All Over Albany

Sky Zone Trampoline Park

For those of us who don't enjoy the cold, it can be really tough to stay active in the winter. And even if you do like getting outside for winter activities, a day in near zero temps can be less than appealing.

So, to avoid the cold and still stay active, I peeled myself off the couch and headed over to Sky Zone last week to check out its indoor trampoline park.

Mostly I wanted to see if it was worth the visit -- and if a 20-something like myself could fit in among all the bouncing kids at a trampoline park...

What is it?

Sky Zone offers multiple arenas with various set-ups of trampoline equipment, from vast areas of bouncy squares, to dodge ball arenas. It's housed in a large warehouse-like building in Menands -- you might have seen it from I-787 (it's near Exit 6). The road leading to it -- Simmons Lane -- is off Broadway, a block south of the ramp to 787.

The Albany Sky Zone is the second indoor trampoline park to open in the area, after Flight Trampoline Park in Colonie. It's a franchised company, with 99 parks worldwide. This location had its grand opening in December 2014.

What can you do there?

Sky Zone is divided into roughly a half-dozen different courts, each with a specific purpose or activity. There were a few dedicated dodge ball arenas, although only one was open for use on the evening I visited. There was a slam-dunk spot set up with long trampolines leading up to basketball hoops set to various heights. Sky Zone also has a pit filled with foam blocks that you can launch yourself into from a small trampoline platform.

Some of the activities, like the basketball hoops and foam pit, were heavily monitored by staff members for turn taking and safety. The other areas were free form, but had age categories to either separate visitors into different areas on the court, or restrict access to certain ages entirely.

In addition to the trampolines, there's a small selection of video games and a snack bar with pizza, pretzels, beverages, and ice cream.

So... is it weird for an adult, without kids, to bounce around there?

I visited Sky Zone on a Wednesday evening around 6 pm. The majority of the visitors were elementary-aged kids, mostly attending as part of a couple of birthday parties happening that evening. The second most prevalent group was teenagers just hanging out. I would say that at the time we visited, my husband and I were the only people over 25 that were not attending with a child.

That said, we still had a great time. And I would definitely consider returning. The Sky Zone greeter was super nice, assumed we were there to jump, and we didn't get any weird looks. At times I had to excuse myself though a pack of moms, which was a little funny as I sneaked by sock-footed. It was a little awkward to wait in line behind a 6-year-old girl for my turn at the foam pit, but the employee watching the space made sure to call us forward so that we had a chance to jump in. Some of the areas, like a dodge ball arena, were restricted to us because we were above the age bracket. (I didn't feel like pegging little kids with a ball anyway.)

My favorite space was the vast grid of mini trampolines all assembled into one large space. One of the reasons I liked this area so much is because it was completely divided by age, and I had plenty of space to bounce around without worrying about little guys.

I should also mention that Sky Zone has a couple of programs specifically targeting adult guests, like fitness classes and dodge ball evenings. So if you're concerned about being out of place, visiting as part of a program might be a good idea.

I imagine that Sky Zone would be even more fun for kids. On the evening I visited, there was a wide range of ages, from toddlers through high school aged kids. The manager, Adam Leonard, said that birthday parties are huge at Sky Zone, and weekends can get very busy.

Things to know

+ You'll need to purchase special grippy socks in order to jump on the trampolines. They're $2 per pair, and you can bring them back for subsequent visits.

+ Admission works by buying a set amount of time that you want to jump for, with the smallest increment being 30 minutes.

+ Since the areas are divided by age for safety concerns, adults will not be able to jump right next to small children. So if you're a parent, you'll have to jump in a different area than your child, or watch from the sidelines.

+ Hours: Tuesday-Thursday 4-8pm; Friday 4-10pm; Saturday 10am-12am; Sunday 10am-8pm. There are special hours for classes, and extended hours during school vacation and break weeks. Sky Zone is closed on Monday.

Lauren writes about shopping, crafting, and living well on a small budget at The Thrifty Ginger.

Earlier on AOA: Back in July, Arielle wrote about jumping around the Flight Trampoline Park in Colonie with her son.