New indoor trampoline park opens in Iowa City
Planet 3 Extreme Air Park offers a plethora of exciting indoor activities for groups of all ages and sizes.
Planet 3 Extreme Air Park is seen on Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2018. The extreme air park is the first trampoline park in Iowa City and recently replaced Kmart.
December 11, 2018
Zip lines, dodge ball, and 15,000 square feet of trampoline space are just some of the fun items that await those looking for the ideal group experience in Iowa City.
Planet 3 Extreme Air Park, an indoor trampoline park replacing Kmart on 851 Highway 6 E., offers everything from basketball dunk zones to obstacle courses mimicking television’s American Ninja Warrior, said park employee Samantha Miller.
“A lot of people have requested to have a trampoline park in Iowa City,” Miller said. “We are the eighth Planet 3 so far; it is expanding all over the U.S.”
The park officially opened on Dec. 8 with an “overwhelmingly positive reception” from the public, said Anne Berkenpas, the park’s general manager. During the grand opening, she said, Planet 3 gave out free passes to firefighters, police officers, and other people involved in public service.
RELATED: UI seeks change in leisure studies
The park is open to all ages at 10 a.m. every day, and it closes at 10 p.m. on weekdays, midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, and 8 p.m. on Sundays. For kids under 6, jumping costs $10 an hour, while people 7 and up can purchase their “Flight Ticket” for $13.
In addition to its many special features, Planet 3 also offers private group and party experiences. Miller said the park includes three private party rooms equipped with the users’ choice of pizza, decorations, drinks, and an hour on the trampolines. For jumpers under age 6, a mini version of the park is available in which parents can supervise their children.
RELATED: Newly equipped gymnasts get a boost
Miller said many people had expressed the desire for a trampoline park, in part because of the lack of activities for young people present in certain areas of Iowa City.
“Many people like to go the bars, and many people who live here are not 21, so this is just a fun activity place where you can come, and jump, and have fun for a night,” Miller said.
Berkenpas said the owners of Planet 3 have made a point of placing their trampoline parks in less-populated or disadvantaged areas of larger cities where community members may not have many opportunities nearby to have safe fun.
Georgia McDaniel, one of the many newly hired park employees, said each staff member works diligently to keep the trampolines clean and safe while also maintaining high energy and interacting with jumpers throughout the day. She said around 10 employees supervise the park at different stations for each shift.
“We’re like lifeguards but for trampolines,” she said. “We play music, and all of us like to dance a lot. We play the Cha Cha Slide or the Cupid Shuffle like four times a day, [because] they’re our favorite songs. We have a really good team.”
In the future, Berkenpas said, the park hopes to potentially team with the University of Iowa to put on an event similar to Dance Marathon’s annual Big Event at Planet 3. She said this “Jump Marathon” would be targeted toward teenagers and their families battling cancer.
