Indoor kids park Urban Air debuts in former Bed Bath & Beyond building on Broad

Urban Air Adventure Park, which features attractions aimed at kids like rock climbing and bumper cars, recently opened in a former Bed Bath & Beyond in western Henrico. (Jack Jacobs photos)

The first of what’s expected to be two local outposts of a new-to-market indoor entertainment park is now open in Henrico.

Urban Air Adventure Park recently opened at 10050 W. Broad St., a former Bed Bath & Beyond store in the western part of the county.

The 42,000-square-foot park features trampolines, rock climbing, obstacle courses, bumper cars and laser tag, among other attractions.

The venue is primarily aimed at kids 5 to 18 years old. In addition to 10 rooms for birthday parties, the park also has a restaurant that sells items like pizza, chicken wings and Icees.

The concept is franchised locally by Sachin Gupta, Chandan Suri and Pawan Suri. The team’s Henrico location, near the intersection of Broad Street and Gaskins Road, is the first Urban Air to open in the Richmond region.

Gupta estimated that their Urban Air location cost more than $5 million to open.

Louisiana-based Planet Construction was the project’s general contractor. Wisconsin-based Logic Design & Architecture handled the design of the space.

Sachine Gupta, a member of the franchisee team behind the local Urban Air.

Speaking shortly after the park opened for the day on Tuesday, Gupta said he felt like Urban Air had proven a hit since it became operational in late March.

“We opened half an hour ago, and there are already lines here and the kids are having fun,” he said.

The team has marketed the location using Instagram posts and TikTok videos, and has partnered with local social media influencers to get the word out about Urban Air, Gupta said.

The venue has more than 100 employees. Gupta said there’s been strong interest from job seekers in getting a gig there.

“We actually had gotten a very good response in terms of applicants for pretty much all the positions,” he said.

The Henrico location’s regular day passes run from $27 to $38. Higher-priced passes provide access to more of the venue’s attractions, per the company’s website.

The venue’s normal operating hours are 4-8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 4-9 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and noon to 8 p.m. Sunday. The park is on extended spring break hours this week.

The venue’s grand opening is planned April 12, the same day that the venue plans to start hosting birthday parties.

Gupta, who lives in North Carolina, is a managing member of the franchise along with Suri, a friend and business partner in New Hampshire. Suri’s brother Pawan is based in the Richmond area and is a co-owner of the franchise.

The Henrico outpost is the group’s first location, as the franchisees plan to open another spot in the area.

Gupta and his team are looking at Midlothian for a second location, with the goal of leasing something similar to the former retail store they took over in Henrico. He said they have had a challenging time identifying a similar property south of the river. He said it took about two years to find the Henrico location.

“We are looking for a box just like this, in a great location that’s easily accessible for our guests. It’s hard to find real estate like this,” Gupta said.

Texas-based Urban Air describes itself as the world’s largest kids entertainment park operator. Founded in 2011, it has more than 350 locations either open or in development, according to the company.

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