We were invited to Inflata Nation in Manchester to review and we booked our visit for last Saturday afternoon. An indoor inflatable theme park is unlike anything I've ever been to before and the Manchester site is inside a huge warehouse at Trafford Park.
Parking was a bit ad hoc. There is a large car park, but arriving on a Saturday afternoon we weren't exactly surprised to find it full. There's more on street parking, so we weren't far away.
As you enter, there's a shelf with the waiver forms for you to read and sign, or you can print one out before you go. To be safe to bounce, you have to be fit and healthy (and not pregnant or injured). I'm physically not fit to bounce, so I would have to sit it out in the huge Cafe Nation with the free wifi and home-made food. The prices were really fair, there were loads of seats and I had a great view, so I genuinely didn't mind.
Before bouncing everyone lines up and watches a safety video with rules and sensible tips. Most of it is common sense - don't sit at the exit of the inflatable or hang around at bottom of a slide for example. This is the only time we saw neck braces, which were recommended for duelling sticks and other contact or more exciting activities.
You have an allotted 1 hour time slot and they were very prompt, so you do get the full hour. My kids were off immediately - so was my partner too, albeit at a slower pace. Kids, teenagers and adults were all on the inflatables together, but it looked and felt safe because there's so much space everyone can spread out.
The room is immense and it's full of inflatables. The entire floorspace is covered and there are several different special inflatables around the room including a duelling ring, climbing wall, slides and tunnels and a huge ball pit.
There are loads of staff on hand. Everywhere I looked there seemed to be someone in uniform paying attention and checking on loose children or rowdier big kids, and a Hen Party, who were clearly enjoying themselves very much. It's not often adults get to play in a ball pit!
Because the boys are 8 and 10 my partner didn't have to stay beside them, just on site, so he came up to the cafe after 15 minutes and they weren't far behind wanting a drink. A brilliant touch is that Inflata Nation offer everyone free water to drink, it's in jugs both upstairs and down, and you'll need it!
If you have small children under 4 years old then they can play in a special enclosed area at the front, safe away from the big kids and grown ups.
It's definitely sensible for tiny ones, although no-one was particularly rowdy and despite it being a busy time, it didn't feel full.
My partner really enjoyed himself, although he found 10 minutes at a time was plenty. The boys came for water after half an hour and they were bright red faced and ready for a break. Bouncing like that is exhausting, so an hour really is enough for most people, but you can get a second hour added on more cheaply if you have the stamina for it!
Great fun, very different and substantially cheaper than paying for bouncy castle and repeated slides at a funfair. It also felt a lot safer than I'd expected and there was tons of room for everyone to play and try everything.
Inflata Nation in Manchester costs £9.95 per person for a 1 hour 'Bounce' session. Under 4's £5.95. An extra hour is £7/£3. There are several different sessions on offer, including the regular Bounce, Grown Ups Only, Fitness Classes, Inflata-Tots and Disability-Friendly Sessions, plus birthday party packages. My 10 year old has previously visited for a birthday party and loved it.
Our visit to Inflata Nation was free for review.
Wow how good does this place look? I would love to go here never mind the kids xx
ReplyDeleteTrust me, there were as many adults bouncing as children, and they even have 'adults only' sessions :D
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