As I start to write this review, the song “Jump Around” by House of Pain is ruminating through my head. (Go ahead…I know you want to click the hyper-link to the song. Just come back and read on while it plays…)
Why is that song stuck in my head like most ear-worms tend to do? It’s because last weekend I decided to take advantage of the opportunity afforded me and bring my family out to the newest Greater Toronto Area location of Sky Zone Trampoline Park, located in Whitby.
My youngest and my eldest jumping around and loving it!
Sky Zone bills themselves as the world’s first indoor trampoline park. Originating in the US, the company has expanded into Canada with 6 current locations and 3 more either under construction or coming soon. Current Canadian locations can be found in Ottawa, Mississauga, Vaughan, Whitby, Toronto and Winnipeg. Locations in Surrey, BC and Kitchener, ON are being built and plans were just announced for a Sky Zone Trampoline Park in London, ON as well.
Sky Zone Trampoline Park also has expanded to both Mexico and Australia.
Some of the 35,000 square feet of space in Whitby
My son is going for the slam!
The Whitby location encompasses approximately 35,000 square feet and can accommodate up to 120 jumpers per hour. In addition to open jumping areas, there are spaces dedicated for playing Dodgeball, basketball slam dunks, there is a dedicated toddler play space and there is a pretty fun area where you get to jump off a trampoline and into a giant pit filled with thousands of foam cubes.
Toddler Zone
My son jumps into the foam pit
(Are you still playing Jump Around? I thought so…)
Sky Zone promotes trampoline jumping as a highly effective form of aerobic exercise. According to their website, individuals can burn 1,000 calories per hour while jumping on a trampoline and can provide a low-impact cardiovascular workout. I can verify the fact that jumping gets your heart racing as I could easily feel my heart rate going up after only a minute or two of jumping. Their website has a rather significant amount of information on the overall health benefits of jumping on a trampoline.
My wife and I were 'Jumping Around' as well!
My 4 kids in action!
An interesting aspect of Sky Zone is that while the facility is certainly kid-friendly, it does not limit itself to being a kiddie play centre. While Sky Zone has all the capacity and amenities needed to host kids Birthday parties, they also have a wide range of events on their schedule that cater to people of all ages.
Open jumping is available throughout their operating day (you pay according to the amount of time you want to jump. SkySocks are also mandatory and cost $2 but can be kept and re-used in future visits), but also scheduled at various times are SkyRobics, Ultimate Dodgeball and more. They are promoting themselves to businesses as a great team-building event and apparently many corporate groups use the facilities regularly.
Friendly Sky Zone staff members in Whitby
I also was interested in their regular SkyJam program which takes place on Saturday nights for people 16 years and up. From 9 – 11 PM SkyJam offers 90 minutes of jump time plus 2 pizza slices and a drink for $20.00 (Whitby pricing).
Birthday parties are certainly popular there but they can be a bit expensive. Depending on the package level you choose, one can easily put out a few hundred bucks here, and while it may be consistent with other pricing at similar types of facilities or attractions, it can still prove to be beyond what some families can afford. Bear this in mind as it will be great fun, but it won’t be the cheapest party option you can find.
Party rooms
Ready for a birthday party
Overall though, the experience my family had was quite positive as we conducted this latest Enviro Dad Reviews report. We all enjoyed the opportunity to jump around and burn off some calories and stress, which is something everyone should be able to do.
Bottom line is that if you are looking for a unique and interesting way to get some exercise and have some good family fun, I’d suggest checking online to see where the nearest Sky Zone Trampoline Park is located to you.
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