We were hooked when Cold Stone Creamery opened at Redmond Town Center, but with the arrival of the shopping center's uber-cool play area (ideally located next to Tully's), we officially nominate RTC as the Eastside's Best New Mommy Hangout.

Not your average play area, the center's brand spankin' new "Sensory Garden" cleverly incorporates rain into the theme, so wet weather will actually enhance the experience.Two fourteen-foot towers dominate the space: the Rain Tower, which kids can control by pushing buttons that drain the water from the top "splashes" through clouds, to logs, to beetles, to salmon, and finally into a bear's mouth; and the Sound Tower, a bug-shaped structure with a variety of noisemaking features. Buttons to press? Check. Drums to bang? Check. Something to learn? For sure. Kids come away with a better understanding of the "science of nature, the food chain and how rain affects our environment," according to sensory garden creators, Dillonworks, the local design firm that has also worked its magic for Disney, Jelly Belly, and the Woodland Park Zoo.

Junior's new place to play will be open whenever you shop at Redmond Town Center.

Redmond Town Center Sensory Garden
1645 NE 74th Street, Redmond
www.redmondtowncenter.com

P.S. if you haven't been to RTC in a while, make a day of it and check out the oodles of kid-oriented shops