Burger King - Highway 264
- Josie
- Mar 4
- 3 min read
Location: 5011 Highway 264 West Wilson, NC 27896
Price: $3 - $30
Ages: 2-10
Recommend: YES!
Safety: Solo Mom and kid approved daytime adventure, would bring Dad if dark out.
Must-knows: bring socks for the kids, no changing tables, the height of the playplace makes it easy for 2.5 years old and up to get into, highchairs available.
The classic fast food kids meal and playplace. Perhaps you have foggy memories of your own childhood wearing the Burger King Crown and getting buried in the hot, sticky ball pit. As a kid, it was your own secret world of wonder filled with tunnels, slides, and no adults. To your parents, it was a cheap place to get the kids fed without having to cook with an added bonus of getting some of their unending supply of energy burned off that wasn't their living room. As a 90s kid on a budget, this mama decided to revisit this old childhood haunt of mine as part of the $5 Friday Series. I can say that here in 2026, Burger King playplace is a hidden gem of nostalgia that still delights the young and young at heart.
I pulled up to the restaurant at around 10 AM on a rainy, blistery day. This was going to be my designated snack time and morning outing location for the kids. The traffic surrounding was easy to navigate, and parking was plentiful. This location is situated off the highway, and includes the typical pull-off amenities you would expect such as hotels, fast food restaurants, and gas stations. As with all things in Wilson, it was only about a 10 minute drive from my house. Here in town, everything is at most a 15 minute drive. I guess we are a 15 minute city, driving edition.
The restaurant was empty of customers, and was very clean. Even the bathrooms were nice and clean! No, changing tables though is the only downside. With the highway pull-off, I expect most people frequent the drive thru instead of eating inside. Service was fast and friendly. I don't know about you, but this was a paramount distinction because I've frequented so many fast-food restaurants and the staff forget that key word: fast. I ordered a chocolate chip cookie for the kids, and 2 apple juice boxes at the counter. Total came to a whooping $4.24. Now that's in my budget. The classic Burger King crowns were stacked on the counter for kids to grab to wear. I was glad to see that is still going strong.
We sat at a table booth against the playplace. I like how anywhere in the restaurant you choose to sit, you have a pretty decent view of the playplace. Its situated behind a glass wall that muffles the sounds of the kids playing, and has its own temperature control setting. It was a nice, comfortable 72. A couple of wooden benches are situated inside if you rather sit closer to your kids, but no food or beverage is allowed so make sure you finish eating before going in. However, I really don't think the staff would care if you the parent were to have your coffee in there with you. While the kids are burning energy, your trying to get some with the caffeine fix. If that's not mom life, I don't know what is.
The playplace itself was a kids paradise. Its two levels, and has two slides! The steps leading up to the second level were short enough for my 2.5 year old to climb by herself. The whole playplace has netting on the outside so no risk of kids falling out and hurting themselves. Plus soft matted flooring surround the entrance and under the slides for extra protection. I like safety features like that because it means I can sit down and scroll my phone and be an absent parent for a minute. If that alone isn't worth $5, I'm not sure what is.
The kids and I were there for about an hour and half. The whole morning not a single other kid came to the playplace, and no other people came to sit and eat in the restaurant. It was amazing. Its a forgotten relic that is highly underutilized by the community. Come check it out! You might just see me there.
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