Mountain Play Lodge — Attraction in Asheville

Fantastic indoor play area for younger kids. At face value it was clean. No trash or debris around, all play areas and things to play in and on weren’t dirty or worn. There was only two staff members seen and both were working main area of concessions and check-in area. They were both very friendly and helpful. There was no one actively wiping down tables, chairs or play area regularly which is a concern COVID or not. I would have preferred to see more hand sanitizer dispensers around to encourage regular “hand washing.” It also is the parent’s responsibility to make sure their kids are not sick to include minor cough or runny nose before coming here. Staff should also be mindful of this and look for signs of illness before allowing entry. I would also have liked to see a staff member wiping down tables/chairs after they are used and staff member wiping down play areas regularly. All of these recommendations wouldn’t prevent illness but would help significantly in reducing the amount of illness present at the location.

All play areas and things to play on were in good working order and appeared to be kept in great condition.

We came on a Wednesday morning. It was not super busy. There were ~20 kids give or take which was nice and it gave them plenty of free space to play. I couldn’t imagine it being much more busy as it would likely create safety issues, especially with the lack of parenting that goes on these days. There were some larger kids running around although there are signs everywhere stating no running. Some of the kids would gently push or “move” smaller kids out of the way which is not good. This type of behavior is not only the staff’s responsibility. It is the responsibility of the guardian/parent and requires the guardian/parent to be actively engaged with their child(ren) making sure they are behaving and following posted rules so that everyone remains safe and has an enjoyable time. As we all know, active parenting and accountable parenting seems to be few and far between as many parents come to these places or likely even at home and let their kids do whatever they want while they engulf themselves in their phones likely surfing mindless things like social media. It should not be the responsibility of the staff however staff members should be cognizant of what’s going on and making sure parents/kids are held accountable and following rules.

We would visit again during a weekday morning as long as it wasn’t super busy and...

This place is fantastic! The equipment is adequate for my three year old and she loves the slides and climb on equipment in both the older area and toddler area. The food is good and they have Poppy Popcorn, which is amazing! The staff is very kind and nice when they check you in. MY MAIN ISSUE is with the people that go there and let their children run wild without any supervision. There are signs clearly posted that say no running and I see older kids running around and knocking down toddlers, but nobody stops them. Parents don't stop them and employees don't stop them, they just continue.

Today two things happened that I found to be outrageous. The first one, we were in the larger play area and there is a giant tree in the middle, a much older boy was dangling from the top of the tree and just let himself fall, almost on top of a little child. Parents, nowhere to be found. The second one happened in the toddler play area. A little boy, about three, came and pushed my child..no big deal, she pushed him back, then he approached a much younger child, maybe one and pushed him right off the canoe. Immediately I thought a parent would come and be apologetic, but NOBODY came. Instead he continued to climb around the place until he climbed over the wall and to his parent. Again, this boy could not be more than THREE years old playing unsupervised.

I think the Mountain Play Lodge needs to invest money in more help so that they can have people in the play areas supervising children since parents are refusing to do the job. Children run about pushing and shoving others out of the way as they are going up the slides and in my opinion, it is just not safe. Again, it is not the fault of the Play Lodge, but the fault of the irresponsible parents who sit on the sidelines on their cell phones chatting with friends instead of watching what their children are doing. Again, I love this place and the employees are great and I will continue to go there, but be aware of your child because they can get really hurt due to the negligence of the parents. Mountain Play Lodge hire more assistance so that all children can play safely and put some larger "no running" signs in...

I’ve brought my two young (under 3) kids here 4 times and we have gotten sick afterward every time. This last time takes the cake, though. I didn’t realize how absolutely packed and chaotic it was until we’d already paid, plus I knew telling my neurodivergent son that we actually weren’t going to stay and play would cause an epic meltdown, so we stayed. He was ready to leave within an hour and a half because it was so busy, which is saying something because he usually has a tantrum when we have to leave places. Let me tell you, that hour and a half was NOT worth the resultant RSV, double pink eye, and full week of missed preschool and therapy. I know kids are germ monsters, but this place is a literal petri dish. I have never, not once, seen someone cleaning the play equipment. How hard would it be to have someone periodically wiping things down? It would be a lot easier if they actually capped the amount of kids they allow at a reasonable max. With older kids running around wildly, that would make it safer too. They should also have staff supervising the play area like lifeguards. The only staff I saw were behind the front desk the whole time. I actually saw one woman vacuuming some popcorn in the shoe storage area and she was apologetic about cleaning! What?? I know we’re no longer in the midst of the pandemic, but illnesses still exist and can be dangerous, especially for little ones. It would be a good idea to require temperature checks and recommend masks. We were almost the only ones there wearing masks. One more small complaint is the exorbitant price of food and drinks. It’s not unexpected considering movie theater prices, but just a really rude and shady practice since you’re not allowed to bring in outside food and there’s no re-entry.

I’m not giving 1 star because the actual play equipment is nice and my kids have...