7/25/2023 0 Comments Discovery zone cincinnati![]() Ludlow was an elementary school teacher for 12 years and a mathematics consultant for school districts for five years before purchasing her first Discovery Zone. Cheese, their emphasis is food with fun as a sideline. “Our emphasis is on fitness, and food is a sideline,” she said. Cheese, the chain of child-oriented pizza restaurants. Ludlow grimaced when somebody compared her operation to Chuck E. There are also Skee Ball machines for those children who are taking a breather from the more strenuous activities offered. More than 100 were booked before the business even opened, Ludlow said. There is a side room where birthday parties can be held. “Children love it, but for adults it is a little overwhelming.”ĭiscovery Zone has a snack bar that serves child-friendly foods such as hot dogs and pizza, as well as parent-friendly items such as salads and quiche. The 10,000-square-foot room is decorated in bright yellows, greens, reds and oranges-colors an 8-year-old might have chosen if given permission to paint his or her own room. When you walk into the Discovery Zone, you have to deposit your shoes at the front desk so you won’t damage the vinyl covering that pads the equipment. “And it’s better than the park because coming here is an event, like Disneyland, but it’s affordable.” “What’s nice is you don’t have to worry about people taking your kids,” said Candy Guastella, an aerobics instructor who had come to Discovery Zone with the Kloehns and her sons, Vince, 4, and Buddy, 2. The 40 college students she has hired as “hosts” and “hostesses” are there to supervise the fun and prevent accidents, she said, but they are not allowed, for example, to take a 3-year-old to the bathroom.Īdults who do not bring children are not admitted. “The place is designed so that, no matter where you are, you can watch your child.” “This is not a drop-off center, and we’re not a day-care center,” Ludlow said. The children-only those 12 or younger-must be accompanied by adults, who will be admitted free and can play on the equipment with their youngsters if they choose. Tennis great Billie Jean King is one of the partners.Īdmission is $5.49 for each child. Ludlow, whose seven-member group also owns a Discovery Zone in Los Angeles County plus the franchise rights to Orange County, intends to open a third store near San Juan Capistrano sometime later this year. I believe the surface has barely been scratched. “It’s an opportunity for children to interact with other children and adults,” Oakes said. Peter Oakes, an analyst at the brokerage Merrill Lynch, said he thinks that Leaps and Bounds, as well as other indoor playground chains, will be lucrative. Spokeswoman Rebecca Caruso said it is logical to assume that the expansion will include California. The fast-food chain has opened five Leaps and Bounds in Chicago and Cincinnati since September, 1991, and plans to open 30 more nationwide by next year. The indoor playground concept has proved so successful that McDonald’s, which has long had outdoor fun zones at its restaurants, has started “Leaps and Bounds,” its own chain of indoor playgrounds that are almost identical to Discovery Zones. There are now 50 Discovery Zones in 21 states. ![]() Together, they opened the first Discovery Zone, and it proved so successful that they began selling franchises. “We want children to improve their balance, stamina and upper body strength,” Ludlow said, “all while having fun.”ĭiscovery Zone was founded about four years ago in Kansas City, Mo., when Ron Matsch, a fitness center owner, talked to gymnastics coach Al Fong and learned that many children in Fong’s beginners’ classes were so out of shape that they could not do the most basic exercises.
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