PEORIA — A “state of the art” adventure park aiming to give its patrons the “wow factor” is coming to Peoria.
FreeFly Adventure Park is opening at Glen Hollow Shopping Center in the location of the old Best Buy store and promises to offer an array of attractions that business proprietor Ricky Dong told the Journal Star will the “newest and best” available.
“I really want people to be able to come in and see it and be like ‘wow, this is awesome,'” Dong said. “We’re putting a lot of time and thought into how we’re going to structure this and what can bring the most amount of happiness to the children in the community. At the end of the day, that’s the mission, that’s the mission of any type of children’s entertainment center, at least it should be, in my opinion.”
The adventure park aims to open in April or May of next year in the 46,430-square-foot building, he said.
What attractions will FreeFly Adventure Park have in Peoria?
The attractions offered at the new indoor park will be extensive and unlike anything else offered in the region.
It will be an “all-in-one” type of experience for children, Dong told the Journal Star.
“It’s really about bringing an all-in-one type of experience that expands way further than just jumping in one spot on a trampoline,” Dong said.
Inside the park there will be an elevated ropes course; trampolines; a scaled basketball court and soccer field, complete with bounce-enhanced floors; a go-kart track; a dodgeball court; climbing walls; a slam dunk area; an interactive ball pit and many other attractions for children.
The go-kart track will be front and center at the park, which Dong said he hopes will give people the “wow-factor” when they walk through the doors.
Nine party rooms that Dong describes as a “premium option” will also be available for guests. A cafe serving “all the things kids like” will also be inside of the park, he said.
The attractions at the park are geared toward children ages 6 to 12, he said. However, there will be a dedicated toddler zone for smaller children complete with a “mini town role-play” area and a multi-level playground structure.
All of the attractions are planned but not 100% confirmed yet, he said. The final design and layout will be finalized closer to the opening date.
“In an increasingly digital world, we want to bring real-world play back to the forefront of the childhood experience and create a place where kids can move, explore and connect with their community,” Dong said.
Why the new adventure park is coming to Peoria
Dong and his father have a history of operating restaurants in the Midwest, he said. They became connected to the location in Peoria after a broker working with his father clued them into the old Best Buy location. This will be their first business venture in Peoria.
Dong has worked at other trampoline parks in the past but this will be the first one he has spearheaded, he said.
Peoria has been targeting that Best Buy location, and the Glen Hollow Shopping Center at large, for redevelopment.
Last year, the Peoria City Council approved plans to establish a business development district at the shopping center.
That business development district added a 1% sales tax to all purchases at the shopping center, which the owner would then use to make upgrades to the property. A study cited in information provided to the City Council estimated there are $72 million in redevelopments needed.
“Obviously us wanting to fill the vacant Best Buy has been a priority for our economic development team and our City Council has been very intentional about that,” 4th District City Councilman Andre Allen said. “Been very aggressive this past year establishing the business development district to help facilitate some new retail establishments as well as maintain the ones that are already there.”
Allen called FreeFly Adventure Park a “game changer.”
“I am excited about FreeFly Adventure Park and look forward to bringing my own family there,” Allen said.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: New adventure park aims to bring ‘wow factor’ to Peoria shopping center
Reporting by JJ Bullock, Peoria Journal Star / Journal Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By JJ Bullock, Peoria Journal Star | USA TODAY Network
