It's a Jungle Out There

Sometimes, it’s about more than just a fun time. For Greg Wathen, it’s about making sure children and families who visit The Jumping Jungle on any given day leave with a great memory.

“It’s great when those kids who say they’ve never been here, first see the 18-foot inflatable slide,” he said. “Their eyes just light up.”

Wathen opened Jumping Jungle about two years ago and quickly learned that the key to success isn’t just keeping the kids happy. From hiring staff to making sure parents have something to do while their children are bouncing around on the gigantic inflatable rides, nothing happens until he puts his stamp of approval on it.

“I look for people who are energetic and want to work with kids,” said Wathen. “It’s a fun place to work, and I try to make it fun for employees. A happy employee means a happy customer.”

Jumping Jungle offers a variety of packages for birthdays, WiFi, televisions, clean equipment and a staff handpicked for their enthusiasm, all of which complements the gigantic inflatable rides arcade, air hockey and claw machine. In addition to having open hours, Jumping Jungle can host business and corporate events and birthday parties, and even provides a Kosher menu.

The packages offered by Jumping Jungle reflect Wathen’s goal to make everything easy for the parents. Customers can pick from a basic package or an all-inclusive package, which includes pizza, cake, balloons, snacks and more. He also works to make sure the place looks brand new each time new customers visit.

“We try to make it easy for parents, so we always need to clean before the parties and after,” said Wathen. “If you don’t want to do anything, we have a package for that, that includes favors, pizza and cake.”

While new to the field of “kids entertainment” Wathen is no stranger to making sure customers are happy. His background is in the hotel and food and beverage industry, and while things are a little different here, they are no less rewarding.

“If you look at what we do, there’s not that big a difference, we’re still working with the public,” he said. “

“It’s not too bad, it’s just a little loud and it was overwhelming at first, but after two years in, it’s running smoothly.”

And in the end, getting things to run smoothly for his customers is job one.

For the hours of "open jumps" or to book a party, visit the Jumping Jungle Web  site at www.​jumpingjungle.​com.