What is a Play Cafe?
Tiny Town Play Cafe is an indoor playspace + full coffee shop geared toward families of children ages 0-9. We serve local Camacho coffee and espresso and pastries from local bakers such as Range Free and The Blakery. The Tiny Town Play Cafe playspace includes six child-sized playhouses: a grocery store, a school, an office, a house, a vet clinic and a construction site. Kids can go inside, dress up and partake in imaginative play. Our concept hinges on providing a space for families to enjoy, both children and adults. Parents can sip an iced caramel macchiato and play in the playspace with their child, or sit on one of the couches inside the playspace and watch their child happily playing within close proximity. Our vision is To create a place where children & their caregivers experience joyful play, fulfilling rest & meaningful community.
About Your Visit
Your visit to Tiny Town Play Cafe begins with hand sanitizer in the entryway. Cleanliness is a priority and we strive to keep our facilities and guests as healthy as possible. After sanitizing hands, you will check in, pay for adult admissions and sign waivers before play.
Plan Your Visit
Please take a look over our policies on the website and posted at the facility. We are a SOCKS ONLY facility for children and adults entering the playspace, however if you come without socks they are available for purchase at the front desk. We are a reservations highly encouraged facility that caps capacity for each play session, which is two hours in length, to make sure your experience is as enjoyable as possible. Between play sessions we completely disinfect the play area and toys with an EPA rated non-toxic cleaner.
You may enter the playspace and engage in imaginative play with your child or you can watch closely from a couch or table. Website and mobile ordering as well as in-person ordering for snacks & beverages is available. With 5 minutes remaining in your play session an employee will dim the lights and make an announcement for children to start moving towards the cafe and putting on their shoes to say goodbye. You are welcome to stay and enjoy the cafe or go home after the session ends, but the playspace will close.
Our facility is wheelchair accessible, ADA compliant and provides family-friendly amenities such as diaper changing stations in both bathrooms, flushable wipes, a nursing/sensory break room and fantastic customer service. We are so excited for your visit and can't wait for you to experience joyful play!
Drop-In Admission:
- Children 6 months - 9: $10
- Siblings under 1: FREE
- Adults: $3
Please take a look over our policies on the website and posted at the facility. We are a SOCKS ONLY facility for children and adults entering the playspace, however if you come without socks they are available for purchase at the front desk. We are a reservations highly encouraged facility that caps capacity for each play session, which is two hours in length, to make sure your experience is as enjoyable as possible. Between play sessions we completely disinfect the play area and toys with an EPA rated non-toxic cleaner.
You may enter the playspace and engage in imaginative play with your child or you can watch closely from a couch or table. Website and mobile ordering as well as in-person ordering for snacks & beverages is available. With 5 minutes remaining in your play session an employee will dim the lights and make an announcement for children to start moving towards the cafe and putting on their shoes to say goodbye. You are welcome to stay and enjoy the cafe or go home after the session ends, but the playspace will close.
Our facility is wheelchair accessible, ADA compliant and provides family-friendly amenities such as diaper changing stations in both bathrooms, flushable wipes, a nursing/sensory break room and fantastic customer service. We are so excited for your visit and can't wait for you to experience joyful play!
About The Owner
Hi my name is Jayci Gesling! I am a mom of three kids, ages 7, 4 and 2 and a central Missouri native. I am a K-12 Spanish and Early Childhood certified educator and have spent six years in the public schools. After choosing to stay home with our kids for the last four year I am moving from mom to mompreneur. My dream for our cafe is a space that parents can enjoy coming to as much as their children do, that serves families with young kids and that encourages learning through screen-free imaginative play. Our mission is to provide children & their caregivers a safe, sanitary & creative space to play, learn, grow & connect.
Tiny Town Play Cafe came about only as a pipe dream about four years ago after visiting an indoor play center in Springfield, Missouri and having a wonderful time. My kids loved it, I was able to catch up with a college friend, and the visit would have been perfect had my caramel latte been allowed in. That got the wheels spinning as to how my experience could have been made even better and why Columbia didn't have a place like it. Fast forward four years of dreaming, watching and hoping and yet still no such facility existed. After a year and a half of working, praying, and planning, we signed a lease and moved forward with the build out of our space. This cafe has been made possible by: a faithful God, a hard-working husband, flexible kids, generous friends, the help of strangers, the advice of coaches and a giant leap of faith. We opened our doors to the public on May 21, 2022 and are looking forward to many more years of serving Columbia and Mid-Missouri.