Life’s a beach at a new indoor play place for kids coming this year to Chamblee.
Isaac’s Sandlot will be located at 3685 Chamblee Dunwoody Road. The space will feature a large indoor sandbox, filled with trucks, excavators and buried treasures.
Isaac’s Sandlot is based on the idea that the calm, focused activity of sand play is beneficial for children’s hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, creativity and social interaction. Isaac’s Sandlot will also feature comfortable seating areas for adults, with free wifi, board games and more, making it a great spot for play dates.
The concept comes from Will and Valerie Thomason, who moved to the area in 2013. The idea for a place like this came when the family was in Indiana for a trip related to Will’s laboratory automation business.
“While installing robots for a client in Indiana, I brought my wife and kid,” Will told What Now Atlanta. “I asked people, ‘What should they be doing?’ and someone said, ‘Go to Dig Dig. It’s the greatest place ever.’ It’s a giant sandbox. My wife and kid went there and had an absolute blast.”
And it was different from other indoor playgrounds, which are decidedly more chaotic. At an indoor sandbox, children are calmly playing, with intense focus. Valerie, a former school psychologist, was familiar with research showing how beneficial sand play is for child development. Research indicates that calm activity like this can relax a child and develops the mind, not just the muscles.
“We are a more calm and creative play, not a get-their-energy out and hope-they-get-tired place. Research is showing that you’re not getting them tired like that, you’re getting them overtired and now they’re gonna have a meltdown,” Will said.
They did several months of market research, studying different types of indoor playgrounds (including Dig Dig in Indiana) and assessing how profitable a concept like this could be in metro Atlanta.
The Thomasons were going to name the business The Sandlot, but a certain famous movie from 1993 would have made that difficult. The name they decided on is more personal, with it being named after their son, who is now 6 years old.
Isaac’s Sandlot will offer two-hour passes and monthly memberships. They will also have rooms available to rent for birthday parties.
They plan to have different types of materials for playing and building, including kinetic sand and fluidized sand.
“It’s not just fun, it’s education,” Will said. “We’re gonna lean into that too. How does sand get created? How does it work?”
With the permitting process complete, the space is now under construction. They are targeting a late May 2025 opening, or during the summer at the latest. The Thomasons are looking forward to opening a new family-friendly space that both children and parents can enjoy.
“The big thing we’re gonna bring is another place for people with kids to hang out and have fun and be a family entertainment place,” Will said. “That’s the goal.”
Follow on Instagram @isaacs_sandlot.
