North Calgary's Best Indoor Play Place—Officially Kid-Approved

With three kids under 10, I’ve become something of an indoor play place connoisseur—mall playgrounds, inflatable zones, trampoline parks, climbing gyms, you name it. But Flying Squirrel? That’s the one that gets the loudest cheers when I say we’re going back. We spent the day putting their attractions to the test—and by “we,” I mean the kids did all the work while I chased after them and tried to decipher their breathless reviews. Here’s what they had to say.

Inflatable Park
Soft obstacles, wild slides, and a whole lot of bouncing. The 10-year-old charged through like he was competing in a timed event. The six-year-old climbed up one slide and rode it down on her back over and over again. The eight-year-old got stuck halfway through a tunnel and laughed himself silly trying to wiggle free. I was surprised to discover that this place was among the top attractions for my kids. “It’s so much fun,” my eight-year-old said. They’re not lying—I know for a fact they’ve spent entire birthday parties locked away behind these very inflatable gates.

Crochet Net Playground
According to my kids, this floating web of colourful chaos looks like a giant, bouncy rainbow cloud suspended in the air. “It’s like a flying spider world, but friendly,” the eight-year-old said. The 10-year-old added, “It looks like something you dream about.”

Freestyle Courts
Then the trampoline madness really began. The kids went full energy mode—bouncing, spinning, flopping dramatically. “Watch this!” was the phrase of the hour, shouted every 15 seconds. The eight-year-old called it “the best part because you can do whatever you want and no one tells you to stop.” Which, frankly, felt like a direct shot at me—the person who usually tells him to stop doing things, such as hanging on the curtains, jumping onto the top of a tippy arm chair and standing on the kitchen table.

Airbag Trampoline Launch Lanes
Now it was launch time. The 10-year-old went for height. The eight-year-old went for distance. And the six-year-old just screamed with joy before belly-flopping into the squishy airbag. The official review from the 10-year-old? “I want to do it a hundred more times.”

Dunk Hoops
Trampoline + basketball = instant obsession. The 10-year-old got his first dunk and strutted away like a champion. The eight-year-old nearly got it in and insisted it still counted. The six-year-old missed every shot with complete confidence. “That’s 1,000 times better than regular basketball” my eight year old declared.

Trampoline Dodgeball
Chaos, speed, and sibling revenge. The 10-year-old hit me in the leg and cheered like he won a tournament. “That was the best part—because I hit Dad in the leg,” he said. The eight-year-old showed actual dodging skills. The six-year-old mostly danced in the corner and laughed.

Battlebeam
Two kids. One foam beam. Many dramatic tumbles. The 10-year-old was on a mission and won every round. The six-year-old took a dive before the first swing was thrown. “I wanted to see what the pit feels like,” she said, satisfied. The eight-year-old tried to win but laughed too hard every time to stay upright.

Drey Cafe
Snack time. At last. Fries disappeared in seconds, and I drank a coffee all the way to the bottom. A rare and beautiful moment of silence. Refuelling complete, they were back on the trampolines before I even stood up.

Slackline
The test of balance—with a soft landing below. The eight-year-old made it a few wobbly steps in before tumbling into the foam like a cartoon character. The six-year-old never even tried. She made a little nest in the pit. “It was fun,” my eight-year-old said.

Rope Swing
Grab, swing, release. Sounds easy—until you’re midair. The 10-year-old nailed it. The six-year-old let go instantly and flopped into the foam pit giggling. “I’m flying like a bird!” she shouted, leaving me a little concerned about her understanding of bird flight.

Extreme Traverse Climb
A horizontal climbing wall with a foam pit below—equal parts challenge and fun. The eight-year-old zipped across it with full concentration, gripping every hold like the floor was lava. When he finally dropped into the pit, he popped up grinning. His review: “That was kinda hard but really fun. I almost made it the whole way without falling... next time I will.”

Aerial Silks
Cirque du Soleil vibes with kid-level chaos. The 10-year-old wrapped himself up and slowly spun, looking proud. The six-year-old spun in wild circles and shouted, “I’m a twirly sky princess!” Her review? “It was fun. I wanna try again later.”

Arcade
Time to cool down—sort of. The arcade had flashing lights, racing games, and yes, tickets and prizes. The eight-year-old went full button-mash mode and declared it “the best part,” mostly because he left with a handful of prizes and a serious sugar high. If you’re counting, that’s probably the tenth time one of them has crowned something “the best.”

Final Verdict?
Flying Squirrel delivered big-time indoor play place energy from the first bounce to the last button mash. Every kid found their favourite attractions—the 10-year-old wouldn’t stop talking about Battlebeam, the eight-year-old was obsessed with the freestyle courts and arcade, and the six-year-old, in her words, “everything was the best.” Two of them fell asleep on the ride home. The third was still talking about going back. That’s a win in every parent’s book.