When you were younger, did you ever live on hills or have a lot of holes in your yard? I did, so I never owned my own trampoline.  Bummer, right?

Now none of us have to worry because we have access to 12,000 square footage of trampoline for only $12.95 an hour. Shakalaka is an all-age friendly environment and has something for everybody. If you enjoy a quick game of dodge ball, walking on tight ropes, or even just jumping from square to square of trampoline, this is the perfect place for you. Personally, when I stopped by, my favorite corner was the trapeze, mostly because flying in the air from a bar and rope over a pit of foam squares was pretty exhilarating!

Shakalaka isn’t just for the fun of it though; they also have cardio and fitness classes for anyone who’s looking for a good jump and a pound or two to lose.

There are several trampoline parks around the world manufactured by the same company, but they all have different, quirky names. Peter Monbailleu, in fact, is the original owner of all the parks. His inspiration was from a local trampoline park where he had grown up. From there on, he decided he could make trampoline parks even better and soon grew up to own sixteen parks across the world.

There are eleven in the United States and five outside.

During my visit, I met an interesting character running around, Steven Charles. He was wearing a wolf costume.  He mentioned, “My favorite part about Shakalaka is the reasonable prices. I bring my brother here every other weekend and we’re never disappointed.” His brother, Jacob, added, “I love playing dodgeball, even though I’m not very good. I always get out pretty early.” They both never stopped smiling, as I noticed that on several other customers, even parents.

I even spoke to some of the staff and they were all welcoming and positive about their jobs. An assistant manager, David Lane said, “I’ve been working in this business for over a year now. I started in Birmingham at AirWalk and moved here back in June for the opening of Shakalaka.” He seemed to love his job, as did the rest of the staff.

Also, for any one ages fifteen and up, they have their own time to jump just for themselves, so no worrying about running into small children. It’s called Club Boom and starts at nine o’ clock at night.

I recommend Shakalaka for any event; you’re never too old to jump and laugh for a few hours.  You can visit their website at http://www.shakalaka.us/ and start off by signing waivers and picking the perfect day and time to visit.