Founder Greg Carlin is a Cleveland native who came up with the idea with his daughter that became Play: CLE while skiing in the mountains of western New York. Taking a chairlift up the mountain and passing over the summer ropes course, he wondered why there weren’t more places that offered a similar experience year-round, especially with the growing popularity of entertainment centers, trampoline parks and other seasonal activity areas.

Convinced that an indoor adventure park could be a winning idea, the Carlin family took a giant leap of faith (which is also the name of one of Play: CLE’s attractions) and set things in motion.