Kids’ playroom opens in Clanton

Published 4:20 pm Friday, August 17, 2012

Alice Burton, far left, is shown with Kaliyah Watley, Austin Jones (her son), David Landreth and Megan Jones (her daughter) in front of two inflatables at Tropical Bounzers.

A new children’s play venue in Clanton is providing inflatable fun for all ages in a convenient location.

Owner Alice Burton opened Tropical Bounzers, “Home of the Best Birthday Parties,” in April, next door to her other business, Bahama Drama Tanning & Spa.

Burton said the idea of opening a play place for children came from having a small playroom at Bahama Drama.

“They were writing all over the walls,” Burton said. “I said, ‘We’ve got to do something.’”

Then, as Burton was looking at places to have her daughter’s birthday party, she found the atmosphere she wanted but not the price and location.

So, she decided to open her own play venue, customizing it to fit her vision.

“We’re trying to save our people time, gas and money going out of town,” Burton said. “I want the kids to have fun down here and not have to travel so far. I want it to be the home of the best birthday parties.”

Tropical Bouncers, the company that sold Burton her first inflatable, helped her think of the name Tropical Bounzers for her business.

“We just wanted something to go with Bahama Drama,” she said. “We changed the ‘c’ to ‘z.’”

Since her grand opening, Burton has added one 18-foot inflatable slide and one shorter slide for small children.

She said a 22-foot slide is in the works.

“We want to go bigger,” Burton said, mentioning an adjoining garage that she wants to transform into a second room for Tropical Bounzers by January.

Burton offers five birthday party packages, with the option of paying an extra fee for having a photographer or characters at the party.

Open play sessions called Pop-In Play are Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Admission to Pop-In Play is $3 per child.

In addition to hosting birthday parties, Burton plans to hold a Back to School Bash on Aug. 18, karaoke parties, arts and crafts sessions and lock-ins throughout the year.

“We’re going to do a Black Friday lock-in because it’s hard for parents to find babysitters on Black Friday,” Burton said.

Burton’s staff includes Sharon Lechantre, Christina Hall and Stephanie Adams, all on “Party Patrol,” and photographer Tasha Rooks of “Memories in the Making.”

Tropical Bounzers is located at 116 Chilton Place in Clanton.

For party package prices and details, go to www.tropicalbounzers.com.

To book a birthday party, call at (205) 755-8255.

“It’s turning out really good,” Burton said. “I’m excited. As long as the kids are happy, I’m happy.”