Real Mom Review: ClimbZone White Marsh

By Ivette Cruz & Hanna Adams, CertifiKID Subscribers
Posted Jun 06, 2019 Things to Do Real Mom Reviews Baltimore

Located in Middle River, Maryland, ClimbZone White Marsh is an indoor climbing center with custom-designed, themed climbing walls and a unique hydraulic auto-belay system, which gently lowers climbers back down to the ground without them having to rely on another person. ClimbZone White Marsh has 80 climbing panels with everything from Ninja Warrior to Jack and the Beanstalk. They also house an arcade room, an inflatable double slide, bounce house, birthday party space and play area for toddlers. 

We recently sent two of our MOM Squad ambassadors and their families to ClimbZone White Marsh. They received free admission in exchange for providing an honest review of their experience.

Save up to 40% off 3 hours of climbing at ClimbZone White Marsh with this CertifiKID deal.

 

Hanna: On a hot and summery feeling Memorial Day, my twin 6-year-old boys, my husband and I ventured to try out ClimbZone in White Marsh. 

ClimbZone is a facility that has 80 climbing walls, one bounce house...

...one inflatable double slide and a netted off area for some kind of game with a referee. Once we arrived a little after opening, we got checked in quickly. I filled out the waivers online the day prior, which helped to speed up the process.

We have climbed regular rock walls before, my twin boys have all the energy, my husband exercises on a regular basis and I literally just started working out again 2 days before our trip. We got harnessed in and were given a brief review of how to clasp yourself in and out of each climbing area. 

Ivette: ClimbZone is an indoor climbing zone. Kids older than 2-years-old and adults can climb. They put a harness on you and then give you a brief training on how to attach and release yourself from the ropes before getting you into action. Adult supervision is required for kids younger than 12 at all times. Their employees are available the whole time you are there and check in frequently to make sure that everyone is climbing safely.

Hanna: We were all really excited to try out the obstacles and test our endurance and stamina with the climbing activities. Of course, my husband being 6'2" and 250 lbs was very apprehensive about the safety of the harnesses...

...but by the end, we were flying through the air with ease, and breezing through our descents back down. 

Ivette: The experience is super exciting. We (my husband and I) climbed with our kids.

They have lots of themed walls to climb, so if you are worried that your kids are not going to be able to climb one don't worry, because there are a bunch of walls to choose from.

We made races to see who could climb fastest to the top; some of the walls have more than one rope in the same theme.

They also have an area if you want to host your kid's birthday party at the location ...

and there is an area with some arcade games...

...and a play area for babies or toddlers if you have a non-climber in your party. 

They sell snacks and drinks but you can bring your own food inside. The restrooms are big and there are many available and they were very clean.

Hanna: They have plenty of tables where you can bring food and drink to consume, and...

...they also have free mini lockers, water fountains and a water bottle filling station. 

This place is like regular rock walls that are having parties and all dressed up. The boys really enjoyed the Skate Park walls where you run up to the top and then climb. It looked like Ninja Warrior, which they love.

After 2 hours of climbing and jumping, we were done. Our muscles were spent and we were hungry for lunch. 

The boys could have kept going, however, momma and papa were tired. I could tell that the kids could spend all day here so long as they had meals. All in all, it was a great visit and we plan to return.

The best aspect of this place was that there was no wait time. We could climb and climb for as long as we wanted on each obstacle with no one waiting behind us to make us feel hurried.

Ivette: Our favorite part was climbing! That's all we did, three hours of non-stop climbing!

Getting There and Getting In

Ivette: The place is easy to find, the GPS will take you to the front door of ClimbZone and they also have signs to guide you when you are nearby.

The parking is free and it's a big lot in front of the location. It wasn't too crowded and we didn't have to wait, we filled the waiver at the location and it took us just a few minutes (you can do it online too) and then we were ready to climb!

Hanna: Once we got close to the location, there were small signs that pointed down Tangier Drive. Once you turn, it looked like a lot of plain buildings and you could get a little confused. You need to stay straight between the buildings to stay on Tangier Drive and drive all the way to the end. You will see the Mary Sue Company building on the left. Keep going and it will come up on the left. It is a pretty plain grey building but the bright yellow and blue words of ClimbZone will appear on your left.

Parking was limited in my opinion, with one line of parking spaces and three handicapped spaces. The place is huge and if it was packed, parking would have to overflow into the other buildings parking lots. However, we went early and got the closest spot near the entrance.

We arrived 10 minutes after opening time and had no wait time. It was fabulous! Their summer hours have them opening at 10 a.m. We went on Memorial Day, which was great because a lot of places were closed and this place was fun for the kids, air-conditioned, inside out of the sun and not crowded at all.

Time Recommended to Enjoy Experience

Ivette: They have 1.5 and 3-hour options; we took the 3-hour slot and took a little break and had some snacks to refuel energy (they have plenty of picnic tables inside) and then went back into action.

Hanna: They offer 1.5-hour and 3-hour time slots. I think the 1.5-hour time slot is plenty. If you plan on bringing older kids, such as young teens and would like to eat there as well, you could easily spend 3 hours there.

Recommended Age Range

Ivette: My kids are 6,9, and 10, but kids older than 2 can climb, and trust me they will because they have climbing wall options for everyone.

Hanna: Both my boys are 6 (and will be 7 in December). I recommend this activity for ages 5 and up. A lot of the climbing walls are meant for people with longer legs and arms. The boys are tall (48" and 50"), so they could climb a lot, but there were some they could not.

Tips for Families

Ivette: Bring your own food, and wear comfortable clothes and sneakers. Also, bring extra clothes if you want to change, cause you are going to sweat!!!

They have a snack bar (chips, candies, and drinks), but they allow you to bring food. Less than 10 minutes away, there is a mall and there are several dining options.

Hanna: Climbing shoes are a must. You want to make sure you can climb without your shoes falling off. If you have climbing gloves or weight lifting gloves, I would bring those and leave the rings at home.

I would also suggest packing a bag of snacks and drinks. They have small cubbies that you can store your food in while you climb/play. They have small snacks and drinks for sale. They also have 2 water fountains and free water bottle filling station.

Make sure you have everyone use the restroom prior to wearing the harness. It is easy enough to have the harness placed back on and off, but still, it takes a little time. You cannot wear the harness to the bathroom or in the bouncy areas. You must be 10 and under to enjoy the bounce house. If you sign the online waiver prior to coming, it will save you a little time.

There is the Urban Air Trampoline Park around the corner, however, I would not recommend both activities on the same day. Each is tiring on its own. Down the street is a Subway, Dunkin Donuts, and Royal Farms. Within driving distance is White Marsh Mall, Costco, and Ikea. We actually drove to Ikea for lunch and then shopped there. 

The only constructive criticism I can give is for ClimbZone is to provide more signs to show the way, otherwise, this place was awesome!

Would Your Family Visit Again?

Ivette: Sure, we had so much fun and it is a great workout!!! 

Hanna: Yes! My sister and father live in this area, so we can visit here on days we visit them. However, there is a place in Laurel as well, which is closer to Ellicott City, so we plan on visiting there next. We had so much fun as an entire family. We all thoroughly enjoyed the workout and the different climb themes. There were so many different places to climb and with 80 different walls, you will not get bored!

Tags: ClimbZone Rock Climbing Walls Family Friendly CImbing Kid Rock Climbing Walls

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