The Treehouse Play Cafe - McHenry — Local services in McHenry

We went to a birthday party here a few weeks ago.

The place is very cute and clean with tons of cubbies to store your shoes/coats at the entrance .

Friendly staff at greet. Thought it was odd we said we here for a party and they just let us in without verifying which party, etc.

It was packed. Like you could only walk in a single file line to navigate the area.

Party space is semi enclosed which is nice. Tons of space in the party areas.

A separate enclosed space for babies-which is great if the babies aren’t also on the larger play structure. This seemed dangerous for all kids.

It is difficult, like many play places, to keep track of your toddlers in the larger play structure. Many blind spots—again, I know this is typical with tunnels, etc. However, this seems particularly unsafe since the double slides lead directly to an alcove where the bathrooms are located. Unless you are standing at the end of the slide or next to the slide, kids can easily go down the slide and straight into the bathroom without being seen.

I assume the people limit was being adhered to, but would also suggest it be lower. It was pure chaos. I have four children and have been to dozens upon dozens of parties at play places and have never seen so many kids in such a small space. But there was also so many adults. It feels chaotic and probably is a lot better on a weekday.

At one point they used the loudspeaker to announce a two year old couldn’t be found by her parents. It was so loud you could barely hear, but they did announce a clothing description. People were asking others to repeat what was said but it was not understandable. We noticed people start to move around searching (mostly tween girls) and we noticed some people in shirts for Treehouse Cafe. I stopped one to ask for a description so I could help look and was ignored. Understandable; it was chaos. We tried to help look anyway. A man, drinking alcohol, was making comments about irresponsible parents.

They made another announcement…which sounded more alarmed. But older kids were intentionally making animal sounds to drown out the announcement. Very few adults were helping to look. At one point I asked someone working there if they checked the bathrooms (see earlier comment about the ability to go in unseen) and they said they had not. During this time some people were visibly panicking while others seemed oblivious there was a missing child at all. Also, during this time my husband walked in and out to check outside—I only mention this because the doors were not locked down and the half door allowing entry to the play place from the lobby was left unlocked as kids kept going in and out of it. Finally, the two year old was found in a tunnel by a young girl. I’m not sure why an employee did not check there.

If you go, I would go on a weekday. I would not go back or recommend it simply for the safety aspects. I know these moments happen with small children and I know the employees were not in charge of keeping track of the child, however, the lack of lockdown and proper alarm being made was frightening. There were so many people that the loudspeaker becomes ineffective and some kind of alarm should be...

So happy we tried this place out! It is absolutely perfect for Littles! I love that they have an area for the smallest of Littles and a larger for the older, more active kiddos. Our little just turned 2 and after checking out the smaller of the two and then venturing to the larger tree area, she loved it. We put shorts on her the first visit but now dress her in light leggings, it helps with movement. Adults are able to climb up should they need assistance which is a super plus. This location is beautiful and super clean. The staff was so helpful answering my questions, they gave my little a big smile and were very welcoming. We ended up purchasing the monthly unlimited pass for $39 where we can go as much as we want each month with reentry as well. A one time visit is $17 so since our little loves it so much it made sense for us. The cafe is adorable, fairly priced and the food is very good. We ordered the caprese grilled cheese and I absolutely recommend it. The half off happy hour for kids meals is another added bonus. Definitely an awesome place to...

It was our first time at this Treehouse. We had visited the LZ location yeaaaaars ago. This location is absolutely amazing!! They definitely utilized the space because there’s so much for the kiddos to do, it’s CLEAN, the staff is so friendly, and their iced coffee is amazing. What more could a parent ask for? We got there about an hour before close to let some wiggles out on a rainy day. We didn’t pay full cost since it was so close to closing time. About 15 minutes before leaving, the staff was slowly starting to clean and it was SO comforting seeing them thoroughly sanitize every single surface in the play areas. The girls really seem to enjoy their job and are full of smiles and were engaging with my son. They have a menu filled with yummy food for both breakfast and lunch/dinner, not just snacks like most play places. And the drink selection is large and also includes mimosas and beer. We will definitely be returning to...