The Play Garden at New Towne Mall opened on December 15th, 2007 and is now open year-round. The Play Garden is an indoor playground constructed of soft foam material, safe for children under 42" tall to play on. The Play Garden is one-of-a-kind and was custom-designed exclusively for New Towne Mall...

Photo courtesy of Pat Burk, Photographer with the Times Reporter

The Play Garden comprises 1,000 square feet of space, consisting of a grand entrance facade, climbers, slides, tunnels, a play wall, shoe keepers and parent seating. The soft cushioned carpeting is custom designed and includes outdoor-themed elements including grass, flowers, leaves, a running brook with stepping stones and a path leading children throughout.

   is the primary sponsor of The Play Garden...

"The custom design of the play area is themed after the metamorphosis of a caterpillar to a butterfly, a metaphor for the transformation your body goes through on route to health at a fitness center such as ours," said Kelly Rager, manager at Super Fitness. "A pathway leads children on the 'Transformation Trail' that includes a caterpillar on a treadmill and a car that children can sit in and crawl through the tires. There is a bridge to climb on and slide down, a water bottle crawl-through and a component that represents a caterpillar's cocoon. The trail then leads children to an impressive 9' tall butterfly climber."

    is a co-sponsor of The Play Garden...

"Toddlers and small children can play on our custom play wall that educates children on the inner workings of a radio station," said Ed Shumacher, general manager of WTUZ Radio. In addition, WTUZ also features an interactive touch screen kiosk at the paly area, allowing visitors to access music selections and view photo slide shows.

  is a co-sponsor of The Play Garden...

The Play Garden is located directly in front of Auntie Anne's store inside New Towne Mall. "We are very excited to help bring this amenity to New Towne Mall," said Charlie Bauer, owner of Auntie Anne's. "Auntie Anne's will offer product sampling and children's activities at select times and most notably will host children's birthday parties at The Play Garden." Those interested in holding birthday parties at The Play Garden should contact Auntie Anne's directly by calling 330-339-3278.

The Play Garden was custom designed and manufactured by Klondike Kidstuff, Inc., experts in custom play area manufacturing. "We at Klondike are totally committed to delivering the safest, highest quality play systems," said Kelly Murphy, Director of Sales and Marketing for Klondike. "Klondike is the world's only ISO 9001:2000 Certified manufacturer of soft foam play systems. Our KIDSOFTT Safety Surface is certified for a 5' fall height and our play areas are wheelchair friendly with an easy access entrance.

The Play Garden at New Towne Mall is not only fun, but the interactivity it provides can be helpful in child development. For example, custom activity panels can improve hand-eye coordination and slides and climbers promote social interaction and development, cognitive development and problem solving skills.