A former Party City storefront near the intersection of Milwaukee Avenue in Vernon Hills is being turned into a play cafe where parents can sip a drink while their kids burn off energy on slides and climbing structures. Mike Ferguson and Alison Ferguson, who own Treehouse Play Cafe, are building the new location at 555 E. Townline Road, Unit 8, marking the company's third cafe alongside its existing spots in Lake Zurich and McHenry.
The Fergusons' concept bills itself on the company website as a place where kids can be kids and parents can finally relax, and the business model leans heavily on that pitch. As reported by WhatNow, the new Vernon Hills cafe is expected to open in early 2027 and will sit in a plaza connected to Walmart, in the same shopping center as Bob's Discount Furniture and Athletico Physical Therapy. Getting there required more than just signing a lease — Vernon Hills village records show the Liquor Control Commission approved a Class A liquor license for Treehouse Ventures Vernon Hills LLC in July, prompting the Village Board to amend municipal code to expand the number of on-premises beer and wine licenses available, according to the Village of Vernon Hills.
Two Play Zones, Dozens of Cameras
Plans presented to the Vernon Hills Planning and Zoning Commission in June detail a layout built around child safety: two separate play structures, one for children ages 2 to 10 and another for toddlers 3 and under, plus multiple party rooms and between 25 and 30 security cameras covering the suite, per meeting materials reviewed by the village. That layout mirrors the slides, climbing areas, and social seating already found at the company's current cafes, per WhatNow's reporting. The site itself has a retail history worth noting — the unit previously housed a Party City before Treehouse Ventures took over the space in the Business Park zoning district, according to village filings.
The Vernon Hills expansion follows a template the Fergusons already used in McHenry, where they opened a 9,500-square-foot location in February 2025 after spending four years working with municipal officials to secure a local liquor license, according to Patch. That McHenry cafe sits in the McHenry Town Center shopping center alongside Kohl's and Aldi, a property that real estate investors purchased for $13.74 million in March, the Daily Herald reported. Treehouse's original Lake Zurich cafe dates back roughly 20 years to 2006, according to WhatNow, though it closed during the pandemic before the company returned to the same suburb at 985 S. Rand Road — making Lake Zurich the closest existing location to the planned Vernon Hills cafe.
What's on the Menu, and What It Costs
Treehouse serves separate menus for adults and children. The kids' menu includes chicken nuggets, mini corn dogs, and grilled cheese, while breakfast options span a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich, bagels, a mini pancake parfait, and a french toast stick basket, per WhatNow. Adults can order coffee, tea, beer, and cocktails while supervising playtime, giving parents a dining option that doesn't require leaving the play area.
Pricing for 2026 sets open play admission at $17 per child, with free entry for adults and infants under 12 months, according to The Treehouse Play Cafe. A monthly membership tier runs $39 for a first child and $29 for each additional sibling. To keep the play spaces sanitary, the company's rules require signed liability waivers, ban outside food or drinks, and mandate that both children and adults remove their shoes and wear socks. A weekday happy hour from 3 p.m. to close offers $3.50 kids' meals alongside half-priced adult alcoholic beverages, a promotion the company has used to drive after-school and early-dinner traffic.
A Crowded Field for Family Leisure Dollars
Vernon Hills has the demographic profile to support the bet: Census data pegs the village's median household income at $121,943, and more than a third of local households — 36.7% — include children under 18, according to Census Reporter. But the new cafe won't be the only game in town chasing that spending. Nearby Hawthorn Mall kicked off a $5 million redesign in July that includes a revamped Kids Zone with climbing features and reading nooks aimed at drawing families away from screens and toward free indoor play. Whether Vernon Hills families choose a mall's complimentary play area or a paid cafe with a liquor license may come down to whether parents want their coffee — or their cocktail — served alongside the supervision.
