The Right Trampoline Park

How do you pick the best trampoline park for your family, now that there are so many? It might seem like all trampoline parks are the same, with a trampoline area and then other fun stuff you can do in the meantime, but that’s not what you should be looking for.

First and foremost, a trampoline park has to be fun or all the other factors are moot. If the kids aren’t entertained then the entire venture is a waste of time and money, so make sure the park you choose contains the key ingredient of fun. There are parks that seem like glorified bounce houses with attractions that are way too small for older kids, and others are like one-trick ponies with only one fun exhibit that has your kids ready to head for the exit after 20 minutes. You want to make sure there’s a variety of things for your kids to do.

Second, safety. You might have heard horror stories concerning some fly-by-night play parks being cited for blatant safety violations. Unsecured bounce houses and inadequate amount of padding on play equipment can be dangerous for kids, who trust you to put them in an environment where they won’t be harmed. Parents have an obligation to ensure they stay safe. That’s why no-slip socks are so important, and often many places will ask you to keep cell phones or bulky cameras off the trampoline where they can’t hurt someone else.

Third, atmosphere. This one may be a bit hard to define, but you know it when you see it. Sometimes you can tell just by walking in the front door whether or not you are in the right place. A good indicator is whether the trampoline park is located in a cookie-cutter strip mall unit that might just as easily house a sandwich shop or a shoe store, or if it’s a facility designed with play in mind – a spacious layout with high ceilings that is well-lit and tidy, and features a fun, lively vibe. Perhaps the biggest comfort factor is air conditioning. The body heat generated from dozens of munchkins working up a sweat can rapidly turn room temperature into a pizza oven. The heat can take a toll on kids with respiratory or heat-related conditions, such as asthma and airborne allergies.

It’s important to take these into consideration, because you want your kids to have an overall good experience. You want to be able to keep coming back to one trampoline park, instead of having to try many. There are other factors that go into this, like is the staff nice or how expensive is it, but overall, you want to be able to feel comfortable in the trampoline park you choose.