Let ‘Em Fly! Urban Air Adventure Park Brings Fun During Pandemic

WAUKESHA, WI —Generation Xers remember birthday parties with an animatronic rock band and a sticky ball pit. Now there are more active options and it is especially needed as the pandemic rages on.

Enter Urban Air Adventure Park available for kids and adults.

The former Gander Mountain building located at 2440 E. Moreland Blvd. has a new life as a popular amusement center inside the 66,000 square-foot building.

Urban Air Adventure Park, which includes not only trampolines but bumper cars, a zip line, rock climbing, and dodge ball, opened in July.

"Activate awesome," Michelle Faretta, Special Events & Marketing Coordinator for Urban Air Adventure Parks said.

Faretta, who is a bundle of energy in a small frame, loves seeing kid's faces the first time they walk into the park.

"It is the best feeling in the world when their eyes light up as the lights are going and the music is on and people are zipping over their heads," she said.

The zipline is her favorite attraction which goes through the whole facility.

"It is freeing and I feel like Peter Pan," she said.

But wait there is more.

The Warrior Obstacle Course lets you face off against your friends while you test your balance and strength.

Faretta pointed out the soft foam pit and the balance beam in the middle. Users can smack each other with a foam bat to knock the other person off the beam.

"This is good for couples therapy," she joked.

Good clean fun

When you first enter the adventure park a temperature reading is taken. Guests are encouraged to use hand sanitizer before they enter.

If you haven't registered and pre-booked online there are kiosks for walk-ins to register and pay.

Pre-registering is strongly encouraged as there are only two-hour time blocks and limited capacity due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Guests are given a wristband and Urban Air socks to wear during the visit.

All items that have been touched are cleaned frequently on the hour. There is a special song that plays alerting staff it is time to clean and encouraging guests to use hand sanitizer.

Harnesses are not reused until they have been properly disinfected. There is a fogger type system used to disinfect the foam ball pit.

"We have been voted cleanest park in the industry. Safety and cleanliness are what we push hard," Faretta said.

Employees near guests wear safety gear and face shields and all employees have their temperatures checked coming into the building.

Harold Mills, owner of Urban Air Milwaukee West, said while the world feels like it is crumbling, the adventure park is there to give joy to families and kids.

Mills said he lives in Florida and has been through hurricanes and other disasters. After a week or two, things start to inch toward normalcy.

"In this environment (pandemic), it is the uncertainty that is most chaotic," Mills said.

While it creates a lot more challenges, Mills said the mission and purpose of what they are doing become more beneficial.

Learn more about Urban Air Adventure Park.