Arts Depot : Family friendly shows, cafe and soft play
5 Nether Street Tally Ho Corner
London N12 0GA
Opened in October 2004, this unique visual and performing arts venue is undeniably one of the best additions to North London for families with young children. Throughout the year there are fun messy play activities, family performances and puppet shows for under 5s. On rainy winter days, new parents will love the bright and airy café, with its well thought-out babycare facilities, comfy sofas and free soft play area.
Soft play area and some exhibitions are free. Show tickets normally £10, or £36 for a family of 4.
Opening Hours: Open daily from 10am. Closing times vary.
Website: Visit Arts Depot website
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About the Author: Janis
I look after the day-to-day running of ReallyKidFriendly.com, as well as some geeky stuff behind the scenes. Thanks to my two boisterous rascals (aged 4 and 5), I have become an expert in soft play areas, parks, energetic music classes, and where to get a stiff drink once the kids have gone to bed. Really – ask me anything! 
Honestly, I really can’t say enough about artsdepot. You don’t even need to take advantage of the many plays and classes for kids…you can just turn up (for free) and head for the cafe where there are comfy couches, tables, and quite a large soft play area.
My mummy friends and I (and occasionally the dads) chill out with a coffee or lunch while the kids throw themselves around and burn off some energy. It’s nothing too exciting – just some vinyl-covered foam cushions, really, but the bigger kids love to make forts and tunnels, and the little ones can topple over without getting covered in bruises as they would at home.
Word of warning to parents of very little ones – try to avoid going just after a play aimed at older kids..they sometimes come bursting out of the theatre and dive straight into the soft play area and as a rule aren’t exactly careful around the babies. The other warning for parents of toddlers and older kids – the service is very very slow and the kitchen only opens at 12, so don’t rely on the cafe for lunch when your kids are too young to wait.
That aside…There’s a skylight so it’s lovely and bright in the cafe, the bathrooms are spacious and have always been squeaky clean every time I’ve been, and this has to be one of the most buggy friendly places I have ever been. There is even a dedicated changing room just next to the soft play area so people with twins can change one and keep an eye on the other (sort of). The only thing is that once they start walking the kids love to run towards the stairs (going down, about 20 ft away from the play area) specifically to give their mums a heart attack. There seem to be 3 or 4 large parking lots nearby, but if it’s a horrible rainy day it is definitely worthwhile spending a few quid on the underground parking so you don’t get drenched trying to karate-chop your child into her car seat.
All in all, one of my absolute faves!!
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This place is great for buggies as there are plenty of space between the tables. Perfect for mums to get their coffee latte
There is also a playing area for children from 6 months.
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This is my son’s favourite place to go. The soft play is area is pretty big and not usually very busy and he loves throwing himself around it. The best thing is that it’s free! Access with a buggy is fantastic and the changing facilities are clean and roomy. Downsides are that the food is not great and service is slow, and there aren’t enough highchairs. The soft play more than makes up for this though.
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