Younger children can play in the large playroom filled with toys and things to do while older children and adults hang out in the game room, shooting pool. There are also a number of activities that go on throughout the week, including bingo, arts and crafts, as well as visits from local groups that keep the children entertained. Families have many opportunities to keep themselves occupied at the inn. The library and computer room offer children a quiet place to do homework or chat with their friends online. Unlike hundreds of other hospital hospitality houses throughout the country, the Children's Inn does not charge families a fee to stay.
Families purchase and cook their own meals and clean up after themselves.
Operating as a nonprofit corporation, the inn works within a public-private partnership. More than 35,000 people have contributed to the inn. The volunteer list exceeds 300. Complementing the 8-member paid staff, the volunteers are involved in everything from greeting guests at the front desk to shuttling families to the grocery store. President George Bush and First Lady Barbara Bush help cut the ribbon to open the inn on June 21, 1990.