Take the kids: Indoor musical playground experience at Notasium in Cary

My toddler is so active that I have been turning to indoor playgrounds to fill our afternoons and get her energy out on these hot summer days.

There are tons of trampoline parks and indoor playspaces in the Triangle, but since I have a 2-year-old, I am always searching for toddler-friendly options. Little Doodles Cafe is great for babies and tots, and we also love Angel Island Fun Park in Cary, which is exclusively for children 8 and younger and a blast with slides and a giant ball pit.

Last week we tried a musical-themed playspace -- Notasium. There are locations in Cary and Durham, but we went to the larger Cary location at 1000 Ryan Road, which is conveniently located right beside Andia's Homemade Ice Cream.

Admission was just $10 for open play (adults get in free with their children). The staff member at the desk was very nice and got us checked in very quickly when she saw my antsy toddler, who was ready to take off running as soon as we walked in the front door. It took me less than a minute to sign the waiver and pay.

Kids and their grownups must remove their shoes and wear socks to enter the play space. If you or your child forgot socks, Notasium sells them.

On a weekday afternoon, there were a lot of big kids running around at full-speed, and my first thought was "is my daughter too young to play here?" Despite my initial reaction, she had so much fun.

The centerpiece attraction at Notasium is a giant slide, where kids climb guitar strings and slide down at high speed with the option of sitting on blankets to make the ride even faster. The slide is recommended for ages 3 and up, and it was a little too tall for my 2-year-old (even though she is a pro at climbing and slides).

The slide is very high, almost reaching the ceiling, and if your kids get stuck at the top Notasium has provided slip-on shoes so parents can climb up to "rescue" scared children who change their minds.

My toddler's favorite part of Notasium by far was a much smaller slide for toddlers and a giant floor piano -- just like the one Tom Hanks uses in "Big." There are also two bouncy houses -- one circular and shaped like two drums and the other a rainbow rectangle meant to look like a xylophone.

A "big girl" ended up befriending my daughter and gently played beside her in the rainbow bouncy house. My toddler was thrilled to get the attention!

There is a two-story wooden climbing structure with pots and pans to bang, another treat for toddlers. My daughter loved a tiny piano and stood playing it for 30 minutes.

For older kids, there are karaoke rooms with microphones you pick up from the front desk. There are smaller places for little ones to make music, too.

I felt like I needed to stay beside my daughter the whole time, but parents of older children sat at the counter and chairs provided around the playspace working on their laptops or socializing with other parents.

The playspace is enclosed with a door with childproof handle so it's hard for little ones to escape.

Notasium also has camps and individual and group music lessons for piano, guitar, ukulele, drums and more. Members and kids enrolled in music lessons get to play for free the day of their lesson.