Dulles Town Center Play Area (Dulles, VA)

Adam and I stopped by the Dulles Town Center one day in November to check out it’s play area.  It was not crowded the morning we went (although I suspect it’s a different story during the Christmas season).

The play area is strictly intended for younger kids — there is a prominent sign asking parents to respect the rule of 42″ or less.

This play area is smaller than the one in Tysons Corner and is situated in the middle of the mall on the upper level, between JCPenny and Nordstrom.   The area is enclosed with seating, which would not be hard for an adventuresome toddler to escape from, although I didn’t see any when I was there.

There are 4 play elements in this play area.

The Airplane

This features a couple of slides and places to climb and pretend to fly.

The Control Tower

This sits at the entrance and kids can run through it, like a giant redwood.

A Baggage Cart

A Ramp Thingee

I’m guessing this is supposed to mimic the architecture of Dulles Airport.  Kids, especially mine, enjoyed running across it.

Dulles Town Center does have one of those Express Trains where you pay for a ride, but thankfully it is on the lower level, away from the play area.   I believe it operates outside of the lower level Sears entrance and rides are $1.50/pp.  There is also an antique mini-carousel in the Food Court, which also costs $1.50/ride.   There is info about these rides on their website.

Dulles Town Center also provides weekly musical entertainment on Thursdays at 11am.   It is typically Rocknoceros, although when we passed by there was a substitute, I believe it was The Banjo Man.

All in all, the play area at Dulles Town Center was a nice little diversion and play area for younger kids.  I wouldn’t go out of my way to get there, but it was a good break after doing a little shopping with kids in tow.

Worth noting:  there is no bathroom in close proximity to the play area.  You would need to find one inside the department stores (JCPenny, Nordstrom or Sears) or use the one at the far end of the food court.

Looking for more places to play? Check out my reviews of other Playgrounds, Parks, and Play Areas in Arlington and the greater Metro DC area.