The Rainy Day Plan for Oakland County Parents

Rainy days with kids in Oakland County are actually not that hard once you have a rotation. We have built ours over the past couple of years, and these are the places we go when the forecast kills our outdoor plans.

The Robot Garage in Rochester is number one. It is a building toy store with a massive play area, and my kid can spend two hours there without looking up. It is not cheap, but it is worth it on a day when you need out of the house.

Cranbrook Institute of Science in Bloomfield Hills is our rainy day heavyweight. The exhibits change, the planetarium is great, and it is big enough that you can go multiple times without repeating yourself. Pair it with lunch at one of the spots on Woodward and you have a full day.

The Birmingham YMCA has open swim and indoor play options that work when you just need your kid to run. The Baldwin Library does story times and has a youth room that is surprisingly engaging for a public library. We end up there at least once a month in the winter.

For older kids, the Dave & Buster's in Troy or the bowling options in Royal Oak and Rochester work fine. But for the under-eight crowd, the Robot Garage and Cranbrook are the two I recommend first.