi there - have you looked into Gymboree? I'm not sure how much they charge for parties, but the one on Lakeshore in Oakland could be what you're after. My kid used to go to their classes, even from a young age, and loved it.
PRAM in richmond has a nice indoor space. And an outdoor playyard if it's not raining.
You don't mention where you are located, but most cities have a parks & rec dept with a few buildings available for rent. They might be more geared toward a larger event with more people but could work. I'd also try local civic organizations, such as a senior center, church, veterans hall, lions club, etc. and see if they have a room for rent. Alternatively, you could book at a park that has a covered picnic area, such as Jean Sweeney park in Alameda. Lastly, if you have plenty of children on your guest list, you could book at a little kid play place, like Gymboree, Twirl in Alameda, etc. (check out 510 families website if you're not aware of these types of places).
You could try renting an indoor spot through the park system--think Brazil Room in Tilden, Temescal Beach House at Lake Temescal, something like that. Both relatively affordable though maybe a little bigger than you need? Or Redwood Regional has some covered large picnic areas (though still open to the elements but could run inside in case of rain) I think you can rent.
Breweries are great lunchtime places to host a rainy baby birthday — ample space, kitchen access, not absurdly expensive.