‘More than a trampoline park.’ Urban Air readies to bring new adventures to Columbus
A new indoor adventure park will be holding a grand opening in December — bringing another option for family-friendly fun to Columbus.
Urban Air Adventure Park features a attractions for all ages, according to a news release, and will be available as a venue for kids’ birthday parties, church events, corporate gatherings or “a day out for some family fun.”
Located in Bradley Park Square in the former Stein Mart, Urban Air will have a soft opening next month before opening for the public on December 3.
The grand opening event will be open to everyone with a giveaway for free basic access to the park for a year for the first 200 customers who purchase a Platinum or Ultimate pass, the release said.
“There’s going to be a DJ and balloons,” co-owner Amy Roper said. “We’re going to have a big party.”
Prices for the park are not set yet, however customers will be able to go online to find more information about purchasing tickets.
Owners Tommy and Amy Roper and Simon and Kathy Edwards met through their work owning and operating child care centers in the Atlanta-metro area. The two couples became partnered to open an Urban Air Adventure Park in Columbus because of the shared vision they’d built through their years working together with their child care centers, Tommy said.
Although the Ropers live in Atlanta, opening this location in Columbus is a homecoming for Tommy, who graduated from Columbus State University in 1998. He and his wife lived in Columbus after his college graduation for several years, Tommy said. The couple got married and had their first child while living in the city.
“We like the small town feel of the area,” Amy said. “And we wanted to bring something to the area that we loved so much early in our marriage and family.”
‘More than a trampoline park’
When customers first walk into Urban Air they will be first greeted by a scene of kids jumping, playing and flying through the building on the Sky Rider, an indoor zip line that runs across the ceiling. Once opened, music and lighting will add to the atmosphere, Tommy and Amy said.
“Urban Air really is more than a trampoline park,” Amy said. “It’s about 20% trampolines, and then you’ve a lot of adventure.”
There is a counter to the left of the door where customers can buy their tickets and get the socks that they’ll need to enjoy the attractions. One of the first attractions visitors will see are the Spin Zone Bumper Cars that Amy describes as “bumper cars on steroids” because of the spins and flips the machines are capable of performing.
Kids can climb on the climbing walls, or play in a virtual reality world. There are a variety of different types of trampolines to jump on for people of different levels of experience and ability. There is a Wipe Out attraction and a Ninja Warrior attraction.
Towards the back of Urban Air, families and kids can play laser tag. The wall from the outside of the laser tag area is low and the floor plan open, Tommy said, so parents can see their kids playing while standing outside.
Near the laser tag area is the Urban Air Cafe, which will provide pizza, wings, chicken tenders and other options, Tommy said.
“(Urban Air Cafe) has all the core products for families to be able to enjoy,” he said. “Whether it’s part of a party or if Mom and Dad want to come in, relax, sit at a bar top and work or watch a football game.”
The cafe will also provide gluten-free alternatives, such as cauliflower pizza, Amy said.
‘There are easier jobs’
Bringing Urban Air to Columbus was not without its challenges because of supply chain problems and inflation, Tommy said.
Some measures were taken up front in an effort to try and get in front of foreseeable issues, he said, such as ordering HVAC units as soon as possible. Additionally, with the price of steel increasing, the owners decided to use cast-in-place concrete for the mezzanine where the private party rooms are housed.
“The past two years have been a challenge dealing with everything coming out of COVID whether it be the supply chain or an increase in pricing due to inflation,” Tommy said. “It’s going to be very rewarding for us to be able to see all the families come in and see the wow on those kids’ faces.”
The Ropers want to have a positive impact on the community by not only providing a safe space for parents to bring their children, they said, but also in training a workforce. Currently, Urban Air has brought about 85 jobs to the market, Tommy said.
“For a lot of these guys, it’s their first job,” he said. “And, hopefully, we get to set them in the direction of success for the remainder of their life.”
One of their goals is to have the ability to mentor and support families, Tommy said. This is something the Edwards and Ropers were able to do in the early stages with child care, he said, and they would like to continue it with an older group.
“There are easier jobs — easier endeavors— that you could dive into,” Tommy said. “This is not one of them, but it’s probably one of the most rewarding.”
This story was originally published October 31, 2022 at 12:11 PM.
