When it gets cold and snowy in the Ellisville area, all you and your family probably want to do is stay inside and keep warm. But there are plenty of great places around town where you can escape cabin fever but still stay out of the cold. That’s why Crème de la Crème of Ellisville has put together this list of our eight favorite places to stay warm and have fun during the winter in the Ellisville, Missouri, area. 

DEFY St. Louis

Kids play in a foam pit to warm up during the winter in Ellisville, Missouri

Besties at the trampoline park” licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Flickr by ralph_bean

DEFY is an awesome indoor trampoline park that welcomes families from around the Greater St. Louis area all year long. And if you and your kids want to keep warm but are about to bounce off the walls, head to DEFY St. Louis in Ballwin to bounce on this facility’s trampoline walls. 

You can traverse the ninja obstacle course, play a few rounds of jumping dodgeball, swing around on aerial silks, and tumble into some foam block pits. You can even bring your youngest jumpers to Kid Jump so they can get a head start on their favorite jump areas before bigger kids get there.

Amp Up Action Park

Amp Up Action Park in nearby Town and Country is an indoor fun center that has plenty of fun activities for adults and older kids alike. You can race go karts, throw axes at targets, play laser tag, experience virtual reality, and tackle the high-flying rope obstacle course. Many of the activities at Amp Up Action Park are meant for kiddos of a certain age or certain height. For example, ax throwing is for kids 14 years old and up, while go-kart racing is meant for kids who are at least 54-inches tall.

Upper Limits

Interested in rock climbing? Then Upper Limits in nearby Chesterfield is the place to go. This facility offers indoor rock climbing for climbers of all levels, so beginners and seasoned climbers alike can find a fun challenge here. Climbers of all ages can take classes to learn proper techniques and build up their grip and climbing muscles. You can also come for free climb to practice your skills and get great views of the facility. Kids will love challenging themselves to the Wacky Walls climbing area, a fantastical space with multiple unique climbing walls, including a beanstalk. 

Swing-A-Round Fun Town

During the winter, you can visit Swing-A-Round Fun Town for their indoor activities, like bumper cars and arcade games. At the arcade, you’ll find a variety of classic games, like skeeball and Pac-Man, and new digital video games that cost between $0.35 and $3 per play. Kids at least 5 years old can drive a bumper car in the Spin Zone, and kids as young as 3 years old can be passengers with their parents. There’s also an indoor playground with plenty of room for kids to run around. 

You might visit the Fenton Swing-A-Round Fun Town location during the warmer months, too, since this place also has bumper boats, mini golf, batting cages, and an outdoor go-kart track.

Miss Kelly’s Gym

Miss Kelly’s Gym in nearby Creve Coeur is a kids gymnastics and play gym for children who are 10 months to 12 years old. You can bring your kids here for gymnastics and tumbling classes for their age group, sign them up for a seasonal camp, or bring them here for open gym time. During open gym time, they can practice skills and techniques they learned in class or during their camp or they can jump, tumble, and play with their friends. 

Miss Kelly’s also has a Parents Night Out program where you can bring your kids to the gym for fun playtime while you have a few hours without the kiddos. 

We Rock the Spectrum Kids Gym

We Rock the Spectrum in Fenton is a kids’ gym that has play areas with fun and educational activities for every child with autism spectrum disorders. Throughout the facility, you’ll find toys, games, and classes that help kids learn a variety of topics, develop key skills, and socialize with other kids. Not to mention, the activities are also meant to provide safe sensory experiences. Some of the awesome features of the gym include an indoor play structure, a fine arts activities area, a trampoline, a zip line, and suspended swings all throughout the space. 

We Rock the Spectrum offers open play throughout the week and hosts private events.

HealthWorks Kids Museum

HealthWorks is a museum and indoor playground all wrapped into one. Here you and your kids can explore the interactive exhibits throughout the facility and learn all about how the human body works. The indoor playground is actually an enormous musculoskeletal model that features climbing areas and a slide. There’s a model dentist’s office where kids can get up close and personal with dental examination equipment, including the exam chair, X-ray station, and recreations of microscopic dental issues, including cavities. There’s also a doctor’s office and a pharmacy where kids can learn more about how medicine and treatments work.

Other exhibits throughout the facility tell the story of the many facets of human health, from brushing your teeth to eating whole foods to the silly sounds our bodies make.

Play Street Museum

The Play Street Museum is another indoor facility that’s part play place, part museum. Here you’ll find a mini town square featuring a bakery, a fire station, a grocery store, and many more neighborhood locations. Kids can freely explore these spaces, play pretend, interact with the toys and features of each area, and learn new skills while doing it. Your children can improve their communication skills, flex their building muscles, develop an understanding of communities, and more. This play place is meant for children who are infants up to 8 years old. 

So there you have it, eight awesome places where you can take your family for fun and warmth this winter. Did we miss your family’s favorite cold-weather play places in and around Ellisville? If so, contact us, and we’ll be sure to add it to our list!