Lucy Reflects

We got to do something very cool today. And our kids LOVED it.

We were invited to explore Tiny Town before its grand opening Saturday, April 22.

Located at 533 Janet Avenue in downtown Lancaster, the 8,000-square- foot Tiny Town is an indoor pint- size community for children ages seven and under. It features nine playhouses including a salon, garage, restaurant, animal hospital, fire house and market, all fully furnished. I admired all the attention to detail each place was given. All the houses have functioning equipment, salon chairs that go up and down, x-rays in the animal hospital, realistic food at the market, registers, and books in the library. You can even work on a car at “Brent’s Garage.” It’s literally like they took a regular-sized village and shrunk it down. And it’s amazing.

Here’s the genius behind Tiny Town. The design of the space allows parents to sit back and let their kids play while they relax. You can see your kids from every seat in the house and there is café with coffee and snacks. You don’t have to play with them! Employees of Tiny Town (all parents who bring their kids to work with them, kudos to the owners for doing that, awesome.) are always around to help your kids. If you do choose to explore the village with the kids, each house accommodates adults as well. There’s a teeny tiny town for infants, a small “gated community” where babies can play while their parents sit on plush couches. In June, Tiny Town will introduce “tween town” for the older kiddos.

Our kids loved “grandma’s house” complete with a slide. The library is fully stocked with books with an upstairs reading nook overlooking Tiny Town. The twins loved the fire engine they could sit in, while Bea spent time in the salon and animal hospital. Guys, this place is so cool. It allows our kids to really use their imagination and the layout allows for parents to watch from afar from any seat in the house.

Owners Dale and Hannah Harris, parents of three children, brought their dream of Tiny Town to Lancaster to invite the little ones of our community to a unique place for adventures, fun and imagination. And from the looks of our kid’s faces tonight, I’d say they nailed it.

Hours are Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m.-8 p.m. and Sunday, 1-5 p.m. Admission is $10 for children over one and $8 for adults. Children under one are free. Although admission may seem a bit pricey, keep in mind, it can be an all-day event, YOU CAN RELAX WHILE YOUR KIDS PLAY and you can also bring in your own food and drinks (excluding nut products). As a freelance writer, this is a steal, $18 a day of uninterrupted work time? Yes, please. Or just uninterrupted time while you drink your coffee. You can’t put a price on that.

For more information on Tiny Town, visit their website at www.tinytownpa.com.