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Pittsburgh Family Fun Goes to Jumpin' Castle

I think I may have a problem. I'm a stalker. I stalk new play places.  I'd seen a sign up near the Warrendale-Bayne Road and Route 19 intersection in Warrendale (think Cranberry) for a few months. The sign read "Jumpin Castle coming soon!".  That certain sounded like a kid place!  I Googled, I asked friends in other cities – nobody had ever heard of it. I was forced to put it out of my mind. Until one day, when driving by that same intersection I saw some balloons that announced "Jumpin Castle Now Open!".  I nearly got us killed finding a way to quickly change lanes and pull in to see what on earth this place was.  I left the kids in the car with Mike (which is very cruel…to leave the kids parked in front of a new playplace full of fun stuff with huge windows for them to gaze in to) and went inside to get some info and ended up talking with the owner.

Jumpin' Castle is indeed a playplace.  It's your typical "socks off, lots of fun climbing, jumping, pretend play, etc. playplace."  Their website bills it as "an interactive indoor children's play center complete with a huge castle-themed climbing structure, indoor basketball court, air hockey table, air bounce, and much more! "

Facilities
I think that accurately sums it up.  The inside is not large. It has everything listed on the site, tidily packed into a rather small square footage. This has both advantages and disadvantages:  on the upside parents can easily feel comfortable relaxing, reading a magazine or visiting with friends without the fear of "losing" a child, and on the down side it can get very crowded easily.

My kids were in love with the bouncy house (and the balls that they let you take in with you) and the huge blue slide on the climbing structure (about 5 kids wide, they can have races).  Matthew also played game after game of air hockey while Ben enjoyed playing with the MegaBloks Castle.

What I was most impressed with was the staff.  Not only are they professional and courteous, but they go out of their way to make sure the kids are having a good time. More than once I can recall hearing a staff member say "Matthew, want to play with me? Let's play air hockey!" or "Hey, Ben, I'll help you build that castle, how should we do it?".  The kids all wear their nametags on their backs so the staff can easily identify them and call them by name. By the time we left I felt as though they knew each of my kids for years.  The kids adored the attention and I appreciated the help/break. They even offer free WiFi for parents!

The facilities are obviously perfectly new and pristine. And the quality of toys is excellent.  The owner even replaced a trampoline early on because she felt the original one was starting to show wear and she wanted to keep everything in perfect condition.  Three are some beautiful painted murals and pieces (a puppet theater, etc) that the owner herself painted.   They definitely kept kids in mind when designing the site, including pint size toilets and plenty of soap (they prefer real soap over Purell).

Food
My only complaint is the eating situation. The rates advertised mention an "all day pass" but that does NOT include and and out priveledges.  And no food is served there.  And you're not allowed to bring food in (due to food allergy fears). So that means play all day until your kids get hungry.  They have begun to allow people to eat in the small lobby area if you want to bring your own lunch or snacks, so that's a workable compromise.  When we went we brought sandwiches and snacks and just went out to the lobby when we needed to eat.  They do sell some juice and other drinks at the front desk.

Price
The price is also a bit steep, at $12 per child.  After you start multiplying that by 2 or more it can really add up.  (*Although I see that they are now offering a $4 off coupon on their home page! Yay for coupons!)  The group rates ($10 for 4-7 kids, $8 for 8 or more kids) start at just four kids, so if you go with a friend and you each have two kids you can qualify for a group rate. They're very flexible on this, too, if you tell them a group is coming and you don't all arrive at the same time they'll still give you a group rate.  Everyone was so acoomodating.  Toddler rates are $6 (for kids 1-2, under 1 is free) or $4 for the group rate.

Birthday Parties
Birthday parties are very resonably priced. Starting with a minimum of just 8 kids (below the 10+ that most places require) and $10 per child for 2 hours of play and access to the party room, I think it's a great bargain.  Party guests can bring in their own food and cake and will have a dedicated party hostess. 

Babysitting
Jumpin Castle also offers a drop in babysitting service for kids 3-11, much like Giggles & Smiles.  At $10 per hour, it's cheaper than Giggles & Smiles, and again, the staff really goes out of their way to play with the kids, especially the ones they're babysitting (babysat kids have a different color name tag).  I'd have no hesitation dropping off my kids to play there. None at all.

The hours are also great, offering evening hours with the potential to play after work

*Another way to earn coupons is to join their Birthday Club

Overall, I'm thrilled to see a new play place in the Pittsburgh area and I think this one is a winner.  It's definitely worth a trip to the North Hills to spend a day jumping and playing.  Just make sure to pack a lunch and wear clean socks!

(and stay tuned for a Jumpin Castle contest – hint hint!)

Details

Jumpin Castle
901 Warrendale Village Drive
Route 19 & Warrendale Bayne Road
Warrendale, PA 15086
ph: 724-933-5272

Hours

Monday – Thursday – 9:30 AM to 9:00 PM

Friday – Saturday – 9:30 AM to 9:30 PM

Sunday – 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM

Price

Photos

The castle climbing structure was custom designed and offers many points of entry (including a staircase for the younger/shorter kids) and two slides

The bounce house and climbing wall are big hits with the slightly older kids

A toddler area offers plenty of play things for the smaller kids

The party room is spacious, clean and right off the main room so easy to access.

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Today's Pittsburgh Family Fun is brought to you by a guest blogger, Karen Bridge. Karen is the mom of two young boys, Noah,4,  and Jake, 3.

Pittsburgh Family Fun goes to Lilliput Play Homes

It is another bitterly cold day in Pittsburgh and you are looking
for a fun place to take your kids and hopefully be able to find some
other Mom's to talk to. Why not try Lilliput playhomes in Cranberry
township, just 20 minutes north of Pittsburgh.  They also have a second location in Peters Twp. in the South Hills. The playground is open
from 10 am until 3pm weekdays.  They charge $8 per child over
the age of 3.  (Children under 3 are free with a paying older sibling.) 

Lilliput has built a miniature town within their sales floor. 
There is a nice sidewalk that your kids can use to stroll (or run like
maniacs) between the many different buildings.  Or if they are in the
mood they can play on the giant wooden Rainbow swingset.

If your child likes trains he/she will absolutely love the Lilliput station.  It has a giant train table that is guaranteed to keep kids
busy for hours.  The train table is so big there are rarely any
problems with children getting into fights over the trains.

Lillibucks coffee is another favorite.  Your kids can pretend to
make coffee,  and then serve it to their customers. (sorry all of you Starbuck-a-holics, it is only pretend, but they do supply coffee free
of charge to the adults:),  There is a cash register and also a library
inside.  To the right is the grocery store which is packed full of
pretend food.

Your kids can go to the Lilliput garage to gas up their vehicle, or
if they are so inclined, they can go inside to pretend to put tires on
the car, or change the oil. Perfect for the mechanic in your family

The firehouse is adorable.  The kids can dress up like real firemen
and even use a hose to pretend to put out a fire. If you have a child
that is obsessed with anything that has to do with firemen, this is the
place for them.  They will have tons of fun!

Overall,
Lilliput is a great place to spend an afternoon during these cold
winter months.  You are allowed to bring your lunch and eat at any of
the tables they have set up in the kitchen area.  There are vending
machines with drinks and snacks available.

The South Hills location offers slightly different playhomes and lacks the Rainbow swingset.

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  This contest was such a hit last year I wanted to bring it back, just in time for Christmas.

For this next contest, I'm going to offer a 1-year family membership to the family destination of your choice! 

Choices include:

The Children's Museum of Pittsburgh (A $95 value)
The Carnegie Museums (A $130 value)
The Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium (A $75 value)
The Toy Lending Library (An $80 value)
2 Adult Season Passes to Idlewild (a $120 value)
Family of 4 season pass to Living Treasures Animal Park (a $90 value)
National Aviary (A $55 value)
Phipps Conservatory (a $75 value)
12-Ticket Flex pass to Gemini Children's Theater (a $102 value)
2 Season Passes for Sandcastle Water Park (A $99 value)

Or any other local museum that you choose (up to a $100ish value)

To enter, reply to this post with "Which option you'd pick and why" 

Let's hear all wonderful things about these great Pittsburgh
family-friendly institutions!  (You're allowed to change your mind if
you are the winner)

I'll run the contest from now through December 20 and pick a winner at random just before Christmas.  That way you can have this as your Christmas present from me. 

Heather

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