I agree with PP too. We went opening weekend- the marketing really makes it seem like there are people that will watch your kid but that’s not really the case. I also saw several things which seemed like safety issues- including the large poles holding up the slide- those need to be covered in padding! They are the perfect height for a toddler to bang their head right into.

Also, there was a shooting half a block away yesterday at 2 pm

I do wish the people who opened this well, but this concept would have been better in a neighborhood where lots of families actually live and people wouldn’t mind becoming a monthly member as it would really be a place to just go and hang out. But the location means almost everyone has to drive, so it’s a destination- but not enough to do inside to make it a destination people keep coming back to.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:After all the hype I was really disappointed with The Lane. $20 per kid for 2 hours is ridiculous because there isn't much for them to do. Its like a trendy bar/coffee shop with a slide and ballpit and should not charge a cover. I won't be going back unless they make it more of a play space. I think they could make enough money on alcohol sales if they didnt charge a cover. There was no relaxation just constantly watching the kids and trying not to get trampled. I had high hopes, sigh. Ill be going to badlands, its cheaper anyway.

How would the degree of relaxation change based on whether there was a cover? You are still going to have to watch the kids either way.

I wasn't implying that relaxation would change if there wasn't a cover. i should have started another paragraph. 2 separate issues. it was marketed as a place to relax while your kids played.

separate issue is that I don't think there is enough play area to charge a cover.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:After all the hype I was really disappointed with The Lane. $20 per kid for 2 hours is ridiculous because there isn't much for them to do. Its like a trendy bar/coffee shop with a slide and ballpit and should not charge a cover. I won't be going back unless they make it more of a play space. I think they could make enough money on alcohol sales if they didnt charge a cover. There was no relaxation just constantly watching the kids and trying not to get trampled. I had high hopes, sigh. Ill be going to badlands, its cheaper anyway.

I don't think some cover charge is unreasonable... but $20 for 2 hours is ridiculous. I also think the time limit is bad marketing, since most people will leave after 2 hours but the firm cap makes it seem less worth it. What they could do is charge $20 per kid, but give you say $10 of it in credit to the coffee shop/bar.

Agreed. Magic Ground is $10 for the first hour or $15 for unlimited. Even my high energy 4 year old gets tired after 1.5 hours, so we pay for unlimited and stay barely more than the one hour. They seem like they're marketing more toward maternity leave moms and SAHMs, so maybe they're worried about moms camping out at the tables all day with small babies?

This seems similar to Nook in Ballston, but with even less for the kids to do. I'm interested in checking it out, but hesitant that it will be a waste of money.

Anonymous wrote:After all the hype I was really disappointed with The Lane. $20 per kid for 2 hours is ridiculous because there isn't much for them to do. Its like a trendy bar/coffee shop with a slide and ballpit and should not charge a cover. I won't be going back unless they make it more of a play space. I think they could make enough money on alcohol sales if they didnt charge a cover. There was no relaxation just constantly watching the kids and trying not to get trampled. I had high hopes, sigh. Ill be going to badlands, its cheaper anyway.

I don't think some cover charge is unreasonable... but $20 for 2 hours is ridiculous. I also think the time limit is bad marketing, since most people will leave after 2 hours but the firm cap makes it seem less worth it. What they could do is charge $20 per kid, but give you say $10 of it in credit to the coffee shop/bar.

Ugh, this is all so sad to hear. I had high hopes that it would be a good transition place post-Skillzone (we live basically halfway between them), but then was worried that the pictures on Capitol Hill Kid didn't really seem to show much of an indoor playground-type set up or very many actual toys. Seems like those pictures were accurate.

The marketing made it sound like there would be enough staff that you didn’t need to watch your kid like a hawk but that’s not really the case.

Anonymous wrote:After all the hype I was really disappointed with The Lane. $20 per kid for 2 hours is ridiculous because there isn't much for them to do. Its like a trendy bar/coffee shop with a slide and ballpit and should not charge a cover. I won't be going back unless they make it more of a play space. I think they could make enough money on alcohol sales if they didnt charge a cover. There was no relaxation just constantly watching the kids and trying not to get trampled. I had high hopes, sigh. Ill be going to badlands, its cheaper anyway.

How would the degree of relaxation change based on whether there was a cover? You are still going to have to watch the kids either way.

After all the hype I was really disappointed with The Lane. $20 per kid for 2 hours is ridiculous because there isn't much for them to do. Its like a trendy bar/coffee shop with a slide and ballpit and should not charge a cover. I won't be going back unless they make it more of a play space. I think they could make enough money on alcohol sales if they didnt charge a cover. There was no relaxation just constantly watching the kids and trying not to get trampled. I had high hopes, sigh. Ill be going to badlands, its cheaper anyway.

How is the birthday party setup at the Lane?

It seems like such a small play area how would a party work there?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went-- it's a great space, but definitely trends younger. Think let's drink coffee while meeting a few new Mom friends with our toddlers while we fret about the MSDC lottery for our three year olds.

IF anyone wants to go in on a Flight/trampoline type place in the NY Ave corridor for our older kids, I'll put in the first $100k

Yes! We totally need a trampoline park!

Just be sure you invest in the maximum liability insurance..

https://www.wthr.com/article/trampoline-related-injuries-broken-bones-continue-rise

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trampoline-parks-rising-in-popularity-expert-warns-of-catastrophic-injuries/

The pictures make it look like and adult coworking space.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can anyone compare The Lane to Skillzone? Sounds very similar.

I'd say Lane is perfect for 3-5 year olds while Skillzone is better for 0-2. Lane is bigger than Skillzone too.

Skillzone is smaller and was great for my kids up until around 4. I have fond memories of skillzone. It was "easy". The lane requires the parent to be more involved in the play time which isn't really what I was seeking.

Anonymous wrote:Can anyone compare The Lane to Skillzone? Sounds very similar.

I'd say Lane is perfect for 3-5 year olds while Skillzone is better for 0-2. Lane is bigger than Skillzone too.

Can anyone compare The Lane to Skillzone? Sounds very similar.

Anonymous wrote:I went-- it's a great space, but definitely trends younger. Think let's drink coffee while meeting a few new Mom friends with our toddlers while we fret about the MSDC lottery for our three year olds.

IF anyone wants to go in on a Flight/trampoline type place in the NY Ave corridor for our older kids, I'll put in the first $100k

Yes! We totally need a trampoline park!