What it is: Sky Zone is a new indoor trampoline park that just opened in North Durham in the same parking lot as Northgate Mall, right next to Sears. I took my youngest son who is 4 and we headed on over one afternoon with some friends. Just like other trampoline places in the area, you came in, signed a waiver, and paid according to how long you wanted to jump, half an hour increments. Then, you also paid for some official Sky Zone socks with grippy soles that you were required to wear but could bring back each time you came.
The interesting thing about paying was that the price designation for toddlers was based on height not age. So any child under 45 inches got to pay at the toddler price, which was great because I have kids that are so small I think they're going to be in the toddler category forever!
Once we bought our tickets, we used the change machine to get some change and used our quarter to get a locker for our belongings. They said you could use a locker without paying to lock it, but with my purse involved I appreciated the locking option.
Then, it was time for jumping!! When we headed out to the trampolines we were actually the only ones there except for one other family! Now, I imagine that will change as more people find out, but it was great. They said that the middle of the weekdays were usually pretty empty but things definitely filled up in the afternoons, evenings, and weekends. Everyone had a ball and completely wore themselves out, including me. There was the trampoline floor full of wall-to-wall trampolines for bouncing. There were also trampolines for jumping and dunking basketballs. Then, there were separate dodgeball arenas which we didn't explore, and finally, there were trampolines where you could jump into a pit of foam balls-my son's favorite.
One thing I noticed about Sky Zone was how many monitors they had. There were tons of staff monitoring the jumping. They were very strict about having one person jumping off each trampoline into the pit at a time, and even having one person on each trampoline on the jump floor. This was a difference between this and other jump places. While it was a little frustrating having to be so careful not to jump on the same square as someone else and not being able to hold hands with my son and jump, I really appreciate their attention to safety. They weren't going to let anything slide!
After our hour was done, we were all super thirsty. Fortunately, they had a concession stand where you could buy drinks, snacks, Icees, and even pizza. I also noticed they had birthday rooms where you could celebrate your own Sky Zone party.
What we liked: We love having another indoor option for getting the little kiddo energy out right here in Durham. I also really appreciated their attention to safety which made me feel more comfortable as a parent. They also have a toddler time on Saturday from 9-11am and Tuesday through Thursday from 3-5pm which is exclusively for kids under 45 inches. One of the workers there told me that at that time that during toddler time parents were actually able to hold hands with the kids and be on the same trampoline square, but I can't completely verify that. They also don't charge for the adult when a toddler is jumping. They also have specific times for other groups such as teens.
What we would change: The price was really the limiting factor for us. At $15 for an hour for an adult for an hour, that was an expensive outing. Fortunately toddler prices were a little cheaper which made things a little better for us. Their website just says $10 for the first half hour and $5 for every half hour after that for everyone. However, they gave us the toddler pricing of $8 per half hour and $4 after that even though it wasn't officially toddler time. I'm not sure if this is always their policy, or if the discounted prices were just during toddler time.
Website and other important information:
Address: 1720 Guess Road, Suite 90, 27701
Hours: Closed Monday, Tuesday-Thursday 3pm-9pm, Friday 11am-10pm, Saturday 10am-10pm, Sunday 12pm-6pm *This doesn't match up with the Saturday 9-11 toddler time. I will call to clarify.
Photos:
(A view of their concessions stand from the seating area)
(The jumping floor)
(the sky slam dunking zone)
(a view from the foam pit-it's like quick sand in here)
(The pit)
No comments:
Post a Comment