Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Spartan Gives THRILLS, Illusion of DANGER
If you’re looking for an exciting place to release some energy with your friends, Max R. of Fort Smith knows just the place to recommend – Spartan Adventure Park in Fort Smith.
Max is a typical 9-year-old who enjoys spending time with his friends and family, going to the lake, playing on his Xbox, and participating in sports like baseball, basketball and football. Max also enjoys going to Spartan Adventure Park. In fact, he said he goes there nearly once a week and has celebrated two birthdays with parties at Spartan.
“I think Spartan is a really fun place to go and jump around and hang out with your family and friends,” Max said. “My favorite thing to do there is the dodgeball pit! I also like the zip line and the trampoline basketball areas. Their VR rides are also really fun.”
What is Spartan Adventure Park?
Spartan Adventure Park, located at 7601 Rogers Ave. in Fort Smith, is a 25,000-squarefoot facility with several activity areas centered around trampolines, jumping and having a great time, said Mason Reed, the regional manager of Spartan Adventure Park.
Attractions include:
• A basketball hoop-trampoline combination
• A climbing wall
• Ninja, rings and ropes courses
• Spartan Battle area
• Spartan dodgeball
• Several virtual reality rides
• Zip lines Spartan Adventure Park includes two zip lines and they are very popular attractions, Mason said.
“There are not very many kids that (one of the zip lines) isn’t the first thing they want to do,” he said.
“You can go very fast on (the zip lines),” Max said, referring to his own personal experience.
There are several VR rides intended for one, two or four participants, Mason said. One is a flight simulator that doubles as a type of roller coaster using a large screen, surround sound and fans pushing air at the riders. The cockpit of this ride can rotate on two separate 360-degree axes, Mason said, and cameras on the inside of the cockpit can record riders’ reactions to the virtual environment.
Other VR attractions include an active-shooter scenario and headsets that simulate being in a storm, underwater, in a mine shaft, at a carnival, and more.
The ninja course includes balance beams, ropes, and hoops patterned after the popular “American Ninja Warrior” television program, Mason said, adding that everything is padded and includes lots of airbags for safety.
“It’s really cool to see some of these kids,” Mason said. “We tend to think of peer pressure as a bad thing, but it’s really cool to see kids who are a little scared try things and be safe doing it.”
Safety is important to the owners and staff at Spartan Adventure Park, Mason added. Staff members are trained and stationed at strategic locations throughout the facility to keep an eye on visitors and make sure no one gets hurt.
“Safety is our No. 1 concern,” Mason said. “The last thing you want is to go out to have fun with your kids and have someone get injured.”
“It’s all created to give the feel of danger without any actual danger,” he said.
Spartan also includes a Soft Play area created for children ages 5 and younger, where they can play in safety away from older children, Mason said. There is no age limit on most of the attractions at Spartan, but there is a height restriction for the Soft Play area – no one taller than 48 inches is allowed to enter.
In addition to the various play areas, Spartan Adventure Park includes a concession area, private rooms for birthday parties, and a viewing deck with massage chairs for parents who want to keep an eye on their children without participating in the jumping activities. The private birthday rooms come with dining tables, TVs, independent temperature controls, props, decorations, a dedicated party host or hostess, and set up and clean up crews.
In addition to its usual operating hours, Spartan Adventure Park can be rented for private events, school groups, and more. Pricing includes individual and group rates based on length of stay and access desired. Spartan also offers several party package options.
The idea behind Spartan Adventure Park came from a man named Everett Stagg, Mason said. Everett owns many other businesses, too, but he opened the first Spartan facility in Monroe, Louisiana, in 2019. Plans are to add more Spartan facilities in other areas, Mason said, adding that the concept is fun.
“Everybody wants to grow up and play for a living, don’t they?” Mason asked. “It’s very rewarding making kids smile all day every day. It’s awesome.”
Frequent Spartan guest Max agrees.
“All the workers know my name there, and they are very nice to me,” Max said.
Max’s mother, Alyssa, also thinks Spartan Adventure Park is a wonderful place and calls it “super safe.”