Finding the venues for family fun
It can be hard for parents to figure what to do keep kids entertained. It can also be hard to remind them that heading out into the wild blue yonder can be more fun than another episode of “Phineas and Ferb.”
Part of the problem too is that we grownups get jaded and desensitized to the kinds of awe-inspiring experiences that can make a kid’s jaw drop. In the Hudson Valley, many of those places are well known, but a few of them are unsung champions of family fun.
Here are a half-dozen of our favorites.
Bounce! Trampoline Sports, Poughkeepsie
If ever you or your kid has had a desire to slam-dunk like Michael Jordan or just jump as high as humanly possible, Bounce! Trampoline Sports is probably the best bet.
To say that Bounce! has a lot of trampolines doesn’t really do the place justice. Try to imagine a full basketball court-sized space with trampolines covering the floor and parts of the padded walls. For a kid bursting with energy, it’s a dream come true. It’s hard to describe without seeing it yourself.
“We have dodgeball, basketball dunking, open jumping, foam pits, and we have open dodgeball on Wednesday nights between 6 and 8 p.m. and we make teams and then we give away prizes at the end of the night,” said co-owner Bruce Katz.
For parents with younger kids shouldn’t be worried that this place is just for the big kids. The “Bounce! Jr.” section is made especially for kids ages 2 to 5.
Getting in for “open bounce time” costs $12 for the first hour and then $10 for each additional hour. It costs $18 for a 90-minute trampoline session and $22 for two hours. Special rates are available for family groups, and special events are based on the day of the week. Bounce! takes reservations for birthdays, so plan ahead if you’re organizing a get-together.
Bounce! Trampoline Sports is located at 2 Neptune Road, in Poughkeepsie. Contact them at 206-4555 for more info. They’re open every day of the week, but different days have different hours. Check ahead to see when they’re open at https://bounceonit.com/poughkeepsie/.