Last month, we attended The Big Bounce America which is billed as “the largest touring inflatable event in the world.” The event features 25,000 square feet of inflatable fun and action-packed entertainment for all ages.
My two young kids had a great time and so I wanted to share some tips based on our experience that can hopefully help others who are interested in attending the event.
I came across The Big Bounce America via an Instagram ad. The first thing I wondered was if it was even real?? Yes, I can attest it’s a real, legit attraction.
My first tip is to be sure to check out the event’s official Web site – particularly the FAQ page as many of the questions you may have can be answered here. I also recommend checking the social media pages (Facebook, Instagram) for the latest and most up-to-date information on your particular event location.
We attended the Omaha tour location which was actually held in Iowa at the Westfair Fairgrounds in Council Bluffs. We attended the ‘Junior Session’ from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Each jump session is three hours long which we found to be more than enough time. We stayed quite awhile but didn’t stay the entire three hours.
We lucked out weather-wise as it was 78 degrees and cloudy the day we attended. T jumped with the girls and I followed along. Since T jumped with the girls, he was required to purchase a ticket, but since I was not, I did not have to buy one.
At the time we attended my daughters were 2 and 5 years old. Toddlers (ages 3 and under) cannot bounce unsupervised and must be accompanied by at least one paying parent/caretaker (16 years or older) with their own ticket. Use your best judgement on whether to allow your 4 year old or older to jump by themselves or with other kids if they’re in a group. I know my 5 year old daughter would not have wanted to jump without T or I accompanying her, but every child is different.
If you’re not jumping in the inflatable, yourself, you cannot see jumpers. The inflatables are very tall and you can’t see over them. The only place you can sort of view them is at the entry/exit points. This is one reason you may want to jump with your child/children or have someone jump with them if they are on the younger side. Also, I had planned to take photos and videos of the girls and T jumping but that wasn’t possible due to the height of the inflatables. So, any photos or videos taken of the girls jumping were taken by T who was with them.
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There’s a locker station and a shoe tent with cubbies where you can store your shoes. Some people (and what we did) opted to leave their shoes in front of the inflatable they were currently jumping in and then retrieve them before moving along. T and the girls preferred this method because then they were able to walk around with their shoes on as opposed to wearing just their socks.
There was little to no wait time at any of the inflatables. There was also an employee at every entrance/exit of all the attractions ensuring every jumper was wearing an entry bracelet and safety protocols were followed.
If you or members of your group are not jumping, bring foldable chairs or a large blanket for sitting. It could also be a good idea to bring chairs for your kids if they want to eat or rest between jumping.
If it’s hot, bring the typical ‘hot summer day with kids’ items such as filled water bottles, cooler, snacks, diaper bag/backpack, sunscreen, hat, sunglasses, wet wipes, change of clothes and/or external phone charger.
Socks are required to jump and we found that non-slip, or “grippy socks” worked really well. I saved the grippy socks we got at a local trampoline park and brought them to re-use. (Link to similar)
A stroller or wagon can be a good idea if you have littles who can’t or don’t want to walk from the parking lot to the bounce area (It was a bit of a walk for us). If the grass is wet or muddy, though, you may want to nix the stroller or wagon.
It’s not just for kids – it’s an ALL ages event. I saw some adults jumping and think it would be so much fun to do on a date or gather up a group of friends and go!
Foods offered at our location included wraps, tacos, shaved ice and ice cream (Dippin’ Dots to be exact). Bottled water was $2. Keep in mind that there may be variations in food vendors in each tour location based on local availability.
There was a dedicated picnic area at our location. Our venue allowed outside food and drinks to be brought in but rules vary based on location.
There was also plenty of area on the grass for people to set up chairs to eat or hang out.
Tents/stations included a merch tent, water station, medical tent and locker station.
Overall the girls had a great time and we would definitely go again!
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