The Sand Garden Opens in Issaquah: Kids Can Dig In Now

If your kids could dig all day and never want to leave the beach, then The Sand Garden in Issaquah may become a new favorite spot to visit. Rain or shine, the indoor sandboxes are open. While kids may think that they’re just having fun playing in the sand, parents will appreciate the sensory-rich environment that is beneficial for brain development, language skills, fine and gross motor skills, and social skills. Plus, it’s calming for all! 

An indoor play space designed by parents 

Graham and April Quinn, local parents who also grew up in the Seattle area, have been dreaming about creating The Sand Garden since their now 2-year-old was a baby. Graham Quinn has always found going to the beach and sand between his toes to be relaxing. And while the Quinns love the rainy months of fall, winter and spring, they realize it can be tricky to get out of the house with kids during inclement weather and it can be hard when you feel stir-crazy stuck at home. The Quinns wanted to create another indoor play option for families to gather, play and grow. 

With a background in education, April Quinn values the rich sensory play that The Sand Garden offers and hopes to drive “play learning” through building various programs to enrich learning experiences and foster community — fossil digs and toddler meet-ups are some ideas. Graham Quinn is entertaining the idea of a March Madness basketball “Watch and Play” event. (Information on future events will be shared on The Sand Garden’s website and social media pages.) 

While the Quinns live in Snoqualmie Ridge, Issaquah has been their go-to spot since moving there. They are excited to be among the community of friends and businesses that they love here in Issaquah. 

Our experience at The Sand Garden 

The Sand Garden opened on Sept. 15, and my 4-year-old and I met our friends there for a playdate. After removing our socks and shoes, we entered the gated play area and bounced back and forth between the two sandboxes. 

Children can spread out with two large sandboxes totaling 1,400 square feet of sand. Parents and caregivers can either join in on the fun, sit on the benches that border the sandboxes, or take a moment to drink hot (and complimentary!) coffee in the café-like seating area in between the two sandboxes. If you want a specialty coffee drink, you can stop by the drive-through of Top Pot or Starbucks on your way — both are within a mile of The Sand Garden. 

My daughter and her friends enjoyed playing together at the market stand, scooping “ice creams,” building with the foam bricks and wood, and sliding with a sandy soft landing. Another hit was scooping, raking and sifting the sand with the various sand tools. Truck lovers will enjoy the hefty lineup of Tonka trucks and sit-on excavators. 

We found The Sand Garden calming for all of the senses — soft instrumental background music plays, the sand is powdery soft high-quality play sand (not like our beaches here), and kids generally play more quietly with sensory activities like this. Natural light floods the front of the space, which is primarily windows. The greenery and central olive tree (one of the Quinns’ favorite features) wrapped with fairy lights add to the calming atmosphere and tasteful aesthetic. 

The perimeters of the sandboxes are topped with deck bench seating — convenient for parents and caregivers to sit back with their feet in the sand and chat while their kids play nearby. Take a snack break, sip your coffee, or catch up on some work using the free Wi-Fi in the eating area, which includes child-size picnic tables. All seating areas have excellent sight lines for watching your children play. 

The Sand Garden welcomes outside food (snacks only) and drinks but also has several packaged snack options for purchase, such as Goldfish and applesauce pouches. Cold waters, sparkling waters, juice boxes and canned soda are also available for purchase. 

On our visit, we only had time to stay for an hour of play time but my daughter tried to extend our time by bargaining for “one more minute” and “one last thing.” You’ve been warned — it might be hard to leave! 

While my older sons, ages 6 and 8, weren’t able to join us I think they’d enjoy digging, building, and the calming effects of sensory play. However, I think my daughter, being 4 years old, could stay occupied at The Sand Garden longer than my older boys. As I watched a 2-year-old boy completely absorbed with a dump truck and sand, I reminisced about the days when my toddler boys were also preoccupied with all the trucks and cars — they would have been in heaven at The Sand Garden at that age! 

The sandboxes stay clean by daily raking and sifting of the sand, wetting the sand to help reduce dust particles, and spraying the sand with a water and vinegar-based solution to prevent odors and bacteria from growing. Toys are sanitized daily. Sand dust particles are also minimized with air purifiers. Two bathrooms are close by, and one of them has a changing table. 

Private birthday parties 

The Sand Garden has a spacious and bright private room available for parties: Beau’s Shed, lovingly named after their family dog. Party packages start at $399 for up to 10 children and include reserving the private room for two hours and full access to the sandboxes. You can also reserve a private sandbox for your party. Parties must bring their own food and drinks. 

Plan a visit 

When you’re ready for a few peaceful hours in the sand, drop in during open hours. No reservations are needed but The Sand Garden will start a waitlist when it hits the capacity of 30 kids in the play area. When you arrive, you’ll sign a waiver, and everyone will be asked to store their shoes and socks in the cubbies. No outside toys are allowed in the sandboxes. 

The Quinns hope that your kids love it just as much as their son — an avid digger who loves crawling in the sand, moving the sand about and digging as deep as he can. While he has some of his favorite toys both at The Sand Garden and at home, everything is more fun when sand is involved. The Quinns desire to bring families together and build a strong community as we all slow down, put our feet in the sand and connect at The Sand Garden.