Jim Riccioli|Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
WAUKESHA - From the outside, you can't really tell the adventure that awaits thrill-seekers inside a building that once was a movie theater and an outdoor sporting goodsstore.
The exterior sign, prominently labeling Urban Air Adventure Park,is the only hint of attractions that include a dual-level go-kart course, a Sky Rider zip line, a spin-and-flip bumper car variation, a high-hanging ropes course, colorful climbing walls, a tubes playground and top-skills trampolines.
Urban Air opens the doors to those indoor adventures on Saturday. Most of the remodeling effort involved gutting the existing building at 2440 E. Moreland Blvd.— originally the Marcus Theatre's Westowncinema complex and later a Gander Mountain store— and transforming it into a 74,000-square-foot entertainment complex.
"When you go through the park, it's all about the wowfactor," said Milwaukee native Kent Cisewski, a first-time franchisee/ownerin the 150-park chain of Urban Air centers across the country.
Cisewski, a former Disney executive involved in opening company attractions at Disney World and elsewhere, said his background helped him prepare the Waukesha facility into what he hopes people, and especially his staff, will find special.
"The company runs on Disney expectations, and Disney perceptions on getting people to believe what you believe," he said. "When you get people to believe what you believe, and there is an emotional tie-in, and their service is exceptional and their friendliness is over the top, that's what will get people to love the park. This will be the benchmark for Urban Air."
Jackie Hoegger, Urban Air's corporate ad and marketing representative, echoedCisewski's past role.
"The owners ... believe in the full-guest amazing experience," she said. "He has brought his Disney World wisdom to the table for Urban Air, and I can tell you that after (assisting in the) opening of 100 parks, this is the most stellar, most beautiful park."
Here's a description and a few snapshots of what it's all about.
Sky Rider
Along an orange rail hanging from the ceiling and nearly spanning the indoor park carries what Urban Air calls its trademarked Sky Rider. It's essentially a zip line in which riders are suspended in a free-swinging harness as it moves overhead.
"It's probably one of our most popular attractions," Hoegger said. "Kids go flying through the park and can look down and see everyone playing and enjoying themselves. They might scream a little. It's also one of the longest Sky Rider trails in all of our franchises across the nation."
And it is not just for kids.
"We have everyone from age 2 to grandma," she added.
Go-kart track
Hoegger said what makes the Waukesha location's go-kart track stand out is its dual levels, providing more mileage inside a building than others of its kind.
The fact that it is an indoor attraction is something of a bonus for Wisconsinites, Hoegger said.
"It means you don't have to sweat (in the summer), you don't have to freeze in the winter, because it's an indoor climate-controlled facility, which makes it awesome for moms and dads when there is 20 feet of snow outside," Hoegger said.
The electric-powered go-karts are also quiet, andfast, she added. Some karts are "double-deckers," allowing a parent to ride with a child.
Climbing walls and hills
Intended for children, the colorful climbing attractions resembleboth walls and rocks, as well as a climbing tower. As with other attractions of the park, safety is the top priority, Hoegger said.
Everyone using the climbing attractions issafety-harnessed in a nuanced manner.
"If you were to let go, the tension of the rod would just ease you down to the bottom," she said. "Pretty fun, isn't it?"
There's also the adjacent Leap of Faith, which allows thrill-seekers to jump across from an orange ledge to a large hanging pylon, with no chance of free-falling if they miss. It's a multi-age attraction.
"You would be surprised at the number of 5-year-olds ... and the grandpas I have leaping," Hoegger said.
Nearby, a separate "climbing hill" intended for preschoolers provides a not-so-gentle slope for families to conquer.
Warrior course
For "warriors" with an inherentgymnast element, Urban Air features a special kind of obstacle course.
Featuring rings, trapeze bars, ropes, pylons and more, the Warrior Course is intended for all ages open to some friendly competition, including intra-familial and professionals.
"You can go from a beginner to an expert— you can even time yourself," Hoegger said, noting the event is likely the business' second most-popular attraction. "This is a great parent-child fun thing to do. ... We even have fire departments and police departments who will rent the building from Urban Air and do training. Seriously, they will do training here."
Spin and Flip Zone
Urban Air has its own take on apopular midway attraction: bumper cars. In this case, some of the bumper cars include cages that flip the rider upon contact. All of them spin, based on how the rider uses the dual control arms.
An optional dual-seating car allows an adult to ride with a child to share in the fun safely.
Other attractions
Some of the more modest attractions include a dodgeball court, a free-play area for all children, a soft play area for younger children, a trampoline area for experts, and a balance beam competition area for all ages.
Like the Sky Rider, Urban Air's ropes course puts participants high above the crowd.
Also, the dodgeball court is a feature popular for corporations which sometimes like to rent out the facility to allow employees to "work out their frustrations," Hoegger quipped.
Added amenities
Aside from the rides and attractions, Urban Air's Waukesha location— which is being marketed as a Milwaukee West franchise, leaving open the possibility of other Milwaukee area franchises under Cisewski's ownership— has other features that add value to the venue, from a marketing perspective.
Lofted meeting rooms for parties and corporate gatherings increase each location's value to an adult crowd, Hoegger said. In fact, in 2017 when Hurricane Harvey hit Houston, Urban Air's meeting rooms doubled as business offices for displaced office workers, she added.
There's also a 7,000-square-foot sheltered patio area at the rear of the center for larger-scale quasi-outdoor gatherings. It's close to the cafeteria area.
Hoegger said the availability of public restrooms is exceptional, but, more importantly, touch free. Even the sinks feature soap, water and hand dryers all on one fixture. The amenity is particularly noteworthy during ongoing concerns about the spread of the coronavirus, which the business has also addressed through other means based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.
For more on Urban Air Adventure Park, see its local website.
Contact Jim Riccioli at (262) 446-6635 or james.riccioli@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @jariccioli.
