It was my nephew’s birthday and we went to Urban Air Adventure Park to celebrate.  It was a Friday night and I imagined droves of families would be there to kick off their weekend.  I wasn’t looking forward to the crowds, but I was excited to spend time with my family and wouldn’t have missed it for the world!  

Being that my kids are older now, we are way past the stage of kids birthday parties. Over the years we’ve done similar themed celebrations such as bowling, roller skating, bouncy house parties etc.  Reminiscing on past parties, I recalled what a chaotic whirlwind it can be.  So I thought, I better have a good plan to minimize the frustration and maximize the fun

I had Caitlin use her Nimbo walker instead of her forearm crutch.  The walker created a barrier around her and, especially in this congested place, protected her from getting knocked over if anyone bumped into her.  The walker is more visible than the crutch and for the most part, when people saw her coming they knew to move out of the way to give her some space. However, it’s unavoidable to get nudged with so many kids moving quickly from one activity to the next.  And like everyone else, Caitlin wanted to get around just as fast!  I had to remind her several times to slow down and watch out for other people.  Or in her own words, she should go “safe and slow”!

As we were wandering around getting the lay of the land, we found ourselves near the Freestyle trampoline area so we tried those first.  Caitlin had to get out of her walker and climb up a few steps.  I later found a ramp on the other side so she could have rolled up.  This area had small square trampolines which allowed us to have a good amount of space to ourselves.  Caitlin was literally falling down laughing so I had her sit down and I hopped around bouncing her popcorn-style.  She was shrieking with joy and an employee came over to ask if she was injured.  For a stranger it can be hard to tell if she is upset or not and I told the employee she was actually laughing and having a good time.  I appreciated that the employee was attentive and checked on her.

Another attraction we tried is called The Runway.  It is a long, narrow trampoline where one could do tumble runs, a perfect area for a gymnast or cheerleader to practice.  We gave it a try and ran, flipped and rolled before collapsing with exhaustion.  Neither of us were anything like the famous gymnast Simone Biles by any stretch of the imagination!

I barely saw my nephew at first because he was having a ball with his buddies!  But I finally caught up to him him when they returned to the table to refuel with a bite to eat.  We sat at a huge picnic-style table that accommodated the whole party.  My sister is abundantly generous when it comes to providing food at her parties.  We stuffed our bellies full of mouth-watering pizza, saucy wings and a crisp garden salad. 

Because my nephew is allergic to eggs, my sister has become an expert in baking egg-free desserts.  She made indulgent egg-free chocolate cupcakes topped with creamy frosting and crunchy Oreos and also an egg-free funfetti cake slathered in blue, mouth-staining frosting, sprinkled with sugared beads.

Besides trampolines, Urban Air has oodles of other attractions including a Climbing Wall, Skyrider Zipline and Virtual Reality goggles.  Caitlin kept pointing to the Lazer Fury Bumper Cars indicating that she really wanted to try it.  Diagnosed with cerebral palsy she has right side weakness and she has lost the ability to grip with her right hand. This makes it hard for her to try these types of activities and she would need a lot of help.  If it weren’t so crowded and if the lines were shorter, I may have tested her ability.  But unfortunately, we had to pass this time.  At least we have something to look forward to on a return visit!

Friday night is Glow Night which means there’s more of a “party” atmosphere.  They dim the lights, crank up the music and illuminate the place with neon and colored lights.  I didn’t notice any flashing or strobe lights.  This was a good thing because that can trigger seizures and is not good for someone like Caitlin that has a history of seizures.  

Caitlin was loving the vibe because she has a passion for loud music and a desire to be where the action is.  But she gets startled by sudden, loud and the noise from the Zipline occasionally bothered her.  When the kids moved along the track it made a loud, clanking sound as metal parts of the contraption collided.  If this atmosphere is not your thing, I read on their website that they host sensory friendly nights where the atmosphere is more quiet.  I think that would be a great option for those that are sensitive to this type of setting.

One thing that was annoying is that there were only 2 handicap parking spots.  It didn’t bother me so much that one was not available, it happens.  But what I didn’t like was that there were only 2!  It just didn’t seem like enough for how many people were there.  I sent an email asking them to consider adding more handicapped spaces. I hope they do, I’m sure other patrons would appreciate it as well.  

I learned a couple of things this evening.  First, avoid visiting on a busy Friday night if you can.  Second, I exerted some serious energy so take a good nap beforehand to be well rested!

Oh and how could I forget about the awesome socks?  Urban Air has the funkiest, brightest, stickiest, grippy-bottom socks!  We got them for being part of the birthday party group.  The black-lights make your feet glow in the dark!  You’ll never miss a step with these!

JoAnn O.

JoAnn’s journey as a parent and caregiver to an individual with disabilities started when her daughter was born pre-maturely with multiple health issues resulting in cognitive, physical and speech disabilities.  Over the years, JoAnn discovered that recreation, travel and social experiences can bring happiness and relief to a life that is often stressful and frustrating.  She loves to seek out adaptive, accessible and fun activities for her daughter and the whole family to enjoy.  She started the blog www.OurSpecialFunOasis.com to share her uplifting stories and positive ideas to help and to inspire others.