Brothers are building Xtreme Air Mega Park in Warner Robins. Their story, what to expect

Brothers Todd and Brad Buckelew started out in the restaurant industry, but a pivotal trip changed their direction as business owners.

“We actually went on vacation in 2017 and ran into our first trampoline park that we’d ever seen, and I just fell in love with it,” Todd Buckelew said.

Buckelew and his brother grew up in Alabama at a time when they barely had internet, and they didn’t have cell phones or all the indoor entertainment available now.

“So every house, just about, had a trampoline, and so we grew up outside on the trampoline and always loved them,” he said.

The discovery of the trampoline park made an indelible impression on Buckelew.

“I essentially turned to Brad and was like, ‘I’m going to build one of these. You want to be a partner with me?’ And he kind of laughed, and was like, ‘Sure,’” Buckelew recalled.

The following year, the brothers opened Xtreme Air Mega Park in Dothan, Alabama. In 2020, they opened a second location in Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, about 6 miles south of Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Today, the brothers are building their third Xtreme Air Mega Park in Warner Robins with an expected opening by April.

“We’ve had a few delays but we’re starting to get back on track,” said Buckelew, who had hoped to be open this past summer.

The more than 40,000-square-foot, three-story trampoline park is going up at 705 Osigian Blvd. on 5.81 acres next to a Warner Robins fire station.

‘It’s going to have the largest inflatable in America’

The new Xtreme Air Mega Park is expected to house a trampoline main court, trampoline dodgeball and trampoline basketball, a three-story, 10,000-square-foot playground with about 10 slides, a zipline, ropes course and an arcade.

A key feature is its inflatable park.

“So, it’s going to have the largest inflatable in America,” Buckelew said. “It actually was going to be in the world, but someone, about six months ago, opened up a park with a bigger inflatable than the one that I had originally when I ordered it.”

The Warner Robins location’s inflatable is going to be over 15,000 square feet, he said.

“So imagine a giant bounce house, but about 150 feet long and about 80 feet wide, with slides, obstacle courses, all types of little inflated interactions inside of it, little rock walls, all types of stuff,” Buckelew said.

How much for a family trip?

To get an idea of the cost, Buckelew suggested checking out the website for the Fort Oglethorpe location.

“It should be almost identical to that price point,” he said.

For a family of four, the cost would be about $80 plus tax, Buckelew estimated.

“That’s to do everything in the whole facility,” he said. “Some parks charge for individual attractions. We just charge for general admission, and so you’re allowed to do everything in the facility for one price.”

And if you just want to watch, there’s no charge, according to Buckelew.

“So if you’re a parent that just wants to let your kids play, we have massage chairs,” he said. “You can sit down, relax, let your kids play.

Fun for all ages

Most of the trampoline park is designed for children and adults, including the inflatable.

“When you walk into the inflatable, it’s like being in a whole other world,” Buckelew said. “It’s hard to explain but it’s really fun, and the cool thing is adults can play in that attraction as well.

“We have a lot of parents and kids that go in there and love to have fun.”

The exception is the kids playground, which is designed for children typically 10 and under, Buckelew said.

Special events

The trampoline park is a good place for group events, with discounts for church groups and school trips, Buckelew said.

“We do a lot of birthday parties,” he said.

The Warner Robins location will have 10 party rooms that are about 10 feet by 20 feet each.

“You get drinks, socks and a private party host during your birthday party, and it has picnic tables in there,” Buckelew said. “You set up, and you’re able to kind of have your own little bit of privacy but you’re right outside of the attractions.”

The party host is a trampoline park employee that assists with each birthday party to help set up the room, grab drinks, help cut and pass out the cake and clean up afterwards.

“And that comes complimentary with booking a party,” he said.

What’s the construction timeline?

Motorists driving by the build site can see the concrete flooring of the new build.

“We’re just waiting on the building to arrive, which should be anytime now, and they will start sticking it up, and that’s when the process will really take off because we’ll have a lot of contractors out there at once working,” Buckelew said.

The trampoline parks are custom designed and custom made, with the individual parts shipped in for the construction, he said.

“Hopefully, by the end of January, you’ll start seeing walls and structures out there,” he said.

The brothers expect to hire about 50 people once the building is finished.

The Warner Robins location is about the same size as the Dothan trampoline park. The Fort Oglethorpe location is about 15,000 square feet larger at about 55,000 square feet. The attractions are similar.

More coming

Construction of a fourth Xtreme Air Mega Park is a given.

“We’re not sure where yet,” Buckelew said. “I do a lot of research before I put it somewhere, and so we’re wanting to get this one. Usually, once we finish the project, then we start looking for the next one.”

The brothers feature a spot on their website about franchising.

“If people are interested in it, we would be open to it,” Buckelew said. “But we haven’t pursued it too much yet since we’re continuing to build them ourselves.”

A good fit

Before Xtreme Air Mega Park, the brothers partnered to open in 2011 their own concept Best Burger restaurant near Dothan that offers burgers, fries, chicken wings and such. Its success led to a second location.

But when their first trampoline park opened in Dothan, Buckelew, who’s been in the restaurant industry since he was 19, closed the second restaurant location.

“I knew the trampoline parks were going to do well and be more what I wanted to do, and so I went ahead and shut it down,” he said. “So I just had one restaurant on my plate because I knew I could manage that while I did the other.”

In 2023, they sold their original Best Burger, which is still going strong under new ownership.

The Xtreme Air Mega Parks have been a good fit for the brothers.

“We’ve always enjoyed jumping with our kids, and then it’s really neat to see, obviously, other families come in and enjoy it,” said Buckelew, who’s 42 and his brother 49. “We like the field that we’re in.

“We also enjoy the fun that it brings to everybody, and we just continue to kind of adapt to new attractions and add things and kind of maneuver to what kids enjoy … It’s a fun business to be in.”