The Lily Pad loads of fun for local youth

A new business has just opened in the past weeks in Rockmart that will give children a fun and magical place to play no matter what it is like outside.

Open Wednesdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. at their new home at 248 Elm St., the Lily Pad is wanting to see a whole bunch of kids run through their doors to enjoy a play area, a track to ride around on in plastic cars, and even a bounce house. So long as everyone takes their shoes off first.

The Lily Pad’s owner Maggie Gribble said it is her intention that as the business celebrated a grand opening and their new membership with the Polk County Chamber of Commerce, that it was only the beginning of a dream she has for children of all ages to have a place to come and play.

“We’re Polk County lovers. We’re from here, and we love our hometown,” she said. “We wanted to bring something new to the area and also try to open the door for more female entrepreneurs to come in and take a leap of faith and open a business.”

The former home of a payday loan vendor, Gribble and her family have transformed the inside to look like a dream land for kids. It features a castle that youth can go upstairs and look down from the turrets, and slide back to the ground in a corkscrew. Underneath where the drawbridge would be is a track for toy cars to roll along. It also features a swing set and the inflatable bounce house.

Right now, Gribble said The Lily Pad is limiting clientele who want to run around to children 6 and under, but she’s looking to expand in a variety of ways. She wants to eventually have swings and equipment appropriate for all ages to

/ Kevin Myrick The Polk County Chamber of Commerce welcomed its new business to Cedartown during a ribbon cutting event on Friday, June 22. The storefront provides for now an indoor playground for infants to children age 6, but plans are to expand in the future.

Family and friends gathered at The Lily Pad in Rockmart for their grand opening celebration on Friday, June 22.