Sky Zone, Miami's first indoor trampoline park, is one of those amazing creations that, suddenly, fills all kinds of needs you didn't even know you had. The sprawling facility in central Doral celebrates its grand opening this weekend, and, for a cost of about the same as a 3-D movie, puts you as close to flying as you can get without jet propulsion.
Sure, you can have the typical kids' birthday party here, but the
16,000 square feet of trampoline space equally welcomes adults. Need a
rainy-day activity that doesn't involve Netflix, shopping, or
existential angst? Check. A date spot to see if your potential mate is
too uptight? Check. A place to laugh at your co-workers during a
potentially embarrassing team-building exercise? Check. A way to trick a
reticent friend or family member into accidentally doing some cardio?
Check.
Owner and general manager Juan Brandt decided to open the Miami location, a franchise, after visiting a Sky Zone with his family while on vacation in San Francisco. Back at home, he tried to look up the nearest location for a second round -- only to find the closest location was hours away in Tampa. And thus Brandt, a veteran of the cigar business, heard the classic entrepreneur's lightbulb ding. "I was looking for a change of pace -- something a little healthier," he said.
That's to the benefit of the kids and regressing adults of Miami, who now have a place to run, flip, and bounce themselves silly seven days a week. This is how it works: You pick a jump session -- 30 minutes for $9, an hour for $13, an hour and a half for $17, or two hours for $20. Sign a bunch of waivers (naturally), hand over your shoes, and strap on Sky Zone's special moon boot-like sneakers for safety and cleanliness. Then, go wild.
The actual jumping zones comprise three areas -- the main "courts," as they're called, are huge rectangles of trampoline grids surrounded by sloping bouncy walls, too. This means you can run from square to square, then up a wall and flip down, if you desire. Or, you might scoot over to one of the massive dodgeball courts, where you can score extra air by bouncing before you lob a ball at your opponents. Pickup games start regularly throughout the day here, or you can sign up for an adults-only league and tournament series starting soon.
Elsewhere, you can bounce down a lane to dunk on three foam-padded basketball hoops, or -- the best part, in our humble opinion -- freestyle cannonball or belly flop into a five-foot pool of foam blocks. Nowhere will you find any of this stuff overcrowded, either. Jump sessions start promptly on the half hour with an occupant limit, and more than a dozen referee-type attendants stand guard throughout for safety.
And while all of this looks like a lark, you might find yourself humbled just a few hops and skips later -- acting a fool on a trampoline works as a sneak attack cardio session. Or, if you want to get more systematic about it, join up for one of Sky Zone's coming "SkyRobics" classes. These one-hour group fitness classes cost just $10 and aim for maximum calorie burn with calisthenics, running, and a surprisingly exhausting technique called "rouncing," a run-bounce hybrid that will melt your quads.
Whatever you choose, if you show up to this place for a jump and leave without an idiotic grin, you're doing life completely wrong. Check it out at the grand opening this Saturday, when Sky Zone is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Sky Zone Indoor Trampoline Park, 5450 NW 82nd Ave., Doral. Call 305-650-5424, or visit skyzonesports.com/miami
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