Former North Port Winn-Dixie to get new life as inflatable park

A new beach-themed inflatable park is coming to North Port. Called Do The Beach, the 21,000-square-foot facility will be in what was formerly a Winn-Dixie on Tamiami Trail in the south Sarasota County city. 

Among the attractions will be a 20-foot-tall inflatable sandcastle slide; a “plunge slide” offering a free-fall experience; inflatable basketball, volleyball and soccer; a bounce-floor jungle gym with four-lane LED slide; a toddler zone; and an Airstream food trailer offering pizza, pretzels, wings, coffee and beachside drinks, according to a statement.

Robin and Mike Whincup, father-and-son co-owners of Do The Beach, have been in the industry for decades, designing attractions for adventure parks through Galaxy Multi Rides of Port Charlotte.

“We’ve done over 100 parks in the last six years,” Mike Whincup tells the Business Observer. Through Galaxy Multi Rides, he says, they have gotten a “good grasp that this was popular and an absolute revenue-generating machine.” 

Operating an inflatable park is about one-third the cost of a trampoline park, Mike Whincup says. It also takes significantly less time to build, requiring about three or four days to put together. Most of the attractions will feature an element of competition, he adds.

“North Port is such a unique opportunity because it's a bit of an entertainment desert,” Mike Whincup says. “The response has been huge from parents. It’s just a big sigh of relief.”

The beach theme was selected because “everybody can get on board with a day at the beach,” Mike Whincup says. It’s “not super childish and fairly gender neutral” so it will have broad appeal.

“All frontline staff are going to be lifeguards,” he adds. The business plans to employ about 70 personnel, according to a statement.

While the inflatable park will likely appeal to those from toddlers to 12-year-olds, Mike Whincup says: “There is no real age limit.”

The facility will be geofenced for safety, and park-goers will wear wristbands that can track whether they are inside as well as how much they have bounced.

“This is a brand-new technology,” Mike Whincup says. Bands will glow green, yellow or red based on how much time participants have left, and parents can add time or money to the wristbands using an app.

“Although it is important to be attractive and fun for the kid, it’s really important to create a fun environment for the parents,” he says. A mezzanine will be available with work stations and charging ports, while the food trailer on the ground floor will serve items like premium coffee catering to adults.

North Port will be the first location in what the owners are building as a franchise. 

Curt Skallerup, a Texas-based businessman who used to lead Altitude Trampoline Parks, has partnered with the Whincups as co-owner of Do The Beach.

“We’ve had a working relationship for years,” Mike Whincup says. “He loved the idea of an inflatable park. Once his noncompete expired, he brought a full corporate team” to launch the franchise.

The goal is to have a soft opening in North Port in June, according to Mike Whincup, who says the project is currently going through permitting.