I visited this store today (3/13/26) and was genuinely excited because I had heard nothing but…read moregreat things about it and how knowledgeable the staff was. My daughter recently received a betta fish for her birthday, and I wanted to upgrade her tank with driftwood and plants. Since I'm new to this, I was looking forward to asking the "experts" a few questions. Unfortunately, that excitement disappeared the moment I walked in. As soon as I entered, the older gentleman behind the counter looked directly at me and then immediately turned away without saying a word. He wasn't helping anyone at the time. I walked around the store for a while and noticed a young woman cleaning items nearby. Not once did she greet me or ask if I needed help. When I was looking at the driftwood display, she walked by, so I asked a question. She gave me what felt like a dirty look, gave a very quick answer, and walked away. I initially thought maybe she was busy helping other customers, but that didn't seem to be the case. What made the experience worse was what happened next. While I was still browsing near the entrance, several other customers walked in. Every single one of them was greeted by the gentleman behind the counter. I hate to even bring this up, but it left me wondering why my experience was so different. I'm a Hispanic male with tattoos, and every other customer who was greeted appeared to be white with no visible tattoos. I truly hope that wasn't the reason, but I honestly can't think of another explanation for the difference in treatment. Either way, it was disappointing. I had specifically chosen to visit a local specialty shop because I wanted the advice and expertise that comes with it. Instead, I left feeling unwelcome and will likely just go to a big box store instead--something I was hoping to avoid. I hope this isn't the normal experience for customers, but it was certainly mine today.

Cool spot to bring the kids (on a budget). Also, nice activity to do on a rainy or cold day. The…read morefish were colorful and unique and fun for the kids to look at. There are also some turtles outside (back of parking lot). Located in an interesting dome structure (saltwater fish is on the second floor). Parents: I'd avoid a stroller, if possible. It's a bit cramped in here plus it can get crowded. Also, there are stairs to get to the top floor. Small parking lot in the back but also additional parking in the strip mall. Check out Uncommon Objects (interesting antique store) next door.

My son loved this place, its huge and so much fun, will come back if possible, nice to have it in…read moreAustin!

Came out to Funbox with the kids today and we all had a blast! I can't believe it's still 100…read moredegrees this late in September but the snow-cones and ice cold drinks helped cool us down. Despite the heat, I had a hard time getting the kids out of the bounce house. The park has several different areas with multiple slides, climbing towers, and a competition obstacle course. Would def recommend!

Manage your expectations if you choose to visit the Austin Zoo. It is a very small zoo - more like…read morean animal rescue. I knew this going in so was prepared for what to expect and really enjoyed my experience. I visited on Presidents' Day holiday with my daughters (6 and 2). Tickets were under $20 which I found reasonable and felt good to know that the money is going back to maintaining and preserving the zoo. I thought the size of the zoo was perfect for younger children. My daughters loved seeing the animals without massive crowds, within a restively small space. They particularly loved seeing the Galapagos turtle, lions, and snakes in the tiny reptile house. There are gorgeous peacocks roaming the grounds. They have the option to feed some animals (goats, farm animals) which we did not do this time. They also offer tours, educational programming and some extra cost activities. What I think could be better - - Their website doesn't mention that their train has been down for a long time, and requires major repairs. This was disappointing to find out there. My girls were looking forward to it. - No cafe or proper concessions stand - Parking can get crowded and require long walks to the entrance

Horrible service!! As I was walking around with my grandchildren I saw several workers on their…read morephones, so unprofessional. I've heard rumors they treat the animals poorly and when I saw the animals I'm starting to believe them. I've also heard about what they do to the animals dead bodies and I'm DISGUSTED. I saw serval cages empty, really makes you think why is that? What are they doing to these poor animals because from my own knowledge you're not supposed to put an animal that been held CAPTIVE back into the wild. Even with that one of the workers told me that evil place is their forever home more like forever prison or death sentence. I also saw rust in the water the animals were drinking and this is what they claim is an animal sanctuary?? On top of all of this I saw a worker with no bra on and nearly got flashed, MY GRANDKIDS were with me. On top of all of this I met a woman Kim and she was SO RUDE and made my grandkids uncomfortable. That woman immediately gave me predatory vibes and I felt like I needed to get them out of there as soon as possible. I will NEVER return.

Took my niece here while she was visiting on spring break this year and she loved it. It's a great…read morepark with plenty of activities for the kids. I was able to just chill out and read my book too while she played with my brother. I definitely recommend this park to bring the littles to.

Alliance Children's Garden is a playground within the larger Butler Park in Austin. We chose to…read morecome here since its want right across the street from Terry Black's BBQ, where we planned to have lunch. The park has lots of playscapes and climbing structures, and you'll also get nice views of the tall buildings of downtown Austin. They do have an hourly pay-parking lot at the entrance, but it does fill up quickly. It's almost better to leave your car here and walk to Terry Black's. We only hung out at the hills and tunnels section of the park, which our 4yo son loved. They have several hills covered with artificial turf of varying heights that are fun to crawl, climb, or roll down. The tunnels through each hill will make you feel like a Hobbit in those LOTR movies.

Love it here. It's my second time and I'll be coming here often. The food is AMAZING - best…read morebreakfast sandwich I've had in a long time. The kids have fun and have many options for entertainment. I bring my computer, ear, and watch my kids. Everyone is so nice here too.

UPDATE: my son got a fever after we visited. Hopefully they start to sanitize the toys. He has been…read moresick for 3 days and the last place he went before getting sick was this place. I had a fussy 10mo and needed something to do inside as it's very cold. We've never been to Almost Grown and it seemed like a good way for my kid to let off steam. This is a very cute cafe and ice cream shop with a play place in the back. It's a $10 admission per child, parents get in free. The admission here is $8 less than Pikopye's and you're able to just walk in. Love that. As some yelpers have mentioned, it is a bit chaotic as there are so many toys around. There are lots of tables to sit and eat at within the play area. There are different play areas such as a doctor's office set up complete with little scrubs, hats, and stethoscopes. There's a firefighting area with fire fighter gear. As well as a farmer's market area with tons of toy produce. All the toys from each play area are scattered amongst the entire play room. I'm kind of wondering how often they sanitize all the toys/costumes/tables etc. as there are a lot of kids with runny noses here. Overall it's a good place for kids to come and socialize/burn some energy.

The waiver process is a little maddening but once you're in, there's plenty for kids to do, whether…read moreyou have a coach-guided class or you just want to fool around. There are three coaches working with groups of kids at the moment and everyone seems to be having a good time. Even the coaches. You can walk in or make an appointment. You can throw a party here. Space is generous and equipment availability gets an A+. Healthy snacks and drinks are available. Temperature control is NICE. Lots of room for parents to work while waiting. No electrical plugs at the tables. Parking is not a problem at all. The place is immaculate.

This was the perfect party set up!! It was easy to book and they handled the food. I was genuinely…read moresurprised at how tasty the pizza was! We're still eating the left over. Maia was assigned as our party guide and she was a treasure! She always so sweet tour our baby boy who just wanted to chase her around the whole time. She also helped pass out the pizza and cupcakes which helped make everything run smoothly. Everything was so easy- as soon as we arrived and got everything to our room I got to relax and enjoy the party which is such a special treat on my baby's birthday

I have been frequenting this play street location since they first opened. And we have LOVED having…read morea spot to drop into play. They had a 20 kid limit so we always knew it wouldn't be crowded. The entire concept is great, we buy the five play pass at least once a month if not more. This might be coming to an end because of what happened this morning. My nanny kid has a fractured tibia, play street is a safe option for us because I don't have to worry about dozens of kids tripping over her. We arrived at 9 am after booking a spot online and seeing they had plenty of spots open. The employee who was super nice let me know that they had a large field trip arriving during our play time. The reason we chose and have chosen play street over places like the thinkery because we don't have to battle for space or field trip groups. They should block these time slots out and not have spaces open because this will put them way over their own capacity. I'm not against field trips having places to go to- this is on the franchise owners for trying to accommodate too many people at one time. There needs to be a better system, if there's going to be field trips- find a way to mark it on your schedule so we don't waste our time driving here.

PSM is such a wonderful hidden gem. At first glance, I…read morethought it was a real kids museum and figured my 10mo was too little. Fast forward to last week and we had literally nothing to do so we reserved a play time spot for $15. My jaw DROPPED when I saw all the toys and different stations for the kids. It was PERFECT for my bored little guy. Every station gets cleaned between sessions and I loved it. Everything was organized and the place is just so beautiful. I do wish they offered memberships but at $15 for 2 hours, we aren't complaining. The staff are all incredibly wonderful, happy, smiling folks who are so kind to the kids. We're going today and even I'm excited to get the kiddo out to PSM on this rainy day.

Great experience! We wanted to take our son for a pony ride and called last minute. They were able…read moreto fit us in right away. We were shown patience and kindness through the entire visit. I would highly recommend checking this place out! HAPPY TRAILS...

Miriam is such a beautiful being. My son and I spent the afternoon at her ranch and sharing life…read morestories. Though the visit was intended for my son, the afternoon at the ranch was such a treat for me, too. This ranch is better than Disneyland because it's not a fairytale, it's the real deal.

We were looking for a place to host our grandson's birthday party it was a little bit West of…read moreAustin since that's where most of our family has relocated too. We're not super familiar with the area so we're still trying to figure out some new businesses that we can go to for special events like this. I would say this is one of the best places you can find a host a birthday party. The staff really know what's going on in cater to the kids since they know people are coming there and spreading the word because they're so good at birthday parties. The location was great and we love how the staff treated all of us!

Do not go here! DO NOT GO HERE! Do not go here!…read more Membership is misleading, and they have been unresponsive on canceling the membership. We provided all documentation for the written guidelines to cancel the membership and they continue to give us the runaround.. On top of that, the place is not safe. They do not adequately Train their staff and are significantly understaffed. Unfortunate. Don't let the other positive reviews mislead you as they are paying for box and most of them are not real. This is not a three star yelp establishment.

Pros: there's a few parts of the exhibit that I really enjoyed but it's very minimal compared to…read morethe majority of the rest of the museum that I wasn't satisfied with Cons: the ticket price being over $50 seems a bit high for the quality of exhibits that is offered. I would say it's worth closer to $35 pp with taxes and fees included. Some parts of the building are outdated and felt somewhat unclean or isolate. There needs to be more going on than just the pieces whether it's music or photo booths. You pretty much need to create the fun everywhere you go and the employee don't look the happiest to be there

The Balloon Museum in Austin was a decent experience, but it didn't leave a huge impression on me…read more Some of the art installations were creative and visually striking, and it's definitely a great spot for families. There were a lot of interactive exhibits that kids seemed to love. The museum spans a couple of stories, starting on the upper level, with plenty of colorful and immersive spaces that make for great Instagram photos. It's very hands-on, though, so if germs are a concern, this might not be the best pick. Parking was somewhat limited. There's a small one-level garage and some outdoor parking behind the building. The staff were friendly and welcoming, which I appreciated. Admission felt a bit pricey for what you get. It might have been worth it to me if I had children in my group.