The Sand Garden — Local services in Issaquah

The Sand Garden is an absolute gem for families in Washington! As soon as we walked in, we were greeted by a bright, welcoming space that immediately put both kids and parents at ease. With 1,400 square feet of clean, soft sand, my little ones were in heaven—digging, building, and letting their imaginations run wild. The two giant sandboxes are thoughtfully designed for children of all ages up to 10, and there’s plenty of room for everyone to play without feeling crowded!

What really sets The Sand Garden apart is the atmosphere. It’s not just a play space—it feels like a little community. Parents can relax, connect, or even catch up on emails while the kids are happily entertained. The break areas and snack-friendly setup make it easy to spend a whole morning or afternoon here.

I especially appreciate the thoughtfulness behind this business. Graham and April, the founders, clearly know what families need. With April’s background in early childhood education, you can see the emphasis on sensory play, creativity, and developmentally enriching activities. The space is clean, safe, and full of little details that make a big difference for both kids and parents.

Rain or shine, The Sand Garden will be a lifesaver. I know it’s going to become our favorite go-to spot, and I can’t wait to see the special events and programs they have planned in the future. If you’re a parent in Western Washington looking for a fun, weatherproof, and engaging play space, you absolutely need to check this place out.

The Sand Garden truly delivers on its promise—it’s more than just sand, it’s a place where childhood joy and family...

I took my 5-yo here for the first time, and it was the best experience. We stayed for 5 hours! And he played independently so I was able to get work done. We got there on a weekday at about 10 am on a sunny fall day so I was hoping it wouldn’t be too crowded, but it was hopping! Can’t imagine how packed it must be on weekends. Mostly toddlers, so my son was on the older side. Then at about noon it started to clear out as the littles had to get home for lunch and nap time.

1. Ambience: kids indoor play places are usually sensory overload for me, but The Sand Garden’s calming music and neutral color scheme was welcoming and fun. The music was like acoustic/string versions of popular music (think Vitamin String Quartet), which fits with the atmosphere and is good if you still have a little one napping.

2. Cleanliness: the employees are constantly sweeping, vacuuming, dusting, and I saw multiple air filters running so it always felt very clean. Also, it’s still brand new.

3. Amenities: two large sand pits with lots of different trucks, toys, and tools, and an area with tables and chairs to eat snacks. My son bounced back and forth between the two sand pits, and we’d take snack breaks in the dining area as needed. My only feedback would be that there weren’t any convenient places to plug a laptop into. It would be nice to put some outlets intermittently along the outside of the benches surrounding the sand pits. My laptop’s 3-hr battery charge was no match for my son’s 5-hr marathon session.

We will definitely be coming back, and I hope you open more locations, preferably in...

I learned about this place on Instagram and we went this past weekend. The place opens at 9 am, and we got there by 10 am. There were only a few families when we arrived but the place quickly filled up with families and kids of all ages (skewing younger). I was really impressed by how many toys they have - diggers/dump trucks/bull dozers and spades of all sizes, buckets to make sand castles, scoops, ice cream cones to fill with sand. There are 2 sandpits, and a fenced off area in between with little tables and chairs to refuel with snacks, and a room for private parties. The sand was really clean and soft and brushed off easily. The practice of no shoes also limited how much sand we brought home. Staff is also always cleaning. I think this is a really amazing place especially in Seattle when we're all looking for ways to entertain our kids in the rainy months. A couple of callouts though. New customer registration was such a long process and could have easily been done online before arriving. My kid was so excited to get in and I had to hold him back as I filled out all the forms. One more call out- the website says they have an 'enticing selection of pre packaged snacks' - but it really is only Oreos/chips and keurig coffee. They do let you bring your own snacks though so that’s good. I will be telling my friends with kids...