Last week, my child got eyeglasses. I was ready for a battle with getting him to keep them on, and he shocked the heck out of us by pretty much accepting them from day one. He barely takes them off, and when he wakes up in the morning he asks to “put blue on”.
So, I thought what better way to test out new glasses than go to a bounce house the next day?
Yes, I’m crazy. And as Hank from Finding Dory says, “I’m okay with crazy”. (We have been watching that movie way too much lately.)
We had such a great time at Jumpin’ Jonnies last month, so I wanted to do something like that again. And since I finally overcame my fear of traveling south of Hartford, and I wanted to excuse to have lunch with daddy in the city, I broke out my insanely long list of “Fun Things to Do” to try to find something that met our needs. Indoor Play? South of Hartford? Open on Thursday morning?
I ended up deciding to check out Jump On In in Newington!
Jump On In is fairly new to the Newington area. While there are several Jump On In locations throughout the US (there are a few in Massachusetts, actually), this is the first in Connecticut. And it has certainly been a fun addition!
I discovered they had open playevery Thursday and Friday. We decided to head over in the morning for their first open play session from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
You can book a session ahead of time, to ensure a spot for the open play, but they also welcome walk-ins. We decided to just head over (it’s hard to commit with a 2 year old!).
Jump On In is located on Alumni Road in Newington. For those who are unfamiliar with the area (like me), you’ll want to get the map ready. As noted on their website, most GPS’ are not up to date with Alumni Road, so you may have trouble getting to the place. They offer directions on their website, or recommend using either Google maps or Apple maps for directions. I broke out my paper and pen, and wrote some directions down before I headed over. It was actually really easy to find the place, even without my GPS telling me where to go. Honestly, sometimes I prefer that method since me and the GPS don’t always get along the best. However, you do need to watch for signs and keep your eyes open, or else you end up doing a u-turn halfway into the industrial park!
The facility is located in a warehouse, way at the end of a long building strip. They have a sign pointing you in the right direction (watch for the sign, on your right).
There is plenty of parking in front.
The entrance is located right under the big sign.
When you enter the door, you’ll walk right into a huge lobby. There you will find the admission desk, some coat racks, seating, a big screen TV, and a few coolers with snacks and drinks.
At the front desk, you’ll pay for the admission of your child. Admission is for two hours of open play and costs $15. This includes your admission too. You’ll also be asked to sign a waiver, unless you have already completed one online.
Right down the hall from the lobby, you’ll also find their restrooms, which include a changing table.
Also down the hallway are their party rooms. I peeked inside and saw they had lots of tables, and a special chair for the birthday child. They have many different party packages available, as well as different food options.
Before we entered into the play area, I checked out their rules. There are a lot, but most are pretty expected: No food or drinks inside the play area, no shoes in the play area (socks are an absolute must!), and play safely!
I could hardly contain this child any longer, and when the lady opened the door for us, he took off. Fortunately, I am faster than the little bugger and I was able to grab him before he got too far! But can you blame him, look at what you see as soon as the door opens!!
Like I mentioned, I was able to scoop him up before I completely lost him in the giant world of bounce, and we found a spot on the benches to take our shoes off.
They have a few different shoe cubicles located in the play area, so we were able to drop off our bags, shoes and coats. You can also use the coat rack outside in the lobby. I noticed that many parents with littler ones had brought in their strollers and had them parked off to the side near the benches. So don’t hesitate if you need to bring a stroller in with you!
I also spotted this near the door, and I totally appreciated it! We used some before we started to play, and after! Little ones mean lots of germs!
Once we were finally ready, he took off (again)! He was really excited!
First up was this awesomeness!
The picture doesn’t do this slide justice at all. It is really tall. I went up with him for first round, but then after that, he basically gave me that “mom, I got this” look. And honestly, he really did! I was impressed at his climbing skills!
The drop is pretty insane though!
But even after a big drop like that, the glasses were still on and intact!
Next we ventured into the first bounce house, which was across from the giant slide. It had been pretty crowded in there when we first arrived, but by the time we made our way down the slide a few times, it cleared out and he basically had the place to himself!
There are a lot of things to do in this bounce house, but the main attraction is the climbing wall and two slides! The climb is not as tall as the big slide, but I was still impressed at how well he did!
Across from the bounce house is an obstacle course type set up, with a little resemblance to American Ninja Warrior. There are a lot of things to climb on, jump on (and off of), balance on, and even a huge wall to climb! Most of this didn’t really grab my son’s attention, but he is quite small. Maybe in a couple years!
He did decide to give these things a try!
Honestly, what really grabbed his attention for most of our time there? This!
Don’t you want to just dive in? I am not sure how deep this goes and I didn’t want to find out!! He was having a grand old time jumping in and climbing out!
They also have a zip line that runs across the front of the pit. He tried it but didn’t understand how to let go, so he kind of just dangled there… Okay, so not ready for that yet. The zip line is probably the most popular spot in the place, and it was a busy area. At first, we did not realize there was a zip line running across the front of the foam pit, and my boy was happily playing there for awhile. And then I was schooled by a 5 year old who asked me to “please move your son, ma’am”. I appreciated the manners! And I’m thankful he didn’t just plow into my completely oblivious child! And then we knew to steer clear of the zip line drop off area!
When we first arrived to open play, only half of the gym was open. But soon after we started playing in the foam pit, they opened up the other side of the play area. There are four more bounce houses on this side!
There is another big slide on this side, but this one has a twist.
For starters, parents are not allowed on this one. So I had to let him loose and hope for the best.
There are two climbing walls heading to the top of the slide, but on the way there is a platform and the option to “jump” onto a big soft landing area. Of course, my child decided this looking interesting… I nearly had a coronary, while another dad there laughed at my helicopter ways.
Thankfully, he decided this was not a good idea, and headed up the second wall, only to surprise me seconds later when he shot down the slide! It happened so fast, I couldn’t even get a picture. He had some trouble getting off this slide; and in the end, he decided not to try this one again! The older kids were definitely enjoying it though!
Instead, we headed for something more up our alley. More bounce houses!
This one was smaller, and at the moment was empty, so he enjoyed bouncing by himself for all of 2 minutes, before he decided to move on.
He had a lot of fun in this jungle themed bounce house, especially after he found a ball. This one also does not allow parents, but the walls were low so I was able to see him in there the whole time. It had some really great features including a basketball hoop and many more things to climb on, in and through.
The last bounce house does allow adults, so I was happy (at first) to check it out with him, and then I was tired. Really, really tired. But we had a good time, climbing, and sliding, and going through tunnels. By the time he was ready to explore this bounce house for the second, third and fourth time, I parked myself in a corner and happily watched!
As you can see, they have a lot of bounce houses, and each one is so very different. They can be enjoyed by all ages, but some are better suited for the little ones and some for the bigger kids. Some allow parents, some don’t. And some, you’ll wish didn’t allow parents. Because wow, it can be quite a workout climbing those walls and fitting yourself through tunnels.
I wish I could say he napped great after that exhausting hour and a half… but my child has to be different, and he took a shorter than usual nap. I think most kids will be thoroughly pooped after playing in here!
I am, however, happy to report that the eyeglasses did in fact survive!
I hope you get the chance to check this place out. It’s a great indoor activity in the winter, and it will also be great during the hot summer months! Make sure to add this one to your must visit list!
This about sums it up…
405 Alumni Road – Newington, CT
Open Jump Hours:
Parties can be booked any day of the week.
Prices:
Open Jump: $15 per child. Parents are free with a paid child.
Features:
- 6 Bouncers including 4 bounce houses, two slide, an American Ninja Warrior style obstacle course and foam pit
- Lots of climbing, lots of slides
- No shoes allowed – socks needed to play
- Parking is available for free, in large lot
- Bathrooms available, including changing tables
- Cash or credit card accepted
- Waiver must be signed before jumping
- Sessions can be booked or you can walk-in
- Food available for purchase
- Party rooms available for rent
- Food and drinks are not allowed inside the play area
A few additional tips:
- Wear comfortable clothes and plan to get a good work out!
- Remember socks!
