Indoor Fun for all ages

Above: Indoor fun in our area includes an area trampoline park and a puzzle course with physical challenges (Altitude and Level 99 pics by Joao Melo)

With a heat warning today through tomorrow, I’m posting my annual update on tips for indoor fun in our area.

The idea is to help people find places to find respite from homes that are too hot (or places to head when cabin fever hits). It’s equally handy for rainy days that are bound to hit again this summer. 

Many of the options are geared to families with kids. But there are also ones good for teens and adults (especially if you’re young at heart!), or specifically for seniors.

Every year, some of the details change. (Venues open and close, and hours change, etc.) Here is my updated look at what’s available this summer.

Free entertainment/relaxation

• Free playspaces: the Solomon Pond Mall (on the lower level), and McDonald’s (155 Boston Post Rd W, Marlborough and 299 Turnpike Rd, Westborough). The mall hours are Mon-Thurs 11:00 am – 8:00 pm, Fri-Sat 10:00 am – 9:00 pm, and Sun 11:00 am – 6:00 pm.

• Libraries – The Southborough Public Library can be warmer than usual in high heat – but certainly better than outdoors or no A/C. Find a comfy chair and a good book to curl up with. The “Teen Space” is a good area for young adults to hang out. Over the summer, the Children’s Room offers lots of summer reading activities for younger kids. Hours are 10:00 am – 5:00 pm on Mon and Fri (plus, Saturdays in June), and 10:00 am – 9:00 pm Tues-Thurs.

Unfortunately, our Library is closed on weekends in July & August. Fortunately, there are libraries in neighboring towns that are open Saturdays year round. For this summer, the Saturday hours are: Northborough (9:30 am – 5:00 pm), Marlborough (9:00 am – 5:00 pm), Westborough (9:00 am – 5:00 pm), Hopkinton (9:00 am – 5:00 pm), Shrewsbury (9:00 am – 5:00 pm, and Hudson (9:00 am – 5:00 pm). Bonus, those all share the same library card system as Southborough (CW MARS). So you can check materials out there and return them in Southborough (or vice versa). Framingham isn’t on the same lending system, but in addition to being open 9:00 am – 5:00 on Saturdays, it is also open Sunday afternoons from 1:00 – 5:00 pm in June.

• Senior Centers – For seniors, you can relax at the Southborough Senior Center weekdays from 8:30 am – 3:00 pm. You can play pool most days. If you check their schedule, you may also be able to drop in on a game of cards or Mah Jongg. See the senior center’s May/June newsletter here. (I’ll try to remember to update this when the July/Aug issue becomes available!)
• Most Surrounding towns’ centers are open a little longer:
  • Northborough opens at 8:00 am and closes on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at 4:00 pm, with extended hours to 7:00 pm on Tues. Friday hours are 7:00 am to noon.
  • Marlborough is open from 8:00 am – 4:00 pm on weekdays
  • Westborough is open 8:00 am – 4:30 pm on Mon, Wed, and Thurs; 8:00 am – 8:00 pm on Tues; and Fri from 7:30 am to noon.
  • Framingham is open weekdays at 8:30 pm, closing at 4:30 pm on Mon, Wed, and Thurs, extended to 7:30 pm on Tues and closing Fri at 1:30 pm.

Indoor Play for a price

• Paid playspaces:
  • Happy Play Day playcenter in Westborough for ages 0-6. Open Tues – Fri 10:00 am – 5:00 pm, Saturdays 10:00 am – 9:00 am, and Sundays 10:00 am – 6:00 pm.
  • Hey Kiddo’s Playtime for ages 0-12. Open play bookings are for two hour timeslots Sunday through Fridays. Hours are mostly mornings, but appear to vary by day.
  • The Natick Mall’s playspace is a Jam Time that charges for kids to play there. Mon, Thurs, & Fri: 10:00 am – 6:00 pm, Tues & Wed 10:00 am – 3:00 pm, and Sat/Sun: 10:00 am – 1:30 pm.
  • Let’s Bee Kids playcenter in Hudson is another option, open Mondays through Saturdays 9:30 am – 2:00 pm — but check the website, because there are occasional closures for booked private events.
• Trampolines/inflatables – These require purchasing tickets:
  • Altitude Trampoline Park in the Apex complex in Marlborough. The entertainment extends beyond just trampolines, with dodgeball, hoops dunking, “battles”, a rock wall, a height challenge test, trapeze, and more. The business opens daily at 10:00 am, closing at 8:00 pm Sun-Thurs with extended hours to 10:00 pm on Fri & Sat. (Worth noting, they offer a special “Junior” jump time for ages 2-6 on weekdays from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm and a Friday night special for younger teens and tweens from 7:00 – 10:00 pm.)
  • Apex Kids for ages 2-12 (jungle gyms, inflatables, and obstacle courses) is open daily from 10:00 am – 7:00 pm.
  • Launch in Framingham opens 10:00 am Mon, Tues, Thurs, Sat, and Sun. They open 3:30 pm on Wed, and 1:30 pm on Fri. They stay open until 8:00 pm Mon – Thurs, 10:00 pm Fri & Sat, and 7:00 pm on Sun. (Their Toddler Time for kids 5 and under is weekend mornings 9:00 – 11:00 am.)
• Entertainment Centers/Arcades/Laser tag:
  • Apex Entertainment Center in Marlborough definitely has the largest range of indoor activities – ropes course, bowling, arcade, laser tag, Bumper cars, go karts, sports simulators, arcade, and mini golf. Bowling has to be booked at least 24 hours in advance. (Note: Altitude Trampoline Park and Breakout escape rooms share the facility but have their own websites for reservations.)
  • Dave & Busters at the Natick Mall has an arcade, virtual reality games, and sports bar.
  • Immersive GameBox in the Natick Mall is an “immersive reality” gaming experience with projected images, and tracking players’ movements. Current games (including Soccer Arcade, Batman, Squid Game, Floor is Lava, Angry Birds, Ghostbusters, and Paw Patrol) cover interests for little ones through adults.
  • Fun & Games in Framingham, Pinz Bowling in Milford, and Roller Kingdom in Hudson also offer an arcade and laser tag.
  • In the Solomon Pond Mall, there’s also the arcade WOW Family Entertainment.
• Indoor Sports:
  • Indoor Mini Golf:
    • Trombetta’s Farm in Marlborough has indoor golf. (This facility better setup for rainy weather than brutally hot temps. Bonus, they also sell their handmade ice cream.)
    • Puttshack in the Natick Mall is air conditioned and offers “tech-infused” courses. (For adults, they also sell cocktails.) The venue allows online reservations, and you may need them.
    • Apex Entertainment‘s “black-lighted” course in Marlborough is also air conditioned and with online reservations.
  • Bowling:
    • Apex Entertainment in Marlborough (needs to be booked at least 24 hours in advance)
    • Pinz in Milford (with an arcade and laser tag). You can sign kids up to bowl for free throughout the summer – two free games per day.
    • Bowlero in Shrewsbury
  • Skating: Roller Kingdom in Hudson (Only open Wed & Friday evenings and weekend days)
  • Misc.
    • Bosse Pickledom at the Natick Mall offers Pickleball courts, golf simulators, and “dart lanes”
• Challenges/Escape Rooms:
  • Breakout at Apex
  • Level 99 at the Natick Mall is described as offering “challenge based entertainment”. It includes a slew of physical and mental challenges that can be taken on individually or as a team. Instead of purchasing a challenge, you purchase the amount of time you want to spend in the facility.
• Artistic Fun:
  • Two Tales Pottery Studio in Northborough not only has pottery painting, but also allows building pottery (including on a pottery wheel). (This is closed on Mondays.)
  • Clay Time in Shrewsbury offers pottery painting, glass fusing, and stoneware glazing
  • Plaster Fun Time in Marlborough focuses on painting plaster figurines
• Museums: Click here for museum passes offered by the Southborough Public Library (most sponsored by The Friends of the Southborough Library). If a pass is booked for the day you want it, you can also check with other local libraries.
• $1 matinees – Regal Cinema at Solomon Pond Mall’s summer deal is back for kids’ movies matinees at 11:00 am. As usual, the discounted lineup doesn’t include recent releases. This summer, the program is Mondays through Thursdays, running through August 13th.

Have a tip for someplace that I should add to the list? Post a comment or email mysouthborough@gmail.com.

For more of my “Favorite local places” series, click here.

Updated (6/11/26 11:11 am): I edited the arcade section to fix a link and add a location.