Trampolines
evoke a sense of excitement and fun for my children. Both love
bouncing. As we do not have room for a trampoline in our sloped,
small garden they love any chance they get to bounce on trampolines
when visiting friends and family who have one.
With
their love of bouncing being strong when we were asked if we would
like to visit a trampoline park I ‘jumped’ at the chance to take
them for a fun bouncing session.
Whilst
on a recent holiday to visit family in Leeds we stopped in Chester
for a few days of family fun. One of our adventures included a trip
to Flip Out Chester.
Flip Out Chester is described as the world’s biggest & best
trampoline theme park suitable for people between 6 months and 106
years old! It boasts being a state of the art facility with brand new
designs and equipment that hasn’t been seen in Europe before.
Flip
Out Chester is massive and boasts
200 trampolines in total, 50 of which are Olympic. The arena has an
array of areas and equipment -
* Extra
large main arena
* Kids
arena for under 7’s
* Soft
play for under 5’s
* Stunt
boxes
* Kids
stunt box zone
* Adult
free running zone
* 4
Wall runners
* Ninja
warrior courses
* Battle
beams
* Total
wipeout
* Dodgeball
* Olympic
foam pit
* Kids
foam pit
* Basketball
* Drop,
speed and racing slides
* Tumble
tracks
* Clip
‘N’ Climb arena
* Toxic
Drop 60ft inflatable assault course
The
bouncing fun at Flip Out Chester can be had 7 days a week between the
hours of 9am and 10pm. As well as kit for bouncing and action fun,
the trampoline park has a great range of facilities -
* The
Kitchen American Diner
* The
Cage Cafe
* Viewing
balcony
* Platforms
throughout arena for spectator viewing
* DJ’s
* 4
party rooms
* VIP
party room
* Conference
facilities
* Lockers
* Fitness
classes
* Sessions
for varying ages and abilities
* Toilets
and baby changing facilities
* Free
wi-fi
* Free
car park
For
those who do not want to or cannot bounce spectating is completely
free and thanks to a platform running in between the whole arena you
can watch the bouncing action from close by. Being able to get up
close to the trampolines and different arenas is great to help you
supervise little ones. A viewing balcony above can also provide a
great way to keep an eye on the bouncing action in the arena.
Before
going to the venue we had been asked to arrive 30 minutes before our
session slot to complete safety measures. After going through the
process I can see that arriving early is a must as it does take time
to complete everything and if we had not arrived 30 minutes early it
would have taken up valuable bouncing time from our session.
Outside
of the venue around the back of the building there was plenty of free
parking. The venue itself is a large industrial unit that is adorned
with a large, vibrant Flip Out sign. When we arrived parked outside
was a vibrant green Flip Out car and 4x4 which the kids loved seeing.
As we walked towards the entrance we caught sight of the enormous
inflatable assault course Toxic Drop which was located outdoors.
Arriving
inside the venue we received a warm and friendly welcoming. We had to
complete waiver forms before we could jump, with myself completing
them on behalf of the children as they are under 18. Moving
with the times and keeping up with the tech world we live in we were
given tablets to complete the waiver forms on electronically. For
visitors who want to save time the waiver form can be completed
online before visiting the venue.
As
well as signing the waiver forms, at the front desk we also received
Flip Out non slip, safety socks. The kids loved their vivid green
socks which they thought were super cool. The socks are a must for
bouncing and can be bought for £1.50 - £2.00 a pair. Once you have
bought a pair of Flip Out socks they are yours to keep.
Along
with the socks we were also given wristbands of a specific colour
which are used to ensure the correct people are in the arena for each
session. As a session ends a specific wristband colour is asked to
leave the arena before the next hour session begins. If you decide to
have 2 hour sessions you are given 2 wristbands of different colours.
Once
we had crossed the t’s and dotted the i’s and digitally signed
the waiver forms, we were directed into a separate small room to
watch a safety demonstration video. The video showcases the rules of
the arena along with important do’s and don’ts to ensure everyone
not only has fun but is safe whilst doing so. The thought of having
to sit through a boring safety video with 2 little kids who were
eager to get out on the trampolines and would get bored easily and
not pay attention filled me with dread but thankfully I had nothing
to worry about. Much to my surprise and delight the safety video was
short and sweet and it was very entertaining so much so that the kids
loved it.
Flip Out’s safety video was very cleverly done, being
entertaining and funny to capture attention whilst delivering
important safety information. Well done to the mastermind who came up
with the entertaining safety video that featured superb Flip Out
staff who were informative, captivating and amusing. The man hosting
the safety meeting was very friendly and welcoming. To ensure
everyone was taking the safety video seriously, paying attention and
were ready to safely flip and bounce there was a quick question and
answer round of what safety rules we all must follow such as no
double bouncing.
Following
the safety briefing you could enter the main hall where they had some
lockers available to leave personal belongings safely. The lockers
needed a £1 coin to lock which was returned once you had finished
with the locker and removed your belongings.
The
time for bouncing was nigh. Our flip session nearly about to start.
Waiver
signed
Safety
briefing done
Personal
belongings in lockers
Flip
Out socks on
Entering
the arena where we were welcomed by a graffiti welcome wall we walked
through a colourful vortex tunnel where our excitement rose ever
higher and the kids beamed happily with anticipation. A friendly Flip
Out worker greeted us at the entrance to the arena, checking we had
the correct wristband colour for the new session.
The
arena is a vibrant and exciting place to be with bouncing atmosphere
thanks to the low lighting, shimmering disco ball hanging above the
main arena, colourful lights and fast music. It felt exciting and a
place to have fun and let loose as you flip out and bounce to your
heart’s content.
We
all loved how the place looked and the vibrant, eye-catching graffiti
was especially cool and modern.
It
was amazing and a little daunting how many different arenas there
were. Sticking to our bouncing skill level for the main part we
remained in main arena and kids arena. Whilst we could not fully
appreciate all that Flip Out Chester had to offer due to our skill
level, it was great to see all the different arenas and equipment and
that there was something for everyone of all skill levels from noobs
like us to expert trampoliners.
With
2 young children we first ventured to the under 7’s kids arena
where they spent no time at all getting into the swing of bouncing
around happily.
Both children loved bouncing on the different
trampolines before leaping into the foam pit.
Along
with a love of bouncing into the fun and appealing foam pit, Bug also
loved bouncing on the trampolines before energetically jumping onto
and swinging on the hanging punchbag.
Being
brave Bug ventured onto the Drop Slide however struggling to set off
with his arms crossed over his chest as needed, he slipped off arms
flaying and slightly out of control which scared him. Coming off of
the slide he was upset. Within seconds of him climbing out of the
slide exit a member of staff had come over to us to check whether he
was okay and not hurt. As well as ensuring he was not injured the
warm and friendly man cheered him up, reassured him that it was not
his fault and gave him a big high five for being brave. The concern
and kindness he showed was a great positive to me as a parent.
Jelly
Bean had lots of fun testing out the under 5’s soft play area. He
loved the slide and colourful punchbags. The addition of the soft
play area is great for giving little ones something extra to do when
not bouncing on the kids arena trampolines. With Jelly Bean embracing
the bounce so much on the trampolines, getting hot and sweaty in the
meantime, venturing over for a few minutes in the soft play area was
also a good way to calm him down and let him rest a little from the
all action bouncing. Often little ones of toddler age are often
overlooked and not catered for so it was lovely to see extra thought
being put into providing areas for toddlers.
The
main trampoline arena was also lots of fun. The large trampolines
were a joy to bounce on and the kids loved seeing how high they could
bounce under the glistening light of the glitterball hanging above.
Being
noobs to trampoline parks and doing more than simple bouncing we
stuck within our bouncing abilities. However it was entertaining and
awe-inspiring to watch more experienced bouncers flip, trick and do
stunts on the arenas.
As
we were noobs to trampoline parks and had 2 young children whom we
wanted to make sure were kept safe whilst having fun, it was
reassuring to see staff on every activity monitoring the guests and
equipment to ensure everyone was safe and happy. When the first
session finished I observed staff members quickly yet proficiently
check the arena and equipment to ensure it was safe and clean.
I
love all the different activities offered by the park such as two
hour experience, standard jump, mini flippers, toddler time, flip
fit, clip n climb and after dark. Experiences coming soon include
little ninjas and autism awareness which I think is amazing.
It
is great to know that as well as having fun bouncing at Flip Out has
a lot of health benefits such as lower-impact cardiovascular fitness
and improved balance and coordination. It is an amazing way to let
the kids have fun whilst exercising and hopefully wearing them out!
After
lots of bouncing and flying into foam pits we headed to the indoor
American Diner to rest and refuel. The trendy The Kitchen American
Diner had a great selection of tasty, gourmet food to choose from
with a menu for adults and a Little Flippers kids menu. The staff
were very friendly and helpful. We had a lovely experience at The
Kitchen and would recommend it highly. It is somewhere we would love
to eat at regardless of whether we were bouncing at Flip Out or not.
The
fresh food was very well made and extremely tasty. The kids loved
their cheeseburger and fresh chicken nuggets which were devoured by
them.
I
thoroughly enjoyed my tasty burger whilst Lee loved the pizza he
opted for. I also loved the smoothie I had which was refreshing and
divine to drink.
All
ages are welcome to Flip Out. Children of 11 years and under must
have a parent or guardian on site at all times. If you’re between
12-18 years old your parent or guardian must fill the waiver out for
you but does not have to be present when you visit the park. All
under 5’s must be accompanied by an adult at all times when in the
arena, but the adults don’t have to bounce.
Each
Flip Out session is 1 hour long and costs £10 – £12.50, other
Flip Out experiences and longer sessions vary in price (see the Flip
Out website). With so many arenas and experiences on offer and with
something for all bouncing abilities I think Flip Out is great value
for money and lots of fun.
Flip
Out have indoor trampoline parks across the UK - Ashford, Blackburn,
Brent Cross (London), Bristol, Chatham (Maritime), Chester,
Chichester, Glasgow, Leicester, London E6, London (Wandsworth),
Portsmouth, Preston, Sandwell (Birmingham), Southampton, Stoke
(Stone), Aintree, Colchester, Doncaster, Lakeside, Manchester
Eastlands, Nottingham, Rochdale, Somerset and Telford.
As
the kids loved Flip Out Chester so much when asked about our recent
holiday which has included a lot of different events and attractions,
the place they speak about the most and continually mention is Flip
Out. With their love of bouncing at Flip Out being so high they keep
asking to go back for more bouncing, flipping fun. If only we lived
closer or Flip Out Pembrokeshire was available. I know after our
experience the kids would be delighted if there was a Flip Out near
us.
We
would highly recommend Flip Out Chester and loved our experience of
it. Kids can be kids and big kids can relieve how great it feels to
be a kid and bounce whilst skilled bouncers can practise skills and
stunts and people can get fit and have fun. It is great that it
caters for all ages and abilities. Fingers crossed that one day Flip
Out reaches us here in Pembrokeshire, Wales. In the meantime,
hopefully we will visit Flip Out Chester again sometime in the future
for more flippin’ fun.
* We
were provided with a visit to Flip Out Chester and The Kitchen
American Diner in return for this review. All opinions are our own *
Gosh this looks like so much fun! We've had a trampoline park open near us recently and the boys are desperate for me to take them! xx
ReplyDeleteOh I am desperate to take mine somewhere like this, it looks fantastic!
ReplyDeleteWow! It looks amazing. Glad to hear there were no injurys xx
ReplyDeleteThis place looks class. My eldest would get such enjoyment out of this.
ReplyDelete