If someone had told me a year ago that my ideal Thursday night would involve putting my toddler in pajamas, driving to a library, and eating Chips Ahoy cookies on the floor surrounded by babies, I would have laughed. And yet here we are, and honestly? It might be the best free outing we've found in Charlotte.
SouthPark Regional Library hosts Pajama Family Storytime on select Thursday evenings, and after our first time going, I'm already planning to make it a regular thing. But what really makes it special is that it's not just storytime. It's an entire evening plan if you do it right, and I'm going to tell you exactly how to do it right.
Here's the move: start your night at Yafo Kitchen, which is just a few minutes from the library in the Morrison Shopping Center. Pre-order your food on the app so it's ready when you walk in. This is crucial. You do not want to be standing in line with a hungry toddler at 5:30 on a Thursday while your food is being made. Pre-order, walk in, grab your food, sit down. Done.
Yafo has high chairs and kids' meal options, so the little ones are set. Our friend Kate (Hadley's mom) met us there, and while the kids were occupied with food, the grown-ups actually got to have a real conversation. This is rare. Protect this energy.
After dinner, I got Jamie changed into his pajamas right there (I brought them in my bag, no shame) and we drove over to the library. The whole dinner-to-library transition took maybe 10 minutes.
SouthPark Regional Library is at 7015 Carnegie Boulevard, right off Carnegie near SouthPark Mall. Parking is free and there's plenty of it. We got there around 6:10 for a 6:30 start, which felt early, but here's the thing: spots are limited and there's no registration required, so it's first come, first served. I'd rather be 20 minutes early and browsing books than showing up at 6:25 and getting turned away. Your call, but I'm telling you what I'd tell my best friend.
Even if you get there with time to kill, the children's area at SouthPark Library is no joke. Jamie was completely entertained for a solid 20 minutes before storytime even started. There's a little play market with pretend food, a playhouse that has a roof made out of books glued together (which Jamie immediately tried to pull apart, because of course he did), activity boards on the walls, Magna-Tiles, and then obviously rows and rows of actual books.
Jamie went from shelf to shelf pulling out basically every book he could reach. If your kid is a book kid, they will be in heaven. If your kid is not a book kid, there's enough other stuff to keep them busy. Either way, you're not going to be awkwardly standing around watching the clock.
Around 6:30, they ring a bell and everyone heads into the storytime room. You can sit on the floor or grab one of the chairs along the sides if you prefer. The vibe is super casual, which I appreciated. The kids ranged from newborns being held by their parents to preschoolers who were fully participating in the songs. There is zero pressure for your kid to sit still, pay attention, or behave in any particular way. This is not a "please keep your child quiet" situation.
The teacher sang songs, read a few books, and wrapped things up with bubbles and Chips Ahoy cookies for the kids. Yes, cookies. At the library. On a Thursday night. In pajamas. It's like someone designed this specifically for toddlers and their exhausted parents.
Jamie, true to form, kept trying to steal the books that the teacher was reading, which was both embarrassing and entirely predictable. His buddy Hadley took a different approach and decided to introduce herself to every single family in the room, checking out their toys and saying hello to anyone who would listen. The two of them together were peak toddler chaos in the best way.
Bring a stuffed animal. The program description says to bring a cuddly plush friend, and we completely forgot. It wasn't a big deal, but Jamie would have loved having his along for the ride, and some of the other kids had theirs which made the whole pajama vibe even cuter.
That's honestly my only note. Everything else about this outing was easy, fun, and free, which is basically the holy grail of toddler activities.
We headed out right after, but for the regular (non-pajama) storytime sessions, families tend to hang around afterwards and chat with each other. So if you're looking for a low-pressure way to meet other parents, that could be a nice bonus!
What: Pajama Family Storytime
Where: SouthPark Regional Library, 7015 Carnegie Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28211
When: Select Thursday evenings at 6:30 PM (check the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library events calendar for specific dates)
Ages: Families with children birth to age 5
Cost: Free
Registration: Not required, but spots are limited. Get there early.
What to bring: Kids in pajamas, a stuffed animal, and patience for the inevitable "I want to take ALL the books home" negotiation
Parking: Free
Nearby dinner option: Yafo Kitchen (720 Governor Morrison St, about 5 minutes away). Pre-order on the app.
Library hours for reference: Mon-Thu: 9:00 AM - 8:00 PM Fri-Sat: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Sun: 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Pajama Storytime checked every box for us: it's free, it's easy, it's genuinely fun for the kids, and with the Yafo dinner beforehand, it turned a random Thursday into a whole little family night out. The kind of evening where you get home and think "that was really nice" instead of "we are never doing that again." If you have a toddler and a free Thursday evening, go. You will not regret it.