Indoor trampolines bring a bounce to the Bay Area
on September 29, 2010
They come in droves to jump on the massive trampolines. They do backflips, play dodgeball, and dunk on a basketball hoop they couldn’t otherwise reach without some catapulting aid. Oh, and children can also be found doing these things at the House of Air, San Francisco’s first indoor trampoline park that has proven as popular with adults as it has with preschoolers.
Co-founder Dave Schaeffer, 34, said he and his business partner, Paul McGeehan, came up with the idea for a trampoline park while driving back from Lake Tahoe in 2003. In addition to being a career change, both liked the idea of starting a business that would allow people to practice aerial tricks on snowboards. That led to the House of Air, which opened Sept. 15.
Housed in an old airplane hangar at San Francisco’s Crissy Field, less than a mile from Golden Gate Bridge, the trampoline park features three jumping areas: the Matrix, which consists of 42 conjoined trampolines that combine for a larger surface than a basketball court; the Colosseum, which hosts dodgeball games; and the Training Ground, an extra bouncy, instruction-only area for those looking to work on gymnastics or boarding skills. Since trampolines are for ages 7 years and older, a bounce house is set up for younger visitors.
Schaeffer said the place has already become a popular zone for birthday parties and corporate events, with reservation requests coming in by the dozens. Regular admission is $14 for adults to bounce around the first hour and $10 any additional hour. Children are $10 per hour.
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