Storyville: A Fun indoor place for kids to play in Maryland

Storyville is such a hidden gem in Baltimore. I recently found out about this space while searching places to take your kids near me. I could not believe it was part of a library so I took my kids for some evening fun and it was a blast.

It is part of the Baltimore County Public Library which has two Storyville locations at Rosedale and Woodlawn. We went to the Rosedale location but I bet Woodlawn is just as great.

It’s known for being an interactive early literacy and learning center for children. They have something to do for babies up until age 5 (sorry kids older than 5 are not allowed).

Read on to find out why this is a fun indoor play place for your kids in Maryland!

What makes Storyville Rosedale  a fun indoor place for kids?

Storyville has several sections that make it such a great imaginative space for kids

Baby Garden

This area is reserved for babies who are not waking yet but it looks really fun!. Babies can crawl around in the Baby Garden and its full of manipulative toys, textured flowers, mirrors, mobiles, peek-a-boo windows and board books.

Toddler Woods or Toddler Bay

This is a little nice area for toddlers to hang around, there was the log of wood to crawl under and also a little tower house and books as usual.

Grocery Store and Mailroom

This section was also a hit! There is a ton of grocery to purchase from; a bakery section, eggs, dairy, cleaning supplies, books, drinks, canned food, lots of fruits in a separate section arranged by colors, drinks, meat, poultry, seafood etc. There is also a scale to weigh all the amazing grocery.

Once you grab your groceries, you can make your way to the cash register to pay for them. On your way out, you may choose to stop at the mailroom where the packages are sorted out by small, medium or large sizes.

Puppet Stage and Theatre

You can make your way down to the Storyville theater for a great show or to watch a puppet show. My kids loved dressing up in the costumes and pretending to be in shows.

Home Living Area

While here you can live in Storyville lane which is a two level building that’s fully equipped. When you come into the building, there is the living room area with a couch and several books at the bottom.

There is also a nice sized kitchen where kids can pretend to cook for each other, read recipe books, sit down to eat at the little dining table etc. You can then climb up the stairs to the bedroom area to get some rest at the end of the day. Outside this lovely home is a little outdoor sitting area.

This building was a huge hit as my kids spent a good deal of our time at Storyville here. They made a variety of foods to eat, made fun calls from the kitchen phone to their friends to come over for dinner, made some lollipops, cleaned up the kitchen and living area and also fed the baby dolls.

Construction Zone

The construction zone has a bunch of books for kids to sit and read while pretending to do some construction work. The floors are also designed to show measurements of the construction going on. There is also an upstairs section that contains some extra toys for kids like cars etc. the construction zone also has a construction table where kids can pretend to be cutting things out to the right dimensions.

Library

The library was a fun space too with the books arranged with structure type bookshelves like a train.

Storyville also has a good amount of coat hooks which is perfect during the cold weather for all the jackets. It also has stroller parking and little cubbies in the family restroom area to put shoes or bags etc while playing.

There are also two chairs to hangout if you happen to be waiting for someone in the restroom or you just want to hang out there reading some books quietly.

Things to know before you visit

Hours

Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Locations

Storyville@Rosedale
6105 Kenwood Avenue
Baltimore, Maryland 21237

Storyville@Woodlawn
1811 Woodlawn Drive
Woodlawn, Maryland 21207

• Admission is FREE
• Storyville was designed specifically for children birth to age 5. I do wish older kids were allowed at least up to ages 10 as my daughter will be turning 6 soon and will make it hard to visit if I need to exclude her. I bet this is the case for some parents. Although there is a full-service children’s area in the main part of the branch.
• Since it’s a library and also in a shopping center, there is a ton of parking space
• Help ensure your kids put away the toys in the right areas before proceeding
• If your child puts a toy in their mouth, place it in the “Sanitize Me” bag you received at check-in, or in the “Sanitize Me” bin at the greeter desk.

• Food and drinks are not allowed
• Storyville is busiest on weekday mornings and weekend afternoons, particularly on days when Story Time events are being held at the branch
• Due to the pandemic, capacity has been reduced to half (30) so you may have to wait if capacity has been reached.

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