Joseph Beth

Joseph Beth Bookstore is one of my all-time favorite places to take my son whenever we are at a loss of what to do. This is especially true in the winter. It is located in Lexington Green off of Nicholasville Road next to Whole Foods.

Yes, it is a bookstore, but it really has so much more to do. And, it is pretty contained, so that is always nice for a mom of a kid that likes to move. The upstairs area is the adult section and also has a restaurant called the Bronte Bistro. See a review here on that. We often eat at the Bistro because it makes for a super easy dinner out when you don't have a kid that likes to sit and wait for the food to come out. One of us stays with my son playing downstairs and the other goes upstairs and orders the food. Then, we just text when the food is ready and voila, easy fuss-free dinner out. And, as a bonus, some alone time for whoever gets to go upstairs and order (spoiler: it is usually me).

The downstairs area is all kid stuff. The area on the right is for smaller kids and has a nice train table and kitchen area with play food. This is also where they have story time and there is a large built-in seating area for this. My son loved their story time when he was younger, but we still have a hard time sitting still for them now. But, they have one for babies and one for toddlers that are both fantastic. Lots of silly songs, books, and playing. Story times are everyday other than Monday and Friday and happen here or in the rotunda upstairs on Saturday. To see my post about local story times see here. The books on this side are also catered to smaller kids, as well as the toys.

The left side of the downstairs is geared towards older kids, but it is my sons current favorite. They have a lot of model cars, trucks and planes that he loves to play with at the table. There are also puzzles on the table to play with and small model animals that a lot of kids are interested in. This area also has the bathroom along the back wall. It is very kid friendly and has a normal sized toilet next to a toddler sized toilet. It also has a stool for hand washing and a changing table. On the back wall is also an area that has Playmobil toys and cars to play with on a track table. There are usually some small pieces and a house to play with as well as a helicopter and a plane. But,this stuff tends to disappear, so no telling what is still there week to week. This sides of the store has lots and lots of toys, including Melissa and Doug items, Playmobil, Brio train sets, and other high quality kids brands.

The other new area downstairs is the barn that is directly across from the escalators. In here are the Calico Critters and farm and horse items. There is also a small Calico Critters house that my son loves to play with (see below). Excuse the hanging owls in the picture. They had it decorated for the Harry Potter book release.

And, if your kids are sick of playing with all the stuff in here, there is the outside area that was recently renovated. If you exit the downstairs, there is a beautiful new deck with shade and chairs and lots of ducks to feed. Bring a quarter because they have food for the ducks as well. My son cannot visit Joseph Beth without feeding the ducks and looking at the fountains outside. Jax Burgers is also located directly outside downstairs. You can see my review of it here. Palmer's Restaurant is also located on the other side of the downstairs, but I have never actually eaten there. Added bonus, if you go on Thursday through Saturday nights during the summer, there is a trolley that runs from the top parking lot to the bottom one. My son adores riding this and the people that drive it are very kind in letting him make a loop.

Clearly, we love going to Joseph Beth and go there often with my little man. He always gets so excited whenever we pull into the parking lot. And, we love having a place that is fun, free and low stress. And, it doesn't hurt that there are a few good dining options right near by. Hope you enjoy!