Relocation Guide to Salem Oregon: Super Bounce
This is a guest article by Pam Choc
As a resident parent of the rainy Pacific Northwest, I am always on the lookout for indoor activities for my kids to burn off some energy. You may remember an earlier post I wrote Surviving Rainy Days with Kids.
I am happy to add another wonderful option for fun-filled indoor entertainment to my list: Super Bounce!
Super Bounce is a family-owned local business that offers two large rooms of bouncing, sliding, obstacle-coursing fun. I was very impressed with the cleanliness of the facility when it opened in December 2012, but I wanted to wait for awhile before I gave it my whole-hearted recommendation because I worried that the clean environment and bright, shiny new inflatables would not last.
I could not have been more wrong. My kids played there today and it looked just as clean as it did nearly a year ago. (And that means a lot to me…I’m the fun-spoiling mom who hardly EVER lets her kids play in public play areas due to an overwhelming dislike for things like influenza and leaking dirty diapers….but I digress.)
Super Bounce does several things that put it above other bounce house experiences:
1) They keep their facility clean. REALLY clean. Even the restrooms were sparkling clean when we were there.
2) They make ALL kids sanitize their hands before playing. During parties, the kids sanitize their hands more than once.
3) Socks must be worn at ALL times. If you forget socks, they sell them at the counter for a dollar or two.
4) The staff provides some supervision and enforces the no-running policy. When it is busy, staff will also stand at the bottom of the slide and space kids out in order to prevent potentially dangerous kid pile-ups.
5) It is affordable. $6 for an hour or playtime, or you can buy a $25 punch card good for 5 sessions. (Or one session if you have 5 kids!) An hour didn’t sound like enough time at first, but my kids are usually more than tired and ready to leave by the end of the hour.
6) Their birthday parties are top-notch. They provide all that you need and they are very organized in their party hosting duties. They take care of gifts, the room, and even food and party favors if you want them to. Their parties are a bit on the pricey side (ranging from $135-$285).
7) Their website is easy to navigate and you can easily book your parties online. This definitely helps certain busy moms who do their kids’ party planning at 11:00 p.m. <not mentioning any names here>
8) They have a separate toddler/preschool bounce time so the little ones won’t get trampled by larger kids. (All children under 13 are allowed during their regular open bounce time.)
There is only one huge negative that I can find with Super Bounce:
They don’t allow food or drinks. I would be a much happier Mom if I could sip a latte and read a book while my kids play, but I guess that is the trade-off for having such a clean facility. Besides, I would probably spend WAAAY too much time there if they had a coffee bar.
So if you are considering moving to Salem, add this to one more thing that you can do with your kids during rainy season.