A new indoor playspace for kids is opening on the east side this fall.
Indoor playground Wild Katz is expected to open by November at 4629 E. Speedway in the Mission Plaza at North Swan Road.
Designed for children from 6 months to early teens, Wild Katz will have climbing walls, obstacle courses, toddler slides and a ball blaster arena with spiral slides and tunnels with seating areas for parents to keep an eye on the kiddos.
There will be a centrally located, old-fashioned soda fountain with ice cream, television sets, massage chairs and couches.
“The parent is our true client,” says owner Jenni Gardner.
Six party rooms, themed as a different cat — tiger, jaguar, leopard, cheetah, bobcat and lynx — will be available for 90-minute rentals that include use of the playground.
Prices are being calculated and will be posted on wldktz.com as the opening nears.
It was during a visit to an indoor playground last year that the mother of four got the idea of replicating the concept.
“I sat there and thought, ‘How does Tucson not have one of these?’” Gardner said. “I couldn’t stop thinking about it.”
Looking for space in central Tucson, her broker showed her the 15,562-square-foot space that was once occupied by Hibachi Super Buffet.
“It looked like they had left mid-shift,” Gardner laughed. “There were plates, napkins and soy sauce everywhere.”
The space is now cleaned up and ready for equipment to be installed.