We Tried It: Keiki Kingdom

What:  A new indoor playground in Honolulu with the biggest ball pit you’ve ever seen.

Who:  A first grader, two kindergarteners, a three-year-old and their moms

Where:  1460 South Beretania St. (where Foodland used to be)

When: A Saturday morning at 10 a.m.

Photo: Maria Kanai

W e went out with a bang at the end of spring break by going to Keiki Kingdom, the new indoor playground that opened over New Year’s where the old Foodland used to be on South Beretania Street. The bright orange walls are easy to spot and at 9:50 a.m. on a Saturday morning, there were plenty of stalls available at the parking lot. There’s already a line of people huddled under the awnings of Keiki Kingdom for shade. Because at the time of writing this, there are no online reservations, only walk-ups are available.

We’ve been to other indoor playgrounds before, but even I felt a thrill of excitement as we walked inside and saw the space. My six-year-old Anna and three-year-old Noah went “oooooooh!” as they jumped up and down with excitement. To our left, there was a small go-cart course. In front of us, a multi-level play structure that includes a ginormous ball pit, multiple slides, trampolines and a rock climbing wall. Apart from the structure, there are separate spaces sectioned out for various types of play: a toddlers-only area, a sandbox, a carousel and a miniature walk-up apartment with a kitchen and bedroom.

Photo: Maria Kanai

The line moved quickly. Prices are comparable to Kids City, at $22 per child for two hours, $32 for three hours and $5 per adult. The main policy difference is that everyone including adults and keiki need to purchase grip socks from Keiki Kingdom. Even if you have grip socks, you can’t bring your own. Be sure not to lose them so you can bring them with you on your next visit. At check in, we signed waivers and got stickers with our name and time limit, and a red wristband for assigned lockers to store our bags and shoes.

SEE ALSO: We Tried It: Kids City Adventure Honolulu

As expected, my kids went straight for the gigantic ball pit. Most adults were sitting down on the edges of the pit, but it was hard for me to keep track of my three-year-old, so I waded through the pit. Anna and her friends began running through the play structure. There are foam cannons to shoot balls, multiple slides of varying steepness, obstacle courses and even a short zipline. Noah started throwing balls at zombies on a projector screen. Then, all four of the kids made their way to the top of the steepest red slide, but they all chickened out because it’s so steep. Turns out, this particular slide is reserved for keiki five and older.

Photo: Maria Kanai

The fun is nonstop, intense and honestly, a little stressful. I wish I could say I just relaxed and talked to my friend for two hours, but majority of the time we were on keiki watching duty. She kept track of my older daughter and her two kids, while I spent the majority of our time there trying to locate Noah.

The play structure at the ball pit area is so huge and has various places kids can exit, so I lost track of Noah a few times. I was often wading through the pit, shouting his name over “Eye of the Tiger” that was blasting through the speakers. I didn’t have to worry too much about the older kids, but my son’s too adventurous to be left alone! Don’t forget to peek behind the two-story apartment that has the kitchen and bedroom play area—there’s a space where keiki can run across a light-up keyboard and glowing circles.

Photo: Maria Kanai

Us moms breathed a sigh of relief once the kids made their way to the sand pit, which is a space filled with tiny colorful plastic pebbles. There’s a climbing structure in the middle and an abundance of beach toys, cars, trucks and shovels. Noah spent almost half an hour there, filling a bucket with pebbles and then dumping them out. Rinse and repeat. He made friends with an older boy who had a snake puppet and they laughed and laughed as they pretended to feed the snake with the pebbles.

SEE ALSO: We Tried It: Keiki Republic

Photo: Maria Kanai

By 11 a.m., Keiki Kingdom was packed. The three older kids hopped on the carousel, which was manned by a staff member, and then spent time at a table where they can color dinosaurs on screens and watch it on the projector screen. There was also a lounge area with comfy arm chairs where kids can watch the Disney channel on the projector screen. Nearby, there’s a mini arcade, toys for sale and tables and chairs for adults to sit down and relax. Sandwiches, cupcakes, sushi rolls and SPAM musubi are sold at the counter in the $3 to $8 range. Since they sell food, you can’t bring your own food here, but water is OK.

At around noon, there was a big hullabaloo as a cute fuzzy orange mascot named Keiki came out with a party hat and held a dance party. Since it was St. Patricks’ Day the day before, they were giving out green wristbands with clover designs.

The two hours flew by. When we had 15-minutes left, I let all four kids know that they can do one last thing, and they all returned to the ball pit. This time, Anna found the courage to go down the giant red slide and of course, she found it so exhilarating that she continued to do it 10 more times.

Photo: Maria Kanai

Our Tips

1. 1. 1. 1. 1. Have a game plan.  This space is large and as I experienced, it’s easy to lose track of one child if you’re trying to keep an eye on another. Before going in, especially with older keiki, it might be a good idea to have a game plan of where to meet up if they get lost. Assign adults to watch kids if you’re going with a group of two families or more.
               
            2. Bring your Keiki Kingdom socks back the next time you go. You‘ll save $3 per sock.
               
            3. Bring a full water bottle. Stay hydrated while you’re there.
            4. Get there early. Or consider going on a weekday for less crowds. I had to step out at around 11 a.m. to go to my car and the parking lot was full.

Keiki Kingdom is open Sunday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Admission for kids (10 months to 13 years) is $22 for two hours, $32 for three hours. Admission for adults is $5. Monthly memberships are also available. (808) 515-3454. 1460 South Beretania St., Honolulu. keikikingdom.com, @keikikingdom