The Galleria is a great place for indoor toddler play, and window shopping for mom, at the same time.
Address: 13350 Dallas Pkwy, Dallas, TX 75240
The Children’s Play Place at the Galleria Mall is a cute, fun play area on the third floor of the mall, next to Nordstrom. There is a lot of sunshine that comes through the skylights in the ceiling, so it feels less like a mall, which is nice.
The play area has a rainforest theme. Little ones can climb on faux stone pyramids, parrots, a waterfall, and through tunnels, all while landing on the cushy rubber ground if they take a tumble.
It’s very clean and the climbing structures are soft plastic, great for little toes. There are a few activities for crawlers, but the play area is probably best for walkers and older. There is only one (small) way out of the play area, so if you’re watching multiples, escaping shouldn’t be an issue.
The rules state that this play area is for children 42” or under. For families with older ones, this might be a dealbreaker, but if you are only bringing a toddler, you might appreciate that the older kids won’t be zipping around in here.
However, little ones can climb fairly high on these structures. If your child is a climber, just be prepared to stay on your toes. Some of the structures are big enough that they could climb, and then break into a run, while still on top of the structure.
On weekday mornings when the mall first opens, this play area isn’t very busy. As the morning progresses, however, closer to 11:00 a.m., it does get more active. It’s likely a bit crowded on weekends, something to keep in mind as you’re making plans.
Additionally, there is a food court right outside the play area, so you can make a lunch date out of this outing for some extra fun. Or, you can take the elevator down (there is one right by the play area, near Nordstrom) and check out the ice rink and the insanely massive Christmas tree if you’re there near the holidays. This is a great place to take toddlers on a cold or rainy day, or a hot summer day, and we’d highly recommend it.
Additional Information about the Children’s Play Place at the Galleria
Mom Tips: It’s very clean, but as with any play area, we’d recommend bringing hand sanitizer for afterwards. Also, socks don’t appear to be required here.
Hours: 10AM-9PM, Sundays 12PM-6PM. Holiday hours will affect this; check general Galleria hours to ensure it’s open.
Cost: Free and open to the public.
Website: https://www.galleriadallas.com/visitor-guest-services/playplace/
Parking and entrance: Park on the third floor of the Nordstrom parking garage (Orange) for the quickest and most stroller friendly entrance. The address of that garage is 5220 Alpha Rd, Dallas, TX 75240.
Bathrooms: If you enter through Nordstrom, there is a bathroom immediately to your left when you enter. There are also bathrooms near the play place after you enter the main part of the mall. Follow the signs and you won’t be far.
Food and drink: I don’t think food and drink is allowed in the play area, but there is a mini food court nearby where you can grab lunch or coffee. There is also a full food court inside the mall if you’d like more options, and multiple little booths and stores as you stroll around.
