Take the Kids: As temperatures heat up, Notasium offers indoor, music-themed play for little ones
Whether dealing with springtime showers, pollen or soon-to-be summer heat, it's always good to have some indoor options to keep little ones entertained and engaged.
Notasium, which has been operating in Durham at 3750 Durham-Chapel Hill Blvd. since 2015 and in Cary at 1000 Ryan Rd. for the last year, is a large music-focused play space offering introductory music lessons for toddlers on up as well as instrumental classes.
The business, the brainchild of local dads and owners Stephen Norman-Scott and Preston Clarke, aims to introduce young children to music whether through play or lessons, said Norman-Scott, one of Notasium’s co-owners. Offerings include banjo, piano, ukulele, voice and more and they also host summer camps.
“Our goal is to immerse them in music in whatever capacity they want,” Norman-Scott said.
And, here’s another bonus, parents and caregivers can grab a cup of coffee at Notasium while their children are in lessons or playing (provided their little ones are at the age where they navigate things by themselves).
The Cary location at 4500 square feet is a bit larger than the Durham location, and includes many of the same well-loved stations, including a large slide made to resemble a guitar, the ever-popular bouncy house and play equipment that exposes children to music, tonal patterns and more.
A soundproof karaoke booth is perfect for the older set. Birthday party bookings on the weekends have been a very popular option in Cary, with several scheduled each Saturday.
Weekday mornings are busy with toddler and pre-K children dropping in for open play, while afternoons bring in more of the elementary school crowd, with children taking various lessons with a chance for they or their siblings to play in the open space.
On a recent trip, my three-year-old twins were into most things, from repeated trips on the large indoor guitar slide to picking out notes on a piano keyboard on the floor. I, for one, appreciate the contained play space.
Parents are welcome to bring in food and snacks to have outside the play area and both locations also sell coffee and other various drinks and snacks. Norman-Scott is surprised more families do that – bring in a pizza on a Friday evening and give kids a chance to play while parents can catch up at the end of the week.
The best way to check out what Notasium has to offer is just to come by, Norman-Scott said. Both locations have information about class options as well.
Want to go? Open play costs $10 a child ($7 for a sibling) and 10-pack visits can be bought for $85. Note that there’s no open play on Saturdays and socks are required. Prices for individual and group lessons vary.
Sarah Ovaska is the Chapel Hill mom of twin three-year-olds. Go Ask Mom’s Take the Kids series is your No. 1 resource for weekly ideas about kid-focused places to take your family in the Triangle and beyond. New articles are published every Friday.
