Gingerbread Lane, Mississauga

Gingerbread Lane is found at 1107 Lorne Park Road, Unit 9, Mississauga, Ontario. You can find them online here. Their website is very pretty and usable, with some fantastic shots of the equipment and room. The rates are posted on their site and are reasonable for this area. Also, when we visited in the afternoon, it was half price!

I did notice a lot of small repairs are needed: there are patch holes on the wall that haven't been repainted, the back gate no longer latches on the play area, and a screw that caught my finger on the coat hooks in the front entrance. There was only one staff member, who was split between the front desk (granted, it was pretty quiet when we were there) and working in the kitchen on baked goods. She was friendly, but it seemed like this could be a liability. It just made my eyebrows go up a little.

The toys themselves were in good condition and clean. The room is not too big and required little of a parent in order to monitor the children. The play area and cafe area were clean and tidy. The front entrance needed a good sweep though, as I felt a lot of grit under my feet going from the coat area to the play area.

Two of us went and brought five kids between us, aged 8 months to 4 years. They all had a good time! The babies were able to cruise and explore, while the bigger kids raced around like the crazy folks that they certainly are at times. We had a delicious snack: some our own food and some from the cafe. If you visit, don't forget to get a cookie. These are some of the best I have ever tasted! Admission also includes a free cup of coffee or tea for the adult too. A nice touch of hospitality.

If I lived in that neighbourhood, I would certainly go back because of convenience. The overall impression for someone who drove in to meet a friend was ambivalence. There's nothing to blow a parent away, but also nothing terrible to turn you off either.