Funtastic, a new indoor playground, to open in Opelika

Rusty Herring, one of five partners Funtastic, discusses the new indoor playground that will be opening in Opelika soon.

Five local families have joined together to bring something they felt was missing from the Auburn-Opelika, a brand new indoor playground.

Billed as Auburn-Opelika's "premier indoor entertainment center for the whole family," according to its Facebook page, Funtastic will offer families a variety of entertainment options such as soft play areas, arcade games, a climbing walls and private party rooms. The new Opelika business is set to open sometime this week, just in time for school to wind down and summer to begin. Partner Rusty Herring said the idea for Funtastic came after he and four other families saw facilities like it in other cities and wanted to bring the same concept here.

"There are other indoor entertainment, bowling and trampoline parks and things like that. They're great, but they're not catered to younger children," Herring said. "Really creating something for families with younger children, ages two to 12 is the primary age that we're catered towards."

Rusty Herring of Opelika poses for a portrait inside Funtastic at Pepperell Corners on Pepperell Parkway in Opelika on Friday, March 7, 2025.

Located at 2550 Pepperell Parkway, Herring and his other partners, Chris Wall, Justin Rivers, Brandon Isbell and Andy Sentenn, are opening a facility that will include 7,500 square-feet over three levels of indoor play equipment that is effectively a giant obstacle course. In addition to that, there is a selection of arcade games near the front and a concession stand that will serve snacks, drinks and Marco's Pizza.

Another main feature will be an interactive rock climbing wall. However, this is not a regular rock climbing wall where children will have to strap in. The wall will have a projector that will be able to project a variety of different interactive games onto the wall that will react to how children move. For example, there is a balloon popping game where kids can climb on the wall to pop balloons projected onto the wall as the game keeps score.

"Having kids that have done that, you do that two or three times and you're kind of like, 'Alright, that was fun,'" Herring said of a traditional rock wall. "But to be able to create something that is changing and it's just more interactive, is something that we felt like is just a better product to bring entertainment to children."

Families can purchase one-and-a-half hour passes for Funtastic at in-person check-in or online at playfuntastic.com. For children under four, the pass will cost $10 and for children from ages five to 12, $15. There is also one free adult per child and it will cost $5 for each additional adult. There are also various party packages available.

A look at one of the jungle gyms inside Funtastic at Pepperell Corners on Pepperell Parkway in Opelika on Friday, March 7, 2025.

While the building itself has fire code safety rules and a set capacity, Funtastic will have its own capacity limit. Herring said right now the capacity of the entire facility in terms of guests is at 200, and they do not plan to exceed that, which means they may have to turn some people away or tell them to come back when the capacity is expected to be lower.

"We're not going to overcrowd our facility and create an environment that is not as enjoyable for kids because it's too crowded or stressful for the parents," Herring said. "Our core values are safety, number one, cleanliness, number two, number three is hospitality, and number four is fun. So in order to uphold those core values we know that our capacity needs to be not exceeded."

Herring said all children are welcome during any of the operational hours at Funtastic, but he understands that same may not feel comfortable, such as when its all full capacity. Herring said Funtastic at peak crowds will be a lot of stimulation that can be uncomfortable for children with sensory needs or living with other mental or physical needs.

"Some of our partners have children with sensory needs. Just being in the community for a long time, I've connected with many of those families," Herring said. "If it's not an environment that their child feels comfortable, if it's 200 kids running around, then we're going to create time to make sure that those children can participate and enjoy the facility, just like other kids can."

Funtastic will have a sensory friendly hour from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m., every first and third Saturday of each month, with a lower capacity and as a result less noise. Funtastic will offer a free membership for families to access Funtastic during those hours.

Creating those hours ties back to the overall mission and goal of Funtastic of filling a void in the community and providing great service at the same time.

"Really just wanting to make sure we do what we can to accommodate and do the best we can. Knowing that in any business that's open to the public, nothing's probably going to be perfect, but we are going to do the best we can and serve as many people as we can and and take care of them with excellence," Herring said.

Since the announcement on social media, Herring said the response has been overwhelming.

"The community wants a place like this. I think a lot of families with young children have been to similar facilities, but they've had to drive a really long way, or they went to them when they were out of town," Herring said. "So I think people are really excited to have a great, family-friendly environment to play."

One way they plan to meet the need is by having an assigned party host to assist with the planning of parties in any of the four private party rooms at Funtastic. Herring said having a place to host parties is a huge relief for many parents and Funtastic will have staff to take some of the burden off the parents by assisting with on various aspects of the parties.

Herring said the Funtastic staff is a great team and as the opening draws near, he is looking forward to serving the community well.

"I'm really looking forward to the community experiencing not just the facility, because the facility is great, but also a team that is really going to host people really well," Herring said. "We want everyone that comes here...to leave this place thinking, 'Man, that place is a place that really cares about people and what they're doing. And that was a great experience.'"

Funtastic at Pepperell Corners on Pepperell Parkway in Opelika on Friday, March 7, 2025.

There is still some work needed at the space on Pepperell Parkway, so Herring could not confirm exactly when Funtastic will open, but he encouraged people to follow the business on social media for updates. Funtastic will be open from Tuesday to Thursday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.

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Staff Writer

Rusty Herring, one of five partners Funtastic, discusses the new indoor playground that will be opening in Opelika soon.