Imagine: A Center For Community & the Arts

We only used the downstairs space (didn’t realize there was an upstairs). This was one of the yuckiest play areas I’ve been to in five years of being a parent. I don’t know if there is hidden mold or what but my throat was closing up after about 15 minutes and there was an odd smell along one side of the building. My kids enjoyed themselves and most of the parents watched their own kids, which can’t be said of most play spots.

Love, love, love this place! Even though we live south of the river, this is our go-​to place for a rainy or snowy day. The hours are great and even on busy days it doesn’t feel too crowded – two floors and tons of activities, from reading to climbing. Such a friendly atmosphere and we always end up meeting interesting people. Haven’t found anything comparable to this anywhere around Boston.

I called to purchase gift passes because the website says that they are available over the phone, via email, or in person. The person on the other line offered minimal assurance and made me uncomfortable enough to explore other options, from «well we can do something other than coming to get them in person, I guess» to «we never had someone do it before, but I can’t enter your CC info and you can be the first», the person on the other line made it clear that it was uncomfortable for her (and for me) to purchase gift passes remotely. I decided to explore other options and am sad to report that there were limited options for those from the south shore. I ended up driving to the location to purchase my passes (inconvenient), and while the person I purchased from is nice (I think she is the owner), it was rather uncomfortable and only reassuring that I was losing out on $ 25 if things didn’t work out to plan.
The space itself is large and consists of several defined rooms so it didn’t feel claustrophobic. The price is comparable to other drop in play spaces, but combination of size and cleanliness made it a favorable choice.

Developmentally appropriate play, in a clean, comfortable, family-​friemdly, community-​supporting environment.
Looking for puzzles, blocks, balance bikes, rock climbing walls, infant swings, a ball pit, a bounce house, a puppet theatre, a toy grocery store, climbers, rocking horses, color and shape sorting toys, a rice table, Playmobil toys, a pretend medical center, magnetic blocks, an infant thru tween library
AND you want comfortable seating, access to fresh air, toddler and infant friendly bathrooms, the ability not only to bring snacks but also to refrigerate or heat them up and borrow a plate and cup and fork, high hairs, bumbo chairs, rocking chairs and a nursing room, a piano and an organ, free parking, nearby grocery stores/​quick service restaurants, and a place that will not crucify you for forgetting junior’s socks on a warm day?
This is your place!

Upstairs is lovely, bright, airy and clean. The owner and staff work hard to keep it organized during even the busiest times. Love the concept and community aspect. I hope to see it do well. Tricky for older siblings when there are a lot of toddlers around, no fault of the establishment! I wish they had opened sooner!

No need for a playroom in your cramped city condo when you have Imagine around the corner. The staff is sweet, and it has a very community-​like feel. There are playground for children of different languages. There are some limited time offerings like Tuesday ballet class at 4pm run by one of the mothers. It is a great place for birthday parties as there are two floors. There is a kitchen area with high chairs and diner style tables in upper floor play space, but there are little function rooms on both floors for parties. Right now the space caters mainly to the 7yrs and younger crowd, but I hope they grow to add programming for older kids (and I know this is the long term vision of the owner). Also, they added an outdoor play area in the back, accessible from the bottom floor.

Very clean. Good variety of toys. Good kitchen space, party area etc. Nice, safe area with good service.

What happens when children have space? They run, jump, laugh, play play play! Lots of different things for kids from little climbing structures to kitchen area to blocks, etc. A modest, comfy place to bring the kids. Seems like a nice community gathering spot too. Bring a book for yourself, otherwise you’ll be writing reviews on Unilocal

Best playspace in Boston. The variety of toys is amazing. They also have an indoor bounce house, train, climbing gym, mini «treehouse» of sorts, and swings! My kids (1 & 3) could play for 6 hours straight here and still not want to leave. It is huge!!! They even have a homey kitchen where you can serve your kids a packed lunch. Also, the owners are so sweet! I think the lady who started it used to work for or possibly own a preschool so she knows how to pick the most imaginative toys & activities for kids, as the name suggests. It’s very down to earth, but clean. We love Imagine!

Wonderful space with a fabulous variety of toys for kids in the infant/​toddler range. The staff continuously picked up so the space stayed clean and toys were easy to find. Everything organized by type: play food or puppets, cars or dolls, etc. For active kids, there’s a ball pool, jungle gym, bouncy house, and swings. There’s a kitchen for eating snacks/​lunch (the space is peanut-​free) and numerous bathrooms. Lots of chairs to sit, too.
If you have to be trapped inside, this is the way to do it!

Easy fun, for sure. Compared to other play spaces, Imagine makes it so easy.
The hours are long, uncomplicated and pretty much the same every single day. They don’t close down the big open areas for classes or birthday parties (even though they have them) and this means you don’t have to constantly check their hours or calendar on your phone while the city kids that so desperately need a little extra room to move pull you limb from limb.
They pick up after you. As I’ve mentioned elsewhere, I think we could all pitch in a bit more, but if you just can’t boss your kids into cleaning up their toys one more time, the women who run the place are there, doing the best they can to keep things tidy.
They have a rice table. I mean, what are they, martyrs? And that’s the tip of the iceberg… plus, they are constantly adding, editing and improving.
You can bring lunch. The bathrooms are convenient and clean.
I like the vibe. I’ve never once heard the staff speak in a discouraging way to any child. They trust the caregivers to keep kids safe and there’s not a lot of do this here, don’t do that there, this is allowed, this is not allowed adult nagging. I’m not a super-​permissive parent by any means, but I think the hands off approach of the (minimal) staff allows for some pretty old-​fashioned free play.
Once you figure out the parking (or the busses) it’s the easiest thing in the world to show up, meet friends, and let off steam — the kids’ and your own.
Sure there are places where the toys are fancier or more educational, the parents take more responsibility, the space and toys better engage large motor skills, there are more structured activities and/​or less weird art and depressing ceiling tile. But Imagine is very cool in lots of ways and I’m so happy to have them nearby.

Only saw upstairs so can’t comment on downstairs. Clean, very large playspace. Tons of toys for your kid to play with. On the day we went, parents were pretty good about watching their kids and there were no crazy kids (or slacker parents) ruining it for everybody. They have parking. If you go early, it’s emptier, but the heat takes some time to warm the place up. Compared to Jam time Maynard, it’s a bigger space with more toys, plus books too. Less big structures to play on but still enough. NO wifi, but that might be a good thing as parents can not just zone out. Great hours too — 9 – 6 every day.
The price is now $ 10, but it’s still a good deal; not sure how they stayed in business at $ 7.

This review is written on behalf of my mother who brought my son to IMAGINE.
I had the opportunity to take my 2.5 years old grandson to IMAGINE The Activity Center. We had a ball. The small admittance fee was quite worth it ($ 7.00). When you take off your shoes or sneakers there are cubby holes and hooks for our coats and jackets. There are so many things to do inside. He played with the cook house, the shopping cart, and the sliding board with a good view and good speed. He loved the bouncy house. He loved the monkey bars. We stayed there a little over 3 hours, time went by so quickly. We bought snacks with us so we had snack breaks and we also had potty breaks. The bathroom was nice and clean. We had a fun time even with the parents. We are thankful to have a center to participate in where our children can have fun and you guys do all the cleaning up!

Such an awesome place filled with love and passion for child development, the arts and culture! I came in to sight see from NYC and was really amazed by the place. Great place for rainy day fun. Dance floor, ping pong tables, play gyms for the kids, and great professional staff to run the activities with.

Perfect for my three year old and one year old. Has absolutely everything we could want, and so clean! I can’t wait to see what else they do with it.

LOVE THIS PLACE!
We’ve been coming here for months with our 1.5 year old. We prefer it to any indoor playspace we’ve been to, because it has so much more than others offer.
–Climbing structures, mini-​ball-​pit, bounce house, riding toys for more active play
–train table
–small toys (stacking cups, fake food, dollhouse, jack-​in-​box type toys) appropriate for a variety of ages
–musical instruments and puppets
–rice table (like a water table) in the kitchen
–art supplies
–book nook with lots of children’s books and a futon pillow on the floor.
My child loves it and we love it.

This place is amazing. Like others, I hesitated to review it because I didn’t want it to get mobbed, but I also worry that they’ll stay in business, since it’s frankly unbelievable how awesome it is for such a low cost. Free craft materials, snacks and coffee, and the weird art for sale everywhere (think puppies with giant eyes) adds a singular ambience. I would live here if I could.

I almost don’t want to give this place a rave review because I would love to keep it a secret fun space for daughter, but it is too wonderful not to tell people about and only a matter of time until word spreads about how truly amazing Imagine is!
From free coffee and snacks (most people make a donation though) to a bouncy house, to a puppet theater, to a quite reading nook, to a rice sensory table, there is pretty much every activity here that you could imagine doing with your toddler or young child.
It is clean and well tended; upon my arrival workers were hard at work shoveling and they literally didn’t stop cleaning and tidying for the entire 3 hours we were there. Guests are courteous of others and very friendly.
It is only a matter of time until the word gets out about what a haven for parents and young children Imagine really is!

This place was a lifesaver when my West Coast family of 4 (2 kids ages 5 and 19 months) visited my sister and her family (daughter age 20 months). The kids body clocks were off, and going out as a big group was challenging. It was nice to be able to bring the kids somewhere safe, clean, and entertaining. The staff (owner?) was very friendly and laid back. The bathroom had three large stalls and a changing table. It was perfect. I wish we had this play space right near my own house!

I believe this place just recently opened, but there already is a feeling of community and warmth as soon as you walk through the doors. The space itself is beautiful. Colorful paintings abound. Everything is kept clean (parents must leave shoes at the door). And of course there are a million things to keep the little ones busy. Also, it is wonderfully convenient. The hours are 9 – 6 and they’re open during many holidays.