Catch Air Offers 15,000 Square Feet of Fun

If you have children, or know someone who does, you’ve probably been to an indoor play place that has bounce houses, slides or some other oversized inflatable piece of play equipment. And you might think that all these places are the same, but there’s one that stands out, and it’s right here in Johns Creek. Catch Air is a 15,000-square-foot expanse that seemingly combines a Gymboree, Monkey Joe’s, Kangazoom and Play Activity Center together, all in one.

The difference, says owner Kellie Aucoin, is that “unlike other play centers, we offer variety. We're not just another 'jumpy place.' Our activities come from all over the world. We have pieces from not only China, but also Japan, Korea, Australia and several pieces that are custom made here in the USA and Canada.”

Variety is an understatement. Catch Air features a 70-foot-by-30-foot three-story high obstacle course dubbed "The Space Center" that contains five slides, a ball pit and obstacles; four inflatables/bouncies; and a toddler area with its own ball pit, balloon house and bouncy. Other activity pieces include oversized building blocks, inflatable see-saws, giant sit-and-spins, human-sized hamster wheels and a swinging coconut tree. There is also a “mini-gym” featuring many child-sized exercise equipment pieces like stationary bicycles and weight benches.

According to Aucoin, the most popular activity at Catch Air is “the Space Center, by far. It was custom designed by yours truly and took a specialist technician over 30 days to put it together.” 

[Writer’s note: I think my two-year-old daughter Shelby and her friend EJ would agree. See photos for proof.]

In addition to the play areas, there is a café area for a beverage break or ordering lunch from Catch Air’s pizza partner. Or, adults can catch their breath and surf the web with free Wi-Fi. 

There are three party rooms that can each comfortably hold around 40 people. For larger parties, the two back party rooms have a divider that, when opened, makes room for up to 80-100 people. Aucoin says the majority of Catch Air’s business on weekends is parties. It hosts anywhere from 18-35 birthday parties per weekend which feature Bubble Dance Parties with the Catch Air mascots, including Hello Kitty, who just joined the mascot family.

Other than party-goers, Aucoin reports that the clientele consists of a diverse group of guests. She says, “We generally see stay-at-home moms during the week with a smattering of some nannies and dads. We also see a lot of playgroups, mom's groups and child care centers and day schools. Toward the end of last year's school year, we hosted several end-of-the-year parties for pre-schools. On the weekends, we see whole families come in for walk-ins, as well as more dads. We have about 20 regulars that are dad/kid combos that come in every weekend. It's awesome seeing so many folks returning.”

Perhaps it’s the variety that keeps them coming back, or maybe it’s the other little things that Aucoin points out. She says, “Another factor that makes us stand out way above the rest is our cleanliness. We take drastic measures to stay as clean as possible. You should be able to sit and watch several of our employees out in the arenas with Clorox Wipes cleaning and disinfecting like crazy. We don't just 'spray' products on top of our toys; we physically wipe our equipment down. We also empty our ballpits twice a week and clean every ball with a bleach solution.”

Aucoin continues, “From our padded floors, to our custom birthday parties, to our size, there's no other place in the Atlanta area like Catch Air.”

With other franchised locations in Cumming and coming soon to Suwanee and Marietta, Aucoin says that Catch Air is happy to be a part of the Johns Creek community.

She says, “Johns Creek was a perfect match for our Catch Air location. The amount of families with young children in this area is overwhelming. We are surrounded by several elementary schools and childcare centers and this area didn't seem to have a family fun center nearby. With such a wonderful community and the city of Johns Creek so easy to work with, it was truly an easy decision.”

Aucoin and her husband, Andy, feel it’s important to give back to the community that has made their enterprise such a success.  She reports, “We do a lot of work with local schools, donations and fundraisers. We helped Northminster Day School raise $5,000 for new playground equipment by just selling our frequent passes. We are currently working with Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and the new CHOA Urgent Care at the Avenues in Forsyth to raise funds for both locations.”

And for the rest of the public, in July, Catch Air offers a couple of series of special events, one in the morning and one in the evening.  At 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, July 5; Thursday, July 7; Tuesday, July 12; and Thursday, July 14, Catch Air offers Story Time in one of its party rooms, appropriate for ages 1 to 8 years old. Regular admission prices apply, but Story Time is no additional charge.

At 6:15 p.m. on Fridays, July 8 and 15, Catch Air offers movie nights with films TBD. Admission is $8.00 per child regardless of age and includes, pizza, drinks, popcorn and play. Adults can attend the movie too; cost is $5.00 for pizza, drink and popcorn. Catch Air will be open until 9 p.m. on movie nights, and kids are welcome to play during the movie showing. Walk-ins are welcome, but RSVP is appreciated at info@catchairparty-johnscreek.com.

Catch Air is located at 10950 State Bridge Road, at the corner of State Bridge and Jones Bridge roads, across from Kroger and next to Unleashed Doggy Day Care. Regular business hours are Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Admission for ages 2 and under costs $5 per child; admission for ages 3 and up is $8 each.

Educators, groups and twins/triplets receive 30 percent off admission.  Military families pay only half price. All guests — children and adults —must wear socks at all times.

Catch Air also offers several special discounts which include: Facebook password — “like” Catch Air on Facebook and mention the special posted password of the day for a discount; a mid-day special — $2 off regular admission price when arriving between 2 and 4 p.m. any weekday; "Two-Fer" Tuesdays — every Tuesday, buy one regular admission, get the second admission half price.