Have you ever seen kids eyes light up when they walk into an ice cream shop? Those are the exact wide-eyed expressions I received from all my kids when we walked through the door of Big Wave Bounce Park. Now my kids are 9, 11 and 13 (the baby was passed out but couldn't wait to run around when he woke up) so as you could imagine it had to be pretty awesome looking if my 13 year old son couldn't wait to go jump around. I literally had to hold my daughter back so she could get her wristband on. The anticipation was eating at them. I let them loose and they were gone. Zipping from one slide to the next. I could tell they were excited but overwhelmed. They couldn't decide what to do first! Should they do this one again or go try another. It was like I was only giving them 10 minutes to play and had to shoo them out the door.
Not the case at all!! We stayed for hours and never once did I hear a "I'm bored" or "Can we leave" or "Ok I'm good". They climbed over and over up the HUGE shark slide that just nearly touches the ceiling. Even I went down it and shrieked like a little kid. You know that feeling in your stomach when you're zooming down the hill of your favorite roller coaster? Yep, that's the quick tickle I got in my stomach as I shot down the steep decline. And WOW do you fly! I can see why the kids love it. So for hours they ran this way and that way. Up the Shark Slide, down the Bumpy Big Wave. They did flips in the bounce house, climbed the wall more times than I can count and raced until it didn't even matter who was the fastest but who laughed the hardest!
There was even a tot bounce area. My 18 month old wanted to play but was unsure of the unsteady footing. After maybe 10 minutes of him being able to explore the little kid bounce area and not being knocked down by bigger kids, plus having me close by, he was the fearless, independent little man I know climbing, sliding and falling with delight with plenty of baby belly laughs to keep me smiling. Then if I wanted to just sit back and watch the kids play, which I got to do a couple times (Woohoo!) I didn't have to constantly move from one spot to the next to keep an eye on them. It is one large, open space and no matter where you sit or stand, you can easily spot your kids wherever they are playing! That is extra mom points in my book.
Besides being a newly renovated space, with all brand new inflatables, the place is very clean. I adore the ocean theme. The graphics and colors are appealing to all ages. It's a very comfortable space and the owners were so kind to me and my family. Making it a point to stop by and say Hi. They asked how the kids were enjoying themselves. It was a wonderful experience and I am so excited to have such a fun indoor play place nearby that will entertain all 4 of my kids that range in age from 1-13, plus exhaust them from the hours of constant movement and laughter.
Big Wave Bounce Park is located at 28039 W. Northpointe Pkwy in Lake Barrington. Check their website kidsbirthdaypartybarrington.com for hours, pricing and birthday party information or call them at 847-387-3511
*My family was hosted for an afternoon in exchange for this review. All opinions are my own.
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