There are few things more magical than finding a place where your little kid can play safely, your coffee can stay within reach, and you do not have to whisper-yell “please stop climbing that” every 12 seconds.
Indianapolis parents, we have a new spot to add to the list.
The Nest Play Café opens May 4, 2026, at 515 E. 22nd St., Suite 101, in the Fall Creek Place neighborhood, and it’s bringing something Indianapolis families have been needing for a long time: a true indoor play café right here in the city.
The Nest combines a sweet indoor playscape designed for children ages 0–6 with a café and gathering space for parents, grandparents, nannies, and caregivers. It’s the kind of place where your toddler can climb, build, pretend, and explore, while you sip coffee, chat with another adult, or maybe answer one email before someone asks for a snack.
A parent can dream.
A New Indoor Play Café in Indianapolis
If you’ve ever tried to get out of the house with a baby, toddler, or preschooler on a freezing cold day, a rainy day, a too-hot day, or a day when your living room has officially become a danger zone, you know the value of a good indoor play place.
But The Nest is a little different.
This isn’t a giant, loud play space built for big kids where your toddler disappears into a tube slide, and your blood pressure immediately spikes. The Nest was created specifically for early childhood, with play experiences designed for babies, toddlers, preschoolers, and young children up to age six.
That means the space is built around the way little kids actually play. They need to move. They need to imagine. They need to stack things, knock them down, climb, balance, pretend, and make a new best friend named “the kid in the striped shirt” within 45 seconds.
The Nest gives them room to do all of that in a safe, welcoming indoor space.
What Kids Can Do at The Nest Play Café
The play area at The Nest includes balance elements, building blocks, and imaginative play stations that encourage movement, creativity, and social interaction.
For parents, that means your child gets to burn energy, practice new skills, and enjoy open-ended play without you having to plan an entire themed craft, build a pillow fort, or sacrifice your couch cushions to the toddler gods.
For kids, it’s just fun.
They can climb. They can build. They can make-believe. They can play alongside other kids and learn all those big-little-kid things, like taking turns, sharing space, solving problems, and discovering that someone else also thinks blocks are best used as soup ingredients.
During the warmer months, there’s an outdoor patio that serves as a play area (it’s there now but will be enclosed at a later date).
A Café for the Grown-Ups
The “café” part of The Nest Play Café is not an afterthought, and bless them for that.
The Nest will serve coffee from Indianapolis-based Tinker Coffee Co., along with charcuterie offerings from Spring + Plate and a menu featuring fresh, locally sourced food and drinks.
So yes, the kids get a beautiful place to play, but the grown-ups get something, too. Coffee. Food. A place to sit. A chance to connect. Maybe even a moment where nobody is asking you to open a cheese stick.
The Nest is meant to be a gathering space where caregivers can relax, work, or chat while their children play nearby. It’s part indoor play space, part neighborhood café, and part “thank goodness, we found somewhere to go today.”
Created by Someone Who Gets Kids and Families
The Nest Play Café was created by Peggy Esselman Campbell, a longtime educator and nonprofit leader with more than 30 years of experience working with children and families.
Campbell has served as a classroom teacher, parent educator, and nonprofit leader, and she holds degrees in elementary education and special education. So when she designed The Nest, she was not just thinking about where to put the blocks and coffee bar. She was thinking about child development, caregiver wellbeing, and what families actually need.
“As a mom and someone who has spent my career supporting children and families, I saw a need for a space where young kids could play and explore while parents could also take a moment to breathe,” Campbell said. “My hope is that The Nest becomes a welcoming place where families can gather, connect, and feel part of a community.”
And truly, that is the dream. A place where kids can play freely, and grown-ups can exhale.
Day Passes, Memberships, Birthday Parties, and Community Gatherings
The Nest offers day passes, memberships, daily play opportunities, and space for birthday parties and community gatherings.
I can already see this becoming a favorite for playdates, grandparent outings, birthday parties for the preschool crowd, parent meetups, and those weekday mornings when everyone at home is just a little too loud.
Because when you have young kids, having a reliable indoor spot in your back pocket is not a luxury. It’s survival. It’s joy. It’s the difference between “we had such a fun morning” and “why is there yogurt on the window?”
Where is The Nest Play Café?
The Nest Play Café is located at 515 E. 22nd St., Suite 101, in Indianapolis’ Fall Creek Place neighborhood, just north of downtown.
It’s easy to reach from nearby neighborhoods like Herron-Morton Place, Mapleton-Fall Creek, Meridian-Kessler, and Broad Ripple, perfect Indianapolis families who want an indoor play café without driving out to the suburbs.
The Nest Play Café Information
The Nest Play Café
515 E. 22nd St., Suite 101
Indianapolis, IN 46202
Opening May 4, 2026
Reservations recommended
Designed for children ages 0–6
Day passes, memberships, birthday parties, and community gatherings.
Website: indynestplaycafe.com
The Nest Play Café Prices
The Nest Play Café offers a few different ways to play, depending on whether you’re stopping in once, planning to visit often, or need a little work time while the kids play.
For a 90-minute play session, admission is $15 for children ages 1 and up, $5 for babies ages 3 months to 1 year, and free for babies under 3 months. Families can leave and return during the same 90-minute window. Siblings are $10 each, and caregivers are always free.
Families who want more flexibility can purchase a daily pass for $25, which is good for all-day play with the option to leave and come back.
The Multi-Pass includes 10 visits for $125, and the visits never expire. Each child uses one punch per visit, making it a good option for occasional play or gifting.
For frequent visitors, monthly memberships include unlimited play, discounts on espresso drinks, and party discounts. Memberships can be used by any caregiver bringing your child. Monthly pricing is $70 for one child, $95 for two children, and $125 for three children. Six-month and one-year membership options are also available by calling The Nest.
The Nest also offers Work Hours every Monday and Wednesday from 9–11:30 am. Parents can use a private room to work while kids enjoy supervised play and activities. Work Hours are $30 for the first child and $10 for each additional child, with advance sign-up required.
Address
515 E. 22nd St., Suite 101
indianapolis
in
Visit The Nest Play Cafe | Indoor Play Space & Coffee Shop
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