Saratoga News

Photograph by Robert Scheer

Ryan Tsukamoto, 2, prepares to toss a plastic ball at his father. Ryan made his first trip to The Jungle last week with his father, Glenn, his mother, Theresa, and his older brother, Kevin.

Parents and kids can go wild at The Jungle

By Michelle Alaimo

A jungle has sprouted on the outskirts of Saratoga in the form of a children's play center at El Paseo de Saratoga Shopping Center. The Jungle: Fun & Adventure features, among other things, a 16-foot imitation banyan tree for children to climb, tubes to crawl through, a foam forest to run through, larger-than-life animals including lions, a baby zebra, and a 16-foot giraffe, and a toddler playroom for plenty of unstructured play for infants to children up to 12 years of age.

"The theme of The Jungle is to have something aesthetically pleasing for kids as well as adults," marketing manager Vickie Hess says.

The center also features a ramp that winds through the two-story play structure so that parents can keep an eye on their children at all times, Hess says. Also on the second floor is a parents' room, surrounded by windows, to allow parents time to relax and read a book while keeping tabs on their kids. Hess says parents must remain on the premises while their children are playing, and kneepads are offered to parents who want to get down and crawl around with their children.

"The Jungle is something that will be a destination point for parents," Hess says.

El Paseo is the third Jungle location and the first in the West Valley. Other locations include San Francisco and Concord, which have been open for five and two years, respectively. Although doors are now open in El Paseo, the official grand opening isn't until Jan. 11.

"What brought us [to the West Valley] is the great demographics," CEO John Hess says. He also cited what he considered the high quality of the El Paseo shopping center.

The El Paseo location will include something that its other locations don't have--a pizza parlor where parents and children can watch their pizzas being made, Hess says. Other meal choices, such as chicken pesto, calzones, salads, espresso and Dryers ice cream, can be found at Mama Gorilla's Cafe.

"One thing we pride ourselves on is good food," Hess says.

The Jungle also offers four different birthday party safari packages.

The Jungle works hard to give back to the community, Hess says. This includes holding school youth group or team fundraisers offering 25 percent of the group admission back to the organization raising the funds. Hess says The Jungle gives out numerous free passes, birthday party packages and other items to local schools, teams and nonprofit organizations. Students also have a chance to earn a free pass to The Jungle from schools participating in the program.

The grand opening, on Jan 11 from noon to 6 p.m., will feature numerous activities. A Nickelodeon character will visit, and there will be giveaways for the first 100 guests. Families can enter to win a vacation to Orlando, Fla., along with other prizes such as Nickelodeon merchandise and an Oasis birthday party.

Adults are admitted free, with children's prices varying depending on the day of the week and age of the child.

The Jungle: Fun & Adventure is located at 950 El Paseo de Saratoga in the El Paseo de Saratoga Shopping Center. It is open seven days a week, Sundays through Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Fridays, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.; and Saturdays and holidays, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. For more information, call 866-4FUN.

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