Artist rendering of Jump Park, a trampoline park on the southside.

Site of proposed trampoline park

An Olympic gymnast can jump as high as 30 feet on a trampoline - soaring, flipping, twisting and turning - and soon Chattanoogans will have their own chance to bounce skyward at the area's first indoor trampoline park.

Developer John Wise is building a $1.2 million indoor trampoline park in Chattanooga's Southside -- part of a long-term plan for a complex that will include a new location for the Chattanooga Brewing Company and eventually, two 24-unit apartment buildings.

"We're establishing a community destination to try to liven up the Southside over by Finley Stadium," Wise Properties' Amanda Leming said. "There will be flat trampolines and also trampolines at an angle on the walls -- so you can literally bounce off the walls."

The 17,000-square-foot building at 1810 Chestnut St. will include about 10,000 square feet of trampolines. Both children and adults will be able to pay an hourly rate to go in and jump.

"There will be square dots so you have your own individual space to jump on," Leming said. "But they're all connected, so you can bounce from square to square when it's not overly crowded."

The facility, dubbed The Jump Park, also will include a cafe, a parent lounge, a foam pit, exercise equipment, party rooms, a golf simulator, pingpong tables, a full bar and Wi-Fi.

Wise plans to host tournaments, aerobic classes and clinics at the trampoline park, which will feel much like an ice skating rink or rollerskating venue. Demolition work at the site is under way, and Wise hopes to open the Jump Park in June.

"That's an ambitious goal, but we think we can do it," he said. "I think it will draw from all over the city, and even from Cleveland and other areas."

Trampoline parks have been successful in nearby cities, including Atlanta, Nashville and Birmingham. In addition to the trampoline park, Wise also is constructing a new building for the Chattanooga Brewing Co. The $950,000 building will allow the company to expand, increase production and open a restaurant, co-owner Mark Marcum said.

"We are out of production capability here," Marcum said, referring to the company's current spot on Frazier Avenue. "We're maxed out and making as much beer as we can make. And people still seem to want to drink more, so we're going to make more."

Chattanooga Brewing Co. is spending $500,000 on new brewing equipment, and Marcum hopes to use the expanded facility to increase the company's out-of-Chattanooga presence in cities such as Atlanta and Nashville.

He plans to be moved into the 6,000-square-foot location -- which will be a stand-alone building next to the Jump Park -- by September.

"We anticipate that some parents will drop their kids off at the park and then go have a beer," Wise said with a laugh. "It will be a brewery and restaurant, similar to The Terminal."

Marcum said the company will still keep beer as the top priority.

"We're still focusing on having people come to buy some beer, but we think having some sandwiches and other food will help with that," he said.

The building is in the planning stages, but it may include a rooftop bar that overlooks Finley Stadium and outdoor patio, he said.

Wise is creating the Chestnut Street project in phases and won't start the planned apartment buildings right away. He has space for 48 units, he said, and he hopes to build either at the site or nearby.

His original plan was to build apartments in the existing building, but he quickly realized that the structure was better suited for a trampoline park.

"As I got into it, it worked out that for the height requirements and all the things I needed, the building was perfect," he said. "It was fitted perfectly for it."