Indoor active entertainment firm picks prime San Jose site to expand

SAN JOSE — An indoor active entertainment operator, whose parks include trampolines and ziplines, will expand to San Jose, picking a prime space in a major retail center for one of its next venues.

Sky Zone has decided to open a new trampoline and activities park in a large space within Westgate Center, a retail and restaurant complex at 1600 Saratoga Avenue in southwest San Jose. Federal Realty Investment Trust, the principal owner of the Santana Row mixed-use destination neighborhood in San Jose, owns Westgate Center.

“We continue to capitalize on real estate opportunities where there are growing numbers of young families building demand for our business and leasable former retail spaces that perfectly fit our large footprint and model,” said Shawn Hassel, chief executive office of Sky Zone.

In San Jose, Sky Zone leased 34,800 square feet at Westgate Center, which Saratoga Avenue, Atherton Avenue, Hamilton Avenue and Campbell Avenue border.

“We are thrilled to announce Sky Zone will open at Westgate Center, providing a premier entertainment activity for our community to engage with,” said Collette Navarette, a senior director of marketing with Federal Realty.

It wasn’t immediately known when Sky Zone expects to open at Westgate Center.

Utah-based Sky Zone said the San Jose location will bolster its efforts to widen its footprint in Northern California.

The company also intends to open Sky Zone indoor activity parks in Santa Clarita (Los Angeles County) and Huntington Beach (Orange County). Besides the three California locations, Sky Zone said it’s also planning new sites in Oregon and Texas.

“Sky Zone gives children the freedom to run, jump and play on a unique mix of attractions,” the company stated as part of its announcement of the new locations that included San Jose.

Activities at Sky Zone parks include trampoline jumping, aerial dodgeball, basketball dunks with hoops at differing heights, gladiator-style jousts on pedestals, free climbing, a wobbly “sky ladder”, acrobatics over a “foam zone,” a “skyline” balance beam, a zipline and a toddler zone.

It wasn’t immediately clear which attractions would be featured in the new San Jose location. Not all of the parks have identical attractions, partly due to the varying sizes of Sky Zone’s indoor active entertainment venues.

Founded in 2004, Sky Zone owns, operates and franchises more than 270 parks in the United States, the company stated. The company said it caters to kids under 12.

“Sky Zone is a space to move, create and be yourself,” the company states in a web post. “There’s enough room for everyone, so all kids, and kids at heart, can play together. Our vision is a world where everyone plays, every day.”