Courtesy Magic Meadows
By Carol Ann Conover
Cassie Pinn opened an indoor children’s play facility in Clifton Park not to follow a business trend, but to fill a need she had seen for years while raising seven children and running a home day care.
Magic Meadows, a 3,000-square-foot imaginative play facility, opened in late January or early February in a former dance studio next to Ravenswood Restaurant. Pinn is the only staff member on the floor, and the vision is unmistakably her own.
“It was hard to find a place that wasn’t overwhelming, that wasn’t overstimulating, where kids could just go and actually play — not just run around, but interact with each other, have that imaginative play,” Pinn said.
The facility centers on a miniature interactive town. Children can ride pedal cars along a road to a diner, grocery store, veterinary clinic, schoolhouse, camping area, construction zone and working boat where they can pretend to fish. A mail truck and mailboxes at each “house” let children play letter carrier. A fenced toddler area serves children under 2, while a second room — the “jungle room” — has a foam pit, obstacle course and open space for children who need to move.
“Everything that they touch out there has a purpose,” Pinn said. “It’s motor skills, it’s very occupational in a sense — occupational therapy. It’s very interactive and it all just has a secondary purpose to it that they don’t really quite understand yet, but it’s building knowledge.”
The facility serves children from newborn through about age 8, though older siblings often find plenty to do when they come with younger children. Wide-open fronts make each play area accessible for children with mobility challenges. A parent lounge overlooks the main room and offers free coffee, Wi-Fi and seating, drawing working parents, grandparents, nannies and caregiver groups.
“I have seen so many parents who have just made this little group,” Pinn said. “Their kids are playing, they’re doing their work — it’s turning out really well.”
A homeschooling parent who visited with three children summed up the experience for Pinn. “This is the most work I’ve ever gotten done,” the visitor told Pinn. “They have never entertained themselves like this.”
Admission is $20 per child age 2 and up, with no time limit and sibling discounts available. Children under 2 pay a lower rate. A 10-visit play pass costs $150, saving families $50, and has been popular with regulars. On Wednesdays and Fridays, “Mini Meadows” playtime offers half-price admission for children under 3.
Magic Meadows is open Tuesday through Saturday from 3 to 5 p.m. Pinn is considering extending Friday hours for school-age children who arrive after dismissal.
The buildout brought challenges. A week before the planned opening, a code enforcement inspection found the freestanding, house-shaped play structures exceeded New York state’s height limit for indoor structures. They stood 6 feet, 3 inches; code required them to be under 6 feet.
“A week before we opened, we had to chop all of our houses down by three inches in order to pass code,” Pinn said. “It was some long exhausting nights, but we got it done, and now we’re within code and nothing is combustible. That’s all that matters.”
Pinn cleans and disinfects every toy and play area each evening with a hospital-grade disinfectant. She also uses a “yuck bucket” system to set aside toys that have gone into a child’s mouth for separate cleaning. “We’ve had a lot of parents say it’s so clean, and I’m like, that’s the best compliment you could give,” she said.
The facility has joined the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce and is building community partnerships. Local vendors sell handmade goods on-site, preschool field trips have visited, two local authors have a reading planned for after Easter, a photographer will offer spring portraits during regular play sessions, and a family paint-and-snack evening is scheduled.
Pinn also is developing a “community days” model in which local businesses sponsor free admission in exchange for on-site visibility. “If a big business says, will you put our sign up in your room for the day and have pamphlets out — then these kids in the community can come play for free,” she said.
For Pinn, the business is personal. Her son has special needs, and she said she designed the space from the start for inclusive play.
“We just wanted an inclusive area for all,” she said. “I think we are building this area up for all children. All families are welcome, and it’s turning out exactly how my brain envisioned it.”
Magic Meadows is located at 1023 Route 146 in Clifton Park, N.Y., next to Ravenswood Restaurant.