Jumping World Bryan: It’s a Flippin’ Good Time

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By Shelbi LeMeilleur

It wasn’t a typical Monday afternoon for the INSITE staff as we walked into one of Bryan College Station’s newest entertainment hot spots. Our day consisted of jumping and tumbling down a trampoline, conquering a zip line, getting bucked off a mechanical bull, flipping and swinging into a foam pit, treading water in a giant bubble, dunking a basketball, scraping our way through a ninja obstacle course, and pummeling each other in dodgeball. All of this and more is part of the experience at Jumping World Trampoline Park in Bryan.

Jumping World is a family owned business that started in Houston. There are currently eight locations across three states — Georgia, Tennessee, and Texas. Vice President of Operations David Kim says Bryan’s proximity to Houston was one of the many reason they chose to expand here.

Kim says the company recognized the need in the community for more family entertainment. “I think Bryan is a growing city,” he says. “We take pride in being the first trampoline park [in B/CS].”

Jumping World offers one attraction that sets it apart from other trampoline parks across the country… an arcade. Reloadable game cards allowed us to pick and choose which games to play, ranging from games inspired by phone apps such as Crossy Road to classic arcade fixtures like skeeball. We didn’t have to worry about keeping up with all the tickets we won at the games, because everything is stored on the game cards.

Additionally, the Bryan location of Jumping World offers a few unique attractions to set it apart from the other locations. “We try to improve our facilities constantly,” says Kim.

Two of these attractions are the zip line and ninja obstacle course. The zip line runs from one end of the building to the other along one of the side walls. We each took turns getting fitted for a harness and helmet, then ascended the spiral staircase where we were hooked up to the line.

The obstacle course is inspired by the TV show “American Ninja Warrior.” It starts with four blocks we had to jump across without touching the ground, and I’m proud to say I accomplished this feat with flying colors. The next obstacle posed a bit of a threat for our group. First we had to climb a rope net, then make our way across a set of rings hanging from the top of the structure. Unfortunately, no one could make their way across. Finally, the last challenge was to run up a sloped wall and pull ourselves onto the platform, where we then slid down a fireman’s pole. Two of our five accomplished this daunting task.

While there is a wide variety of things to do at Jumping World, there are some attractions that cost extra. Open Jump is pay by the hour and includes all the trampoline attractions – the tumbling lanes, foam pits, dodgeball courts, and basketball hoops. The mechanical bull, ninja course, water ball, zip line, and arcade games are extra. However, there are package options for optimum entertainment.

“We recommend the Epic Pass for families,” says Kim. “If it’s their first time, it gives them a taste of everything. By the second time, they know what the kids enjoy most.”

Because it is a family oriented establishment, Jumping World does all it can to ensure the safety of all their patrons, especially small children. There is a separate Toddler area with a foam pit, basketball hoop, and smaller tumbling lanes, and an additional dodgeball court reserved for kids ages 5-10.

Another key safety feature is their specially designed trampolines. Jumping World develops their own trampolines in South Korea to have extra grip. Because of this, there is a strict no jeans policy — the studs cause rips and tears in the material. Socks are also required for hygienic reasons.

At the end of the day, we were tired and sore, but had a great time. I loved the Ninja Course, although it was harder than it looks. As for the rest of the group, it was a tie between the water ball and zip line for favorite attraction.

Jumping World is located at 3143 Wildflower Dr. in the parking lot of the Bryan Target. It is open from 11am to 10pm Sunday through Thursday, 11am to midnight on Friday, and 10am to midnight on Saturday. For pricing, packages, and more information, visit www.jumpingworldusa.com/Bryan.