Today we’d like to introduce you to Valerie Thomason.
Hi Valerie, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I guess this is the story of how I started a giant indoor sandbox playground in Atlanta! It’s called Isaac’s Sandlot (named after my son Isaac) and the play space is basically a giant sandbox full of Tonka trucks, buckets, shovels, ride on excavators and plenty of other sandbox toys. It is indoors so it’s clean, climate controlled, and not affected by weather. We also have lots of comfy seating for parents, games available for checkout, and some sensory tables of kinetic sand for kids to mold and build sandcastles.
My husband and I first got the idea to start Isaac’s Sandlot when we were visiting Indianapolis. My husband was working on a project up there for his company and my son and I decided to come along and make a vacation out of it. We were looking for things to do during the day while he was working, and someone suggested we go to this indoor sandbox playground in the area. My son had the best time and was begging to go back the rest of the week! He played happily in the sand for a full two hours and was just totally engaged. I sat and read a book the whole time (which, if you’ve ever parented a toddler before, you know is an amazing feat!) I remember commenting to my husband that a business like that would probably do really well in Atlanta because we didn’t have anything like that there. What started as an offhanded comment turned into our family business. We spent the next year setting up our business and we finally opened in June 2025. There’s something really satisfying about sitting back and watching kids and families enjoy something that you worked so hard to create.
Originally, my background is in childhood education. I worked as a school psychologist in public schools for over a decade before opening Isaac’s Sandlot. I’ve always been really interested in childhood development, inclusion, and working with students with different needs. It’s kind of amazing to me how much of my background and training has spilled over into this new business. We have been really purposeful about trying to make Isaac’s Sandlot an inclusive play space that is sensory friendly. The space is intentionally kept quiet (we don’t play loud music or add unnecessary sensory stimulation). Sand also has all kinds of developmental benefits for things like motor development, social skills, communication, and emotional regulation. We’ve even been able to partner with a few ABA and Occupational therapy providers in the area that have used the sandbox as a place for working on sensory processing and social skills. It’s been really neat to see my two different professional spheres overlap like this.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It’s definitely not been a smooth road, I’ll say that for sure. We ran into a lot of barriers and roadblocks with our local city government when we were trying to navigate their code enforcement, inspections, and permitting processes. It really opened our eyes to things that were broken in our local government that we had no idea about. The more we talked to other local business owners in the area, the more we realized that our experience was not unique and it was a more widespread issue. That experience actually lead my husband to run for a seat on our city council. The whole thing has been really eye opening for me and it has definitely made me a more informed and more involved member of our community than I used to be.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
So Isaac’s Sandlot is an indoor playground for kids. It’s a giant sandbox with different sand toys, tonka trucks, excavators etc. to play with. It’s safe, clean, and indoors so you don’t have to worry about the heat, cold, or rain. We have lots of comfy seating for parents, Wi-Fi and charging for laptops, games, and snacks. We also host a lot of birthday parties on the weekends. We’ve had so many parents say to us that this was a great kid’s birthday party because the parents can actually talk to each other and they don’t have to be constantly chasing busy toddlers around the whole time. The idea is that this is a place where you can relax and enjoy yourself while your kids play and learn.
We’re different than most indoor playgrounds because most of the play areas are large jungle gyms or trampoline parks where kids are constantly running, jumping, and climbing. I have a kid and I know there’s definitely a need for that kind of play sometimes for sure. But when he was little, I remember feeling really nervous and having to watch him like a hawk while bigger kids ran and pushed past him. He would also get lost up in the tubes and tunnels and it was always stressful and hard for me to watch him. In our play space, you can see the entire sandbox from pretty much any seat in the place. You can sit and relax while you watch your kid play, or get in the sandbox and play with them. It also encouraged calmer, more creative play because kids are using open ended toys (toys that you can use a lot of different ways) to create whatever they want. The focus is more on creativity and imagination and less on physical play like running and climbing. Don’t get me wrong, that physical play is great for kids and it’s definitely important, but it’s not what we are trying to emphasize in our play space. It also keeps things calmer, quieter, and more friendly for kids with sensory sensitivities.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
We are really exited to collaborate with local businesses and build partnerships. We have a daily game where we hide a few treasure chests in the sand for kids to find. Several local businesses, like a local bookstore and a kids clothing shop, have sponsored a treasure chest and the child that finds it gets to take home a gift certificate that can be used in their store. It’s a fun game for the kids and it helps us connect families with other local businesses. Anyone with a kid-friendly business who is interested in sponsoring a treasure chest can reach out to us directly!
We’ve also had a lot of therapy providers like speech pathologists, occupational therapists, and ABA providers collaborate with us to provide therapy services in our space. It’s been really cool to see how they use sand play to work on sensory processing, communication, and social skills.
The biggest way our patrons can help support us is to help spread the word. We are still a pretty new business and word of mouth is a powerful tool for helping others know we’re out there. If you happen to visit, please leave us a google review, tag us in your facebook and instagram posts, and tell your friends!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://isaacs-sandlot.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/isaacs_sandlot
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61577799441601
