Kids can play with bunnies and parakeets to their hearts’ content at the newest play space to hit Chicago.
If you go
Happy Play Café
2346 N. Clark St., Chicago
(773) 799-8944
Open daily
per child with one free adult, extra adult; adult-only admission for bunnies and birds only.
Happy Play Café was created by two sisters, both parents themselves, on the theory that pets need a loving environment and most kids love playing with pets.
“Everybody loves the concept of having animals and a play space,” manager Amelia Milton says.
One hundred parakeets fill the bird room, and if you and your child stand quietly (and lure them with a bird feed stick), the friendly birds will land all over you.
The play space includes three rooms that appeal to different ages. The toddler room, for ages 6 months and up, includes ball pits and a small train table. The next room, a room for pretending, holds four wooden houses and a teepee, with lots of kitchen tools, a grocery store and a lawnmower. A third room, the train room, features a big train table, Hot Wheels cars and a marble run.
“I really, really love seeing the kids’ responses to the animals. I’ve always loved kids and animals, so it’s great to see a kid get excited about the animals,” she says.
“… You just see them light up.”
Bonus, if your child gets really attached to one of her new long-eared or feathered playmates, you can adopt it.