Rainy Days With Kids in Lake Charles

Indoor play spots near Lake Charles for when the kids want to play outside the house

Rainy days aren’t the problem. Deciding what to do about them at 9 a.m. is.

The rain is coming sideways across Lakeshore Drive. Your kids have asked “what are we doing today?” twice, and the coffee isn’t done.

Here’s the fix: pick a spot from this list and go. It’s sorted by cost per person, free first.

$ is $5 and under. $$ is up to $15. $$$ is up to $30. $$$$ is anything above that. Prices and hours change, so check each place’s website or Facebook page before you load the car.

Check out my printable list of Kids Eat Free places to make it a full day out!

Which Rainy Day Spots Are Free?

• Play at Prien Lake Mall (near Dillard’s, 496 W. Prien Lake Rd.): An indoor play area with a toddler section, a stomp tower race game, a tunnel with a slide, and a dome climber. There’s also life-size chess, checkers, and a four-in-a-row game. Check the mall’s hours before you go.
• Fast food play places: McDonald’s (4212 Ryan St.), the Burger King close by, and Chick-fil-A (Nelson Road) all have indoor play places. The play equipment is free, but you’ll want to buy a meal while you use a table.
• Creole Nature Trail Adventure Point (2740 Ruth St., Sulphur): Free, with hands-on displays about Louisiana wildlife and culture, including a Cajun and Zydeco band you can play along with.
• Calcasieu Parish Public Library: Free to walk in. What’s in the kids’ area is different at each branch, so here’s every branch in Lake Charles, Sulphur, Westlake, and Moss Bluff, and what we’ve seen at the ones we’ve visited.
  • Sulphur Regional Library (1160 Cypress St., Sulphur): Our favorite indoor play place. It has a Lego table, a big dollhouse, a kitchen set, computers, puzzles, and coloring. Open Monday to Thursday 9 AM to 8 PM, Friday 9 to 6, Saturday 9 to 5, and Sunday 1 to 5.
  • Central Library (301 W. Claude St., Lake Charles): A Lego table, magnet tiles, and coloring. Same hours as Sulphur Regional.
  • Carnegie Memorial Library (411 Pujo St., Lake Charles): Open Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 6 PM. I haven’t checked what’s in the kids’ area.
  • Epps Memorial Library (1320 N. Simmons St., Lake Charles): Open Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 6 PM, and Saturday 10 to 2. I haven’t checked what’s in the kids’ area.
  • Moss Bluff Library (261 Parish Rd., Moss Bluff): Open Monday to Thursday 9 AM to 8 PM, Friday 9 to 6, Saturday 9 to 5, and Sunday 1 to 5. I haven’t checked what’s in the kids’ area.
  • Westlake Library (937 Mulberry St., Westlake): Open Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 6 PM. I haven’t checked what’s in the kids’ area.
  • Maplewood Outreach Center (91 Center Circle, Sulphur): An outreach center, not a full branch. Open Monday to Friday, 7:30 AM to 4 PM. Call before you drive.
• Bookstores: Good when you want out of the house but need a quieter vibe.
  • Books-A-Million (Prien Lake Mall): Free to walk in and browse. It has a large toy and game section kids can look through.
• 1911 Historic City Hall Arts & Cultural Center (downtown): Free, but not ideal for kids. It’s art exhibits, and little ones will be bored fast. Save it for older kids who can look quietly.
• Henning Cultural Center (Sulphur): Free, but not for little kids. It’s mostly glass cases of old items, and little kids lose interest fast.

Which Spots Cost $5 or Less Per Person ($)?

• Trinity Baptist Church (Kids Place in their Gym Center): A huge indoor play area, about $5 a child. (Nelson & Country Club)
• Imperial Calcasieu Museum (West Sallier Street): $5 for adults and $3 for kids 17 and under, according to the museum’s website. Not for little kids. It’s a history museum, so there isn’t much for them to do and they’ll be done fast. Save it for older kids. The Sallier Oak, one of the oldest live oaks in Louisiana, is on the grounds.

Which Spots Cost Up to $15 Per Person ($$)?

• LDWF Nature and Science Center at Port Wonder: $6 a person, and infants 23 months and under are free. It has aquariums and a touch tank. The Children’s Museum is a separate ticket. Although, you should plan to do both. If you take kids in there and say, “we’re only doing the aquarium, not the museum” it will go over like a lead balloon.
• SPAR Recreational Facility (Sulphur) Indoor Pool (heated): SPAR (not the outdoor water park park, but inside the facility) has an indoor zero entry heated pool ($7 per person; 2 and under free). They have life vests onsite.
• Mr. Gatti’s Pizza (Ryan Street): A pizza buffet with GattiLand, an arcade with a prize desk. $5 gets you between 5 and 10 games, on top of the buffet. Hours change by day, so check before you drive. [confirm buffet price]
• Cici’s Pizza (Ryan Street): It’s a buffet, but the arcade in the back helps on a rainy day. The kids’ buffet and drink combo is about $7.99, and game cards are extra. [confirm price]
• Mardi Gras Museum of Imperial Calcasieu (Nellie Lutcher Cultural District): $8 for kids and $15 for adults. Better for older kids. Trying on costumes and riding in a simulated parade helps, but it’s still a museum, and little ones will run out of things to do quickly. Open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 AM to 5 PM.
• Chuck E. Cheese (Ryan Street): There’s no cover charge, but you need a Play Pass card to play. Time plays start around $10 for 30 minutes, and the Trampoline Zone is a separate ticket. Ask about the Fun Pass membership if you go often. [confirm prices]
• Gouda Games: Board games for all ages, with staff to teach you. A good sit-down option for older kids. [confirm price before you go; I believe this is for older kids]
• We Rock the Spectrum Kid’s Gym: A sensory-friendly gym. Open play is around $14 to $16 a child, and sibling discounts are possible. Check their Facebook page for open play times.
• Petro Bowl (Petro Point Drive): Weekdays until 5 PM it’s $5 a game plus $4 for shoes. After 5 PM and on weekends it’s $6 a game plus $4.50 for shoes. Friday Night Cosmic Bowl (10 PM to 1 AM) and Sunday Night Family Night (6 to 9 PM) are $15 a person for all you can bowl, shoes included.
• Children’s Museum of Southwest Louisiana at Port Wonder (the lakefront): $16 a person, and infants 23 months and under are free. [Link your Port Wonder guide here]
• Cinemark Discount Tuesdays (Prien Lake Mall): Movie tickets are discounted on Tuesdays if you join their free Cinemark Movie Rewards program. [confirm before you go]

Which Spots Cost Up to $30 Per Person ($$$)?

• Lake Area Adventures (Country Club Road): All-day unlimited admission is $27.50 for ages 6 and up and $21.50 for ages 5 and under. Cheaper ways in: after 3 PM Tuesday through Thursday and Sunday it’s $15 for all ages, and Toddler Time (Thursdays and Saturdays, 9 to 11 AM) is $10 total for one adult and one child 5 and under, plus $5 for each extra child. Required socks are $2.99 a pair. Laser tag is extra.

***Lake Area Adventures also has an indoor heated pool but you have to pay extra. It is not included in the entrance fee. See their website for deals that bundle play and swim fun.

• Urban Air Adventure Park (Ryan Street): Unlimited Play is $24.99. Unlimited Play+ adds go-karts and is $34.99. Kids 40 inches and under can get a $12.49 Shorty ticket, and a Parent ticket is $12.49 with a child’s ticket. Socks are required and are $4.49. Cheaper ways in:
  • Family Night: A weekly discounted package with Unlimited Play for 2 kids and 2 parents, a large one-topping pizza, and 4 drinks.
  • Buy 2, get 2 free: Buy two Unlimited Play+ tickets for $69.98 and get 2 free tickets or a meal for 2. Offers change, so check first.
  • Jumperoo (toddler time): The park opens just for kids 5 and under. It’s not offered on school holidays or in summer, and nothing was listed on this week’s calendar, so check the weekly activities page.
  • Warning about memberships: Skip them. The $17.49 a month looks cheap, but it’s a 12-month contract. You can’t cancel during the first year unless you move more than 25 miles away, have a documented disability, or die. After the first year, you have to cancel before your next payment or it keeps billing. You can’t try it for a week, then cancel.
  • Sensory Friendly Tuesdays: A calmer day without loud music or flashing lights.
  • Open hours are shorter midweek: Wednesday and Thursday are 4 to 8 PM only.
• The Little Gym (Nelson Road): Mostly enrolled classes. They sometimes offer drop-in sessions or special events for around $30, so call ahead or check their Facebook page.
• The Art Factory (496 W. Prien Lake Rd.): Guided art, pottery painting, and slime. Prices vary by project. Ask about Sensory Art Explorers on Friday mornings.
• Paint & Fire (Hodges Street): Walk-in pottery painting and ceramics. You pay for the piece you pick.
• Game2Life and Escape Room Louisiana: Laser tag and themed puzzle rooms. These are for teenagers and older kids, so skip them with toddlers.

Don’t count on this one: Inflatables and More used to do drop-in play, but they don’t anymore.

What Should You Check Before You Load the Car?

Two minutes of checking saves a wet, wasted drive.

1. Hours. Check the website or Facebook page. Hours change, and some places post open-play times only on Facebook.
2. Age and height rules. Trampoline zones often limit by height or age.
3. Socks. Many trampoline parks require grip socks. Pack a pair for each kid (only Lake Area makes you use their socks; the other jump places just require any grippy socks)
4. Waivers. If the park’s website offers a waiver, fill it out on your phone before you arrive.
5. Lunch. Plan it before the meltdown. I keep a running list of Lake Charles restaurants where kids eat free or discounted here, or you can download it on your phone here.

The Strategist’s Summary

Rainy days stop being a crisis when you pick the spot before the rain starts. Sort by cost, pick one, and you’re done thinking.

• Free: Prien Lake Mall play area, fast food play places, Adventure Point, the libraries, Books-A-Million, and The Charmed Page (bring your own toys). Historic City Hall and Henning Cultural Center are for older kids.
• $ ($5 and under): Trinity Center and Imperial Calcasieu Museum.
• $$ (up to $15): Port Wonder’s museums, Mr. Gatti’s, Cici’s, Mardi Gras Museum, Chuck E. Cheese, Gouda Games, We Rock the Spectrum, Petro Bowl, and Cinemark Tuesdays.
• $$$ (up to $30): Lake Area Adventures, Urban Air, The Little Gym, The Art Factory, Paint & Fire, and Game2Life. Ask about Toddler Time and after-3 PM rates.
• Check first: hours, height rules, and grip socks.
• Save this list: you’ll need it again on the next rainy morning.