The old Joann store at 700 Alma Drive is becoming a trampoline park. Big Air Trampoline Park is taking Suite 119 for its first Dallas-Fort Worth location, and the owner told Community Impact it would open in early November. Across town, a state filing shows Chuck E. Cheese plans to turn an existing store at 801 W. 15th St. into an 18,000-square-foot indoor playground.
Both projects are filling holes left earlier in the year. Plano lost two of its best-known indoor play venues in 2026. What's replacing them follows a different model: smaller rooms, play aimed at specific age groups, and older retail space put back to use. The biggest replacements are also arriving at the very end of the year, so families planning cold, wet or holiday-break days this winter are working with a shorter list than they had a year ago.
Two Closings Removed the Everything-Under-One-Roof Option
The first loss came in February. The Crayola Experience at The Shops at Willow Bend closed for good, and its last day open was Feb. 6. The company's website confirmed it will not reopen. If you still have unused admission tickets, annual passes or gift cards, the company asked holders to email [email protected] for help.
The second came in September. Kid Mania closed its Plano location at 7252 Chase Oaks Blvd. on Sept. 15 after 13 years and cut back to its single north Fort Worth location on Tehama Ridge Parkway. Its Plano building had an arcade plus a maze area for all ages, with slides, bungee walls, climbing nets, tunnels and a toddler section. It also hosted birthday parties, group outings and fundraisers.
What these two had in common was range. One trip could cover a preschooler and an older sibling, and a birthday party could invite a whole class without worrying about ages. That's the piece of Plano's indoor play scene that has gotten harder to find this year.
The Places That Opened Are Smaller and Aimed at Specific Ages
Diggers Cove is the clearest example. The indoor sand playground opened Sept. 4 at 7200 Independence Parkway, Ste. 238, and it's for children 10 and under. It has four play areas: a large sand pit, an animated sandbox, an interactive creative wall and a sand zone with remote-control construction vehicles. Owner Saira Waheed told Community Impact the business also hosts birthday parties and field trips.
Diggers Cove uses booked sessions, which takes a bit more planning than walk-in open play. Its pricing page lists:
- Open play: $19.99 per child for a reserved two-hour session, with $2 off each sibling
- Adults: two adults per family included, $5 for each additional adult
- Visit passes: five visits for $80 or 10 visits for $150
- Membership: $50 a month, plus $40 a month for each sibling
The venue calls these rates introductory, so they may change. The official site lists hours as 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Friday through Sunday. Some earlier write-ups gave shorter daily hours, so check the venue's own page before you go.
Coit Road Picked Up Arcades for Older Kids
Plano's other indoor openings this year are arcades, and two of them are on the same stretch of Coit Road. Super Player Arcade at 1820 Coit Road, Ste. 125, has claw machines, traditional arcade games, VR and a craft station. It soft-opened in mid-February and held its grand opening May 9. A short way up the road, BearBit ClawMaster opened its third location on July 24 at 2001 Coit Road, Ste. 310, with claw machines, interactive games and themed soft-serve ice cream.
Neither arcade has slides or climbing nets. Put them together with Diggers Cove and you have the new pattern: each spot does one kind of play, and families who used to get everything in one building now plan their day across a few stops.
The Two Big Projects Haven't Opened Yet
Plano's large-format active play is supposed to come back through two projects. Neither had opened going into November:
| Venue | Location | What's planned | Timing as of late October 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Air Trampoline Park | 700 Alma Drive, Ste. 119, in the former Joann | More than 25,000 square feet with trampoline dodgeball, an airtrack sports court, air-bag zones, a gauntlet obstacle course, Valo Arena, BattleBeam and toddler play areas | Owner told Community Impact it would open in early November; the brand's Plano page still said "Coming Soon" |
| Chuck E. Cheese Adventure World | 801 W. 15th St. | 18,000-square-foot active-play space for ages 3 to 8 | State filing estimated construction from Sept. 7 to Dec. 7, 2026; no opening date announced |
Big Air will be the bigger of the two, and it's the closest Plano has come to replacing the all-ages role Kid Mania filled, since its plans include both a toddler area and dodgeball courts. Big Air's Plano page invites visitors to sign up for grand-opening details. Its general pricing page says admission varies by location, and it hadn't posted Plano hours or prices yet. The other Texas Big Air locations are in Houston and Missouri City.
Adventure World is a newer idea for Chuck E. Cheese. Local Profile reported that it focuses on active play instead of arcade games and prize counters. Plans include multilevel climbing structures, slides, tunnels, a mini soccer court and a dance floor that lights up under each step. Parents are welcome to climb too, with no height limits. The first North Texas Adventure World opened in Arlington in November 2025. If Plano's stays on schedule, it will be the second in the region. In a Sept. 28 announcement, the company listed Plano among the Adventure World locations planned for 2026.
Keep in mind that a Dec. 7 construction estimate in a state filing isn't the same as an opening date. Doors usually open after the build-out and inspections are done. For winter break, treat Adventure World as a maybe and Big Air as likely but unconfirmed.
Planning Indoor Days Around What's Open Now
The age split in this new mix tells you how to plan. Here's how the options line up by age and timing for the next few months:
- Ages 10 and under, any week this winter. Diggers Cove is open now and runs on reserved two-hour sessions. If you'll go more than a few times, the five-visit pass for $80 or the 10-visit pass for $150 costs less per visit than paying each time.
- Mixed ages, starting sometime in November. Big Air is the option planned for both toddlers and older kids. Check its Plano page for the confirmed opening date and local pricing before you promise anyone a trip.
- Ages 3 to 8, late in the season at the earliest. Adventure World on W. 15th Street is built for this age group. It's a good one to watch for spring rather than to count on for December.
- Older kids on a quick outing. Super Player Arcade and BearBit ClawMaster sit close together on Coit Road, so one drive covers both.
- Grown-ups after the kids are covered. Sip'Stroke Lounge at 5969 Dallas Parkway opened July 17. It has a golf simulator bay for up to six people and an indoor putt-putt course that runs through the dining room and bar.
Birthday parties take the most planning. Kid Mania used to host parties, groups and fundraisers, and the party options open in Plano now split by format. Diggers Cove books birthday parties for kids 10 and under. Super Player Arcade has private party rooms with packages for 10 to 25 kids that can include arcade credits, crafts, Polaroid photos and a VR dragon ride. If you want climbing and jumping for a mixed-age group, Big Air's opening date will decide whether that party stays in Plano.
At The Agency Frisco, we keep track of openings and closings like these across Plano. If your family is weighing what a move within Plano or nearby would mean for weekends like these, we're glad to walk through it with you. Contact Us.