Trampolines, ninjas and family entertainment in Merced

New family entertainment is set to spring into Merced in the coming months, the company’s chief confirmed on Thursday.

A vacant, roughly 22,000-square-foot retail space at Main and R streets could be a Rockin’ Jump trampoline park as early as February, according to CEO Drew Wilson.

Rockin’ Jump locations typically house a series of trampolines of various sizes; children can jump from one to the next. At each end of one side are trampolines set at a 45-degree angle up the walls.

The trampoline park also offers times for teenagers and adults to get in on the bouncing.

“Our whole premise is we’re fitness and competition disguised as fun,” Wilson said.

The 1140 W. Main St. building is in the Westgate Shopping Center, which has held several different stores over the past two decades. Wilson said the project will pour $1.5 million to $2 million into the building.

The Bay Area-based company has 28 open locations and expects to reach 40 by the end of the year, he said. A location opened in Modesto in early 2015, according to archives.

The Merced location is set to feature a dodge ball court, climbing structures and hoops for dunking a basketball, he said. On top of that, the developers are looking to include a “ninja course,” what Wilson compared to the obstacle courses seen on NBC’s “American Ninja Warrior.”

The locations make an effort to bring local schools, organizations and residents together, he said. “Merced is a very community-oriented place,” he said. “A big part of what we do is get involved in the community.”

A cafe in the location also offers a place to eat and drink, Wilson said, or a place to chill for those less inclined to bounce.

During town hall-style meetings earlier this year, residents asked city leaders if they were trying to draw development that included family activities, according to Frank Quintero, Merced’s economic development director.

The trampoline park should offer a place for families to gather, he said.

“To have Rockin’ Jump in Merced is a big deal,” he said.

This story was originally published July 28, 2016 at 5:26 PM with the headline "Trampolines, ninjas and family entertainment in Merced."