A suspended drawbridge connects through the trunk of a sprawling tree to a glass-walled observatory. It’s not in the jungle – it’s located in Dearborn, at the all-new Kidcadia Play Cafe.
“The idea was to take a piece of an enchanted forest and recreate something whimsical inside,” says dad-of-two Moneer Abdo, who’s the co-owner (along with fellow father Nasser Mozep). In fact, he says, the interior is a re-creation of a “hand-painted work.”
The space, which was set to open last month, boasts a three-level play structure spanning 4,500 square feet with multiple slides, obstacle courses and a rope area.
There’s a separate 600-square-foot space for toddlers, too, and a full cafe restaurant that will serve gourmet soup, salads, sandwiches and snacks for kids – including a grilled cheese shaped like a jigsaw puzzle piece.
It’s all done with “precision cooking methods” used by high-end restaurants, Abdo notes.
“I have two daughters, 5-year-old Layla and 7-year-old Aleena, and I was always looking for a nice place for us as a family to hang out,” says Abdo, 33, who is also an ER physician. “It was really born out of a desire to have a place where I can go as a parent while having a unique environment for my own kids and the other kids in the city.”
Abdo says his girls have been helping out by being the “test subjects” for the structure.
“After three months playing in it almost daily, when I say ‘let’s go home now’ and they still don’t want to leave, I know we did something right.”
Kidcadia Play Café is located at 13939 Michigan Ave. in Dearborn and is open 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $9.99-$14.99/ages 2 and up; $4.99-$6.99/12 months-2; free/adults and kids under 12 months (prices increase Friday-Saturday).
For more information, visit them online at kidcadia.com.
