New Kid-Friendly Playhouse, Café Set To Open At SoNo Collection Mall In Norwalk

NORWALK, CT — A popular child-friendly playhouse plans to open its next location this year at the SoNo Collection mall in Norwalk.

Playhouse Fairfield, a jungle-themed indoor playground and party venue for kids with a cozy parent-friendly café, will open a second location in the former CAMP space on the mall's third floor early this summer.

According to a Playhouse spokesperson, the larger Norwalk location will feature many similar touches as the Fairfield space, including ball pits, slides and climbers.

Unique to the mall location will be a dedicated toddler room, which will be more sprawling and offer more playground equipment for the somewhat older age group to enjoy.

"The toddler room is a place where little ones can play on toddler-specific equipment and the parents can hang out in a special area," a spokesperson said to Patch.

The toddler room can be rented out privately for parties, as can a number of other party spaces at the new SoNo playhouse.

The Norwalk space will also feature an onsite café by New York City bakery AnnTremet Cake, which will offer a wide variety of coffee, tea, pastries and more, as well as kid-friendly snacks.

With the opening of the mall location, the Playhouse team aims to create a space that is fun for the whole family, including small children, but also comfortable for adults.

"Adults can expect comfortability," the spokesperson said. "They can expect nice, soft couches. It's not plastic, it's clean and whimsical. They can expect to be enchanted and comfortable and relax while their kids are safe and enjoying the soft play."

The playhouse will offer a wide range of memberships similar to the Fairfield location, including weekly and family memberships.

"There's a lot of different options for families that think they're going to be coming a lot or just want to be able to pop in at any time," the spokesperson said, "but drop-in is also available as well."

The playhouse will also open earlier than the rest of the mall, which currently opens at 11 a.m. most weekdays and 10 a.m. on Fridays and weekends.

The Norwalk playhouse will open seven days a week at 9 a.m. and be accessible from a dedicated parking area on the roof of the mall, between Pinstripes and Nordstroms, according to the Playhouse team.

Much like the Fairfield space, the Playhouse team hopes the Norwalk location can become a community plaza that encourages socializing for both kids and adults.

"We hope that families feel like it's a really special destination," the spokesperson said.