Review of Dynamite Gymnastics Center Open Gym
November 3, 2009
by Kim Engstrom
4956 Boiling Brook Parkway
Rockville, MD 20852
301-770-2700
Looking for a fun place for your kids to burn off some energy on a rainy or cold day? A visit to the brand new Dynamite Gymnastics Center located about 1 mile from the White Flint Mall in Rockville just might do the trick.
We’re Off!
A recent rainy Tuesday sparked the visit for our family to this new gymnastics facility. I was surprised to learn upon checking their website that they offered THREE Open Gym sessions Monday through Friday. The 12:00 – 12:50pm time slot is offered each weekday with additional open gym times in the morning and afternoons staggered on other days including a Saturday evening, all ages session.
The gym is housed in large warehouse building in a cross between a residential and commercial area. The directions on the website led us right to the location without any problems even for this directionally challenged mom. Their website recommends not using their street address for Mapquest or GPS directions but offers another address to use in these programs to help you locate them.
My 3 year old daughter and I arrived a few minutes early for the 2pm session and were promptly greeted by a helpful woman at the front desk who processed our $6.00 payment and gave us the rundown of the Open Gym rule, “only one at a time on the trampoline”.
The lobby is spacious and clean, with cubbies for shoes and jackets, tables and chairs near large viewing windows for waiting parents, and a small couch and book area. Their informational flyer states that there is Wi-Fi and cable TV in the lobby but I did not try out these options on my visit.
The Fun Part
Once inside of the gym, my daughter immediately ran to the Kiddiepillar inflatable located on the floor exercise area. This is similar to the big train inflatables that we have encountered at other gyms and includes climbing and sliding areas inside of a giant caterpillar tunnel. The staff member present during the open gym was not sure of the schedule for the Kiddiepillar but said that it was a rotating part of their Open Gym fun.
The rest of the gym is loaded with brand new equipment. There were 3 trampolines (only one designated for use by the under 4 crowd), a long tumble track, competition sized uneven bars, beams and vaulting table as well as a 3,000 square foot designated toddler area. This colorful area was a big hit for my daughter and the other preschoolers in the gym. The mats are all new and brightly colored. They had a low set of monkey bars, rings, hula hoops and mats of all shapes and sizes to jump in, roll down or stack up. Everything looked safe, had secure mats underneath and was perfectly toddler sized. On the day of our visit there were only 8 children total at the Open Gym session so there was plenty of room to spread out and minimal wait time to use any equipment.
Staying Safe
There was a Dynamite staff member present in the gym at all times throughout the session. I noticed that not all children in the gym had a parent with them and asked what the policy was regarding parental supervision. I was told that parents are not required to be in the gym with their children but they do need some parents present in order to keep things safe, which seemed like a bit of a disorganized policy to me. The staff member did a good job of keeping tabs on the unsupervised (older) kids in the gym but left me to wonder how this would work out during a more crowded session.
Bottom Line
Dynamite Gymnastics offers a clean, spacious environment for kids of all ages to flip, jump and swing their way to a good time. The facility is new and the crowds have not yet come for Open Gym so it feels like you have your own private gymnasium. This OK family recommends Dynamite GC for a fun, active burst of activity.
Know Before You Go
- Open Gym is offered Monday – Friday from noon to 12:50pm along with other weekday sessions on a varied schedule. Also offered are a Saturday evening all ages Open Gym from 6 to 7:30pm, and a Saturday night 7:30 to 9pm adult open gym.
- Get there on time! The 50 minute session can zip by quickly for kids enjoying all of the activity.
- Cost for the 50 minute Open Gym sessions is $6.00 per child with the option to purchase a block of 12 sessions for $50.00. Cost for the Saturday evening all ages session (90 minutes) is $10.00 or 12 sessions for $100.
In addition to Open Gym, Dynamite has a schedule of about 100 classes offered weekly for 18 month olds – adult. All classes have the option for students to enroll either once or twice a week for a discounted rate. View their class schedule on their website at www.DynamiteGC.com.
Ninety minute birthday parties are also offered on weekends. For more information call 301-770-2700 or email parties@DynamiteGC.com .
Have you been to Dynamite Gymnastics? What's your opinion? Just drop us a note and Our Kids will add your comments to this review.
