Woodland Hills Trampoline Park: Ropes, Bumper Cars, $17.95

Off The Wall in Woodland Hills is a trampoline park that saves its best attractions for an add-on. One hour of jumping costs $17.95 and an all-day jump pass is $29.95, but the elevated ropes course, the bouldering walls and the Spin Zone bumper cars are charged separately. Off The Wall, at 6051 De Soto Ave, Woodland Hills, CA 91367, is open from 10am on weekends, and its phone is (818) 595-0000.

Off The Wall Gamezone started in South Florida, where it runs parks in Kendall, Davie and Coconut Creek, and Woodland Hills is its only location in California. Reviews on the park's own page call it Off the Wall on De Soto, and one parent describes hosting a son's eighth birthday here with about 35 children. That scale is typical. On weekends, the floor is often half birthday party and half families who walked in for an hour.

This stretch of De Soto Avenue has trampoline history. Sky High Sports, a wall-to-wall trampoline park on the same block, is now listed as closed by Time Out Los Angeles. Off The Wall picked up the same West Valley crowd with a different idea: put the trampolines, an arcade, a kitchen and a bar in one building, and give older kids attractions that are not just jumping.

The ropes course is the reason to choose this park over a standard trampoline gym. It is an elevated course of beams, bridges and cables above the floor, and a single pass costs $9.95. The Rock Walls, bouldering walls with padded landings, are $8.95 a pass. Spin Zone Bumper Cars are $7.95 per ride, riders must be 42 inches tall, and closed-toe shoes are required, so pack sneakers along with grip socks.

If your children want all three, the OTW Experience package is the better buy. At $46.95 per person it includes one hour of jump time, a $20 game card and one go each on the Ropes Course, the Buildering Walls and the Bumper Cars. Paid separately, those three extras alone come to $26.85, before any jumping. Our honest view: skip the package for children under about seven, who usually cannot ride the bumper cars and are happiest in the toddler area.

The trampoline side covers the usual ground well. There is wall-to-wall open jump, a trampoline dodgeball court and sport courts for basketball and soccer. The Toddler Zone is reserved strictly for guests under 42 inches, which keeps the bigger kids away from the small ones. There is no minimum age as long as a child can walk, but jumpers aged three and under need an adult on the court with them.

For a straight jumping day, the numbers are simple. One hour at $17.95 suits a first visit, and the $29.95 all-day pass makes sense if you plan to break for lunch and return. The Jump More and Play More package, at $42.95, adds a $25 arcade card to the all-day pass, while the shorter Jump and Play More package, at $28.95, combines one hour with a $15 card.

The arcade runs on a reloadable card. A new card costs $2 and comes with 40 points, and loading more money buys bonus value: $50 gets an extra $10, $100 gets an extra $35 and $200 gets an extra $100. For a single visit, the $15 or $20 game card bundled into a jump package is usually enough, and it saves buying a separate card at the counter while the kids wait.

The OTW Kitchen and Bar serves the parents as much as the children. Six jumbo chicken wings are $16 with sauces from mild to mango habanero, four chicken tenders are $15, and a build-your-own smash burger with fries is $15. Cheese tequeños with cilantro sauce, a nod to the chain's Miami roots, cost $10 for six. The Little Jumpers kids' meals, such as two sliders with fries and a small drink, are $7.95.

Weekend doors open at 10am on Saturday and Sunday, and Sunday closes at 9pm. A 10am arrival gets you the ropes course before the first birthday groups, since the ropes course is the attraction where a line tends to form first. If the morning slots are full, a weekday afternoon after school is the next best option, when the arcade is busy but the courts are calmer.

If the line for the ropes course is long, the plan B is to switch to dodgeball, where games turn over quickly, and come back later. Spectators do not pay admission, so a parent who does not want to jump can sit in the restaurant and still keep an eye on the courts. A parent pass costs $9.95 for those who want to jump alongside their kids.

Off The Wall grip socks cost $3.45 and must be worn on the trampolines and attraction surfaces, and socks from other trampoline parks will not pass the front desk. You can bring your Off The Wall pair back on future visits. Waivers last for five years once signed, and anyone under 18 needs a waiver signed by a parent or legal guardian before going into the attraction areas.

De Soto Avenue runs through the Warner Center business district on the west side of the San Fernando Valley, and the park has on-site parking. After a session, Westfield Topanga and The Village are a short drive west for dinner and errands, and Warner Center Park offers lawns and shade where children can cool down. The Ventura Freeway is a few minutes north for the drive home.

Address: 6051 De Soto Ave, Woodland Hills, CA 91367. Phone: (818) 595-0000. Weekend opening: 10am Saturday and Sunday, Sunday closes 9pm. Trampolines: one hour $17.95, all day $29.95, parent pass $9.95. Extras: Ropes Course $9.95, Rock Walls $8.95, Bumper Cars $7.95 per ride with a 42-inch minimum. OTW Experience package: $46.95. Grip socks: $3.45. Spectators: free. Toddler Zone: under 42 inches only.