It's a jungle here. Kids are screaming. The Amazon is spiraling. The jeeps are rolling, some even without drivers. Boats are spinning wildly and cars are crashing into each other.
This is the kind of place Leslie Witt likes to bring her three children.Then again, it is Jungle Jim's Playland.
"We just bring them here and they entertain themselves," said Witt, who drives bimonthly from Provo to the playland at 739 E. Fort Union Blvd.
Utah's Jungle Jim's Playland, which is in the process of changing its name to Jeepers, set up shop in 1991.
Todd Williams, the regional manager for Jungle Jim's Playland/Jeepers said the Salt Lake area was a prime choice for the activity center.
"Salt Lake is a clean, family-oriented society," said Williams, a Salt Lake native who now lives in Mesa, Ariz. "There's a great market for family-oriented places in that area. Parents want a safe place to take their children, and Jungle Jim's is that sort of place."
The Midvale center has seven amusement park rides -- carousel, rotating swings, spinning boats, bumper cars, jeeps, the Amazon roller coaster and jets. It also has a soft play gym -- which features mesh, tubes and slides. There are also games such as air hockey, basketball shoots, skee ball, bowling and handful of video games.
Children playing the games can win prize tickets, which can be redeemed at the redemption booth for charms, candy and other prizes.
There are also picnic tables for families to sit at while they dine on pizza, hot dogs and other foods the playland has to offer.
"We'd eventually like to open up other places in the surrounding areas, like Provo and Ogden," said Williams.
Witt, whose children are 5, 8 and 11, said the playland is a great place for birthday parties.
"We've got one going now," she said last Friday. "There are about 11 of them running around. And it's great because this is a safe, clean place."
Keith Lawson of Murray was also hosting a birthday party Friday night.
"We brought 20 children tonight," he said as he turned off his mini-cam. "It's like a carnival here. And there are not too many places where you can bring 20 kids and feel good about letting them run around."
Lawson's own two children are 8 and 3.
"We've been bringing our oldest to this place since it opened," he said. "We don't worry. We watch them, sure. But there's nothing to worry about. The staff here is great, and they watch out for the kids on the rides, too."
General manager Susi McCauley joined the staff eight years ago.
"We are very careful when we hire staff members," she said. "We start off with a thorough interview. Most of the applicants are high school-aged, so we want to make sure the applicant likes children. Then we check referrals carefully. And take it from there."
McCauley, who has a child on the way, explained a new program Jungle Jim's had recently put into action, the Kid's Matching Program.
"We really focus on the safety of our customers and their children," she said. "So we started the matching program."
First of all, said McCauley, "We always have someone standing at a booth by the door. When kids and parents come in, we give the children stickers with a number on them. The parents also get a card with the same number on it to prevent anyone from walking off with children who are not theirs."
The concept for Jungle Jim's Playland was conceived by two attorneys in San Antonio, Texas, said Williams during a phone call from Kansas City, Mo.
"They wanted to create a safe, clean place for children to be able to be children. They started with a vacant building and brought in some amusement park rides."
That was in 1988. Since then, Jungle Jim's Playland/Jeepers has established itself as a premiere family entertainment facility.
"There are currently 25 Jeepers locations, mostly on the East Coast," said Williams. "And we're building more every month."
The playland is geared mainly for children ages 12 and younger, said McCauley. But older children and teens also are welcome, as long as they have an adult with them.
"We do have cases when a parent will just drop their children off," she said. "So what we do is call the parent and request that they return to pick up their children or stay with them. Anyone younger than 18 is considered a child."
One concern for most parents are rowdy youngsters who bully or disturb the others, said McCauley.
"When that happens, we ask them to settle down," she said. "If that doesn't work, we have them leave."