Our story: Born by accident.
What began as a space just for nursery children became something families across St Albans and Hertfordshire could share. Here is how it happened.
How it started
A play area for our own children
Giggle Grove sits on the first floor of Monkey Puzzle Day Nursery. The soft play and role play areas were built for the nursery children’s own use — not for paying guests.
Then parents started asking. Again and again, the same question at the end of a viewing: could we use it?
The short version
Three moments that made us
- 1
September 2026
The nursery opens
We opened Monkey Puzzle Day Nursery St Albans, and with it a space we built for our own children: indoor soft play and role play areas, a sensory room and an outdoor garden.
- 2
The viewings
Parents kept asking
Families came through for nursery viewings and kept stopping at the same two places — the soft play and the role play area. They asked whether their little ones could play there too.
- 3
11 October 2026
Giggle Grove is born
We never planned a play centre. It grew out of parents' enthusiasm, and on 11 October 2026 Giggle Grove opened its doors.
Why we feel different
Not a play café, and proud of it
A nursery space, not a play café
We run as an independent business at the times when the nursery is not using the space for its own children. That is why Giggle Grove feels different from a traditional play café.
Room to play, not a full kitchen
Our food offering is deliberately small, and so is our seating. We are a compact first-floor space above a working nursery, and we would rather keep it calm and unhurried than stretch it further.
Made for 0 to 5
Everything here is sized for babies, toddlers and preschoolers, with separate soft play zones for under-2s and over-2s so the littlest explorers can play safely.
Come and see it for yourself
Book a session, or pop round for a coffee while the little ones explore. We would love to meet you.