Mimi's Jungle Gym — Local services in Athens

Kid friendly place not so kid friendly or friendly at all. I recommend reading so you don't get in trouble as I did.

Cons.

No healthy snack options(nothing kosher, for diabetics, or for kids with allergies) Kicking out without warning Banning you from coming back. Talking to kids instead of parents if there's an issue. It's not a place to relax while kids play. You're being watched for every mistake. And then you get kicked out. Not for parents with multiple kids.

Pros A nice playground for kids under 4, I'd say, and for those with 1 or two children the most.

I was so happy when they opened such a fun place in town. We planned to come once a month at least. I even asked for a multiple visit pass that they offer that day. However, for the 1st time in my mom life of 14 years, I was kicked out of the place for bringing healthy snacks with us. This was on our second visit to the Mimi's. On our first visit, we noticed almost every single family using their own water bottle for both kids and adults, so I thought that was sweet of staff to allow. We also brought our own water and healthy snacks because after looking at their options on Facebook, I couldn't call them snacks but junk. Go check for yourself. Staff didn't tell us anything, and they saw us eating and drinking. We had a great experience. We loved it. I've got 3 kids ages 6-13 plus an infant. On our second visit,while I breastfeed a baby,I noticed an older lady(staff) came to my older daughter and her friend's table and was talking to them in a very serious tone. I came to them and asked if everything was ok. She said :"yeah,I just told them no outside snacks or drinks." I told her you guys don't have healthy options, so we had to bring our own. She said our rule is no outside food or drinks period. And left. Ok,we hid the snacks, and the kids went back to play(my younger ones weren't there). Then, once again,I'm breastfeeding a baby, and my 7 year old grabs a grape from a backpack and goes towards the playground and I called her and said no food on the playground. Once I'm done breastfeeding, I head towards kids, and the older lady approaches me and says you guys need to leave. And not come back again. You break our rules. Mind you,she never told us before if we break the rule again,we'll have to leave. No warning. And plus she said,someone overheard me calling her " b**ch. I was shocked. English is not my primary language. My friend and I was talking to each other in another language, plus, I never ever swear. Never. And I told her that. I said let me also explain to you about the snacks. She said I don't want to talk about it,and please don't come back, and left. I wanted to tell her that kids' pediatrician recommended my kids to eat healthy snacks to restore their guts and I cannot feed them sugary drinks and candies. Plus if you pay $12 per child(with multiple children it adds up),you'd like them to stay a bit longer then 1 hour and kids loose a lot of energy playing there and need a snack. However, they don't allow you to go to your car, eat and then come back. If you go out,you leave. And if you bring your own, you get kicked out...

There are definitely pros and cons to this place. But as a parent, the cons outweigh the pros.

PROS: My kid had a great time on the equipment.

CONS: The “no outside food or beverage” rule is ridiculous. The indoor playground in Maryville (as well as the new one they’re putting in there soon) allows you to bring your own HEALTHY snacks and drinks. I asked to keep my water at least because I’m recovering from kidney surgery and they said a firm “no.” You can buy their pizza, but it’s a $5.99 pizza from Dominos and they charge you $16 for a whole one, or you can buy 2 slices for the same price you could buy the whole pizza for at Dominos. There’s a young teen-ish boy who sulks about the “lounge” area with a very unfriendly face and attitude about him, slamming chairs back into tables and making sure you’re not breaking any rules. I believe he is related to the owner. “Mimi” or her husband come around and stare everyone down (again, not very friendly faces or demeanors) to make sure you’re not breaking rules. The “lounge” area is plastic or metal chairs, and since you can’t bring ANY drinks or foods from home, you’re uncomfortable in many physical ways. You can’t step out to eat in your car and then return (which goes to show it’s not about keeping the facility clean or fair, it’s about GREED). They charged me for an extra adult even though it’s supposed to be one free adult per child. Wasn’t worth the trouble of dealing with the front desk to get my money back. We went opening day, and they were VERY lax on their rules. Came back a few weeks later, and the rules were strictly and rudely enforced. “Mimi” doesn’t have a very friendly attitude and should stick to a career where she doesn’t have to talk to people face-to-face. Also I witnessed one of her younger grandkids (I am fairly certain) going into a private room with many “outside” snacks and drink, while a mom who was there with us said she was denied to bring her baby’s bottle and baby food in there. So I guess if you’re related to “Mimi,” you don’t have to eat one of the few unhealthy options they offer, but if you aren’t, be prepared to spend plenty more money on food and drinks. Which I’m sure is the whole point.

That’s all. We went twice, and don’t expect to go back. Which I’m sure is the mutual...

I am extremely disappointed with the service that my disabled daughter received at this playground. We spent almost 30 dollars only to be inside 30 to 45 minutes. Let me start by saying I had to pay 6 dollars for my daughters nurse which is fine. However when people are complaining on your child that has down syndrome and the nurse and I never left her side but a parent made it seem like we were not around her which is completely inaccurate..My daughters nurse and I were with her 100 percent of the time and when my daughter scratched another child I personally apologized to everyone that was close to her.. I as well as her nurse was standing right next to her and got her of the swing immediately...To even insinuate that she was unattended is gross and unacceptable... Meaning that parent was no where near their child for them to even hear that I apologized to every adult.... Meaning the child was unsupervised....... I would not suggest bringing any child here with special needs including but not limited to down syndrome, autism, ADHD. Not to mention we drove an hour and half here..... I blame the ignorance of the parents as well as anyone else who doesn't understand the difficulty of having a special needs child..... In addition to "chastise" me about my disabled daughter in front of other parents was completely unacceptable.... If there was any concern that should have been handled privately..... I left of my own free will because I felt that I wouldn't have been chastised publicly if I was a different complexion........ I'm am still very upset.... wish I read the Google reviews instead of the Facebook reviews honestly...... The reviews on Facebook are very misleading ...... It was a complete waste of time.... I ended up taking my daughter another 55 minutes away to chuck e cheese on Kingston Pike we had a blast! I was not going to let that ruin her day at all!!!! If you have a special child save your self and your child the heartache please...