This past week we decided to select an entertainment venue other than a movie theater, bowling alley, or bar. Rather, we opted for a trampoline park. In Spokane, a couple of these attractions have popped up around town in the past couple years. A trampoline park is a large area that is devoted to trampolines (big surprise) and obstacles. It is an outlet to release energy and work up a sweat.

On Monday my brother, girlfriend, sister’s family, and I went to Get Air, a trampoline park located in an anchor space in Northtown Mall. We decided to purchase the one hour jump option. I paid for my brother and girlfriend and between the three of us the total was $45. This price is broken down by the $12 fee per hour per jumper plus the special socks we had to purchase to jump in the facility. With the transaction made and our wristbands snapped on, we changed out of our shoes and entered the park.

This is the entrance to the Get Air trampoline park in Northtown Mall in Spokane.

Get Air is designed in a really cool way with lots to do. When you first enter you are greeted by built-in floor level trampolines running all over the place. Back a bit and to the right you have two foam pits that you jump into. A little ways past the foam pits you have two basketball hoops elevated at different heights. The “courts” for the hoops are trampolines. Adjacent to the foam pits is an obstacle course. There is also an additional obstacle course with different challenges located directly behind the main level trampolines. Behind the second obstacle course is a dodge ball arena. You also have other stations around the facility such as a tight rope challenge and trampolines that extend on the walls.

We entered the facility and started to jump, jump, jump. After ten minutes we all looked around at one another and admitted that we were tired. That’s right, only 20% through our experience and we were already sucking air as young kids who had been in the facility for most likely hours jumped around us effortlessly. But after facing the fact that we were not in “trampoline shape” we got back to exploring the park and the fatigue actually gradually vanished from our systems or we just simply forgot about it.

I became pretty exhausted just after the first ten minutes.

Let me say this: Trampoline parks are not easy. Some might think that you don’t need to put forth any effort to jump high and fly around like a super human but that is not accurate (well, at least not for adults). In order to “get air” you have to exert quite a bit of force on the tramps to propel you. You don’t have as much control as you might think either. For someone my age, you have to work hard to pull off even the most elementary flip.

The attraction at the park I liked the most was the foam pit. You had an especially springy trampoline to jump on that would allow you to perform your stunt and then land in a cushy pool filled with foam blocks. Any fear of hurting yourself was quickly diminished after the first jump. Tumbling into the foam pit is as pleasant as falling down on a comfortable bed after an exhausting day. It really felt that good and it gave you the confidence to do whatever you wanted. However, getting out of the pit was another story. It was a genuine struggle to navigate out of the foam blocks, a workout in and of itself.

The foam pit made doing flips very comfortable.

The dodge ball arena was cool but it is basically a big free-for-all with little structure. I wasn’t athletic enough/tall enough to dunk on one of the basketball hoops but my brother was able to. I couldn’t take two steps on the tight rope without falling off. The obstacle course that was designed for racing provided a great challenge. You run over elevated mats, navigate over a net, and climb a wall. Although the falls don’t look too steep when you are watching people do it, once you are on top of the mats/walls you realize you have a big drop. I did the obstacle course and successfully finished although I did slightly injure my groin while climbing over the net.

Employees in referee shirts patrol the area. If you break a rule, you will get whistled at. Before we arrived we filled out the necessary waiver at home. We blindly signed the long document. There was also a video that you were supposed to watch but we bypassed that as well. Lockers and cubby-holes are available to use. A couple drinking fountains with good pressure and cold water are nearby. Inside the park there are a couple couches where you can take a load off and regain your energy.

The park closed at 9 p.m. which was perfect because it coincided with the end of our hour. I was drenched in sweat. We all had a good time and agreed that it was a great alternative to the more traditional entertainment options. If you want something different to do that will also get your heart rate up, consider visiting a trampoline park. Don’t Blink.