• Kids Playhouse

  34-17 Steinway St., Astoria; 718-806-1288

  This colorful little playpen may not have generated the buzz of bigger, flashier Frolic! in Williamsburg, but it doesn’t come with its $83-a-month price tag either. Here, three hours of play cost just $7—no membership required. Squealy fun-inducers include an elaborate two-story maze, double racing slides, a carpeted toddler area exploding with toys, an arcade jammed with tween-friendly claw machines, the requisite pizza bar, and—hallelujah!—free Wi-Fi for parents. The one catch: no drop-in times on the weekend, when the space is reserved for private parties.

From the 2013 Best of New York issue of New York Magazine