Game On: Family-Friendly Entertainment Grows Retail

Not so long ago, a Texas Jewish Post story reported on the reinvention of a 160,000-square-foot building from a trade center into an entertainment destination. Today, the 50-year-old space on Interstate 635 in the Dallas suburb of Farmers Branch, TX, houses an 11 MAX Indoor Fun Park, and will soon be home to a roller skating rink.

“This is a new concept that makes sense for today’s families, as traveling is becoming more expensive,” Larry Robbins, Capstone Commercial Vice President and owner representative for the space, told Texas Jewish Post.

The Dallas-area story is representative of what’s happening nationwide. Namely, that family-friendly entertainment destinations are popping up in formerly vacant, sometimes obsolete buildings.

And, a recent JLL report said that location-based entertainment is impacting the retail sector.

The Driving Factors

The report explained that American shoppers are split into two groups, with entertainment operators building for both. On the one hand, higher-income households still eat out and spend plenty on premium experiences.

However, “for a budget-conscious family of four, three days at Disney World now costs $2,783 before airfare or a rental car, according to an April 2026 NerdWallet analysis,” the report’s authors noted, echoing Robbins’ comments.

At the same time, for approximately $35 a person, the same family can spend an afternoon at an entertainment center nearby. While “they will not get Cinderella’s castle, they will get trampolines, climbing walls, rope courses, a birthday party room, and a story to tell at school on Monday,” the JLL analysts said.

Numbers and Brands

The report said that foot traffic across 20 tracked entertainment concepts reached 217 million visits in 2025, roughly 12% above 2019 levels, with average dwell times at 140 minutes per visit.

Here’s where the foot traffic is headed:

• Kid zones. The JLL authors explained that trampoline parks and the like account for 1,355 existing U.S. locations, with 355 more in the pipeline, representing 61% of all planned entertainment square footage and 10 million square feet of announced space.

• Game show studios. JLL analysts said that game shows are becoming one of the “fastest-growing corners of the competitive socializing category.” Brands including Game Show Battle Rooms, Game Show Studio, The Cube and others are popping up in formerly vacant retail space.

• Escape and challenge rooms. Escape rooms aren’t new. However, the article reported that the category’s growth has increased 247% since 2023.

The Impact on Retail

The JLL analysts noted that location-based entertainment is solidifying as a major player in retail real estate. Additionally, American families still want to do things together and are doing so closer to home at a lower cost.

Everything from trampoline parks to competitive socializing continues to demonstrate multi-year growth, meaning more space dedicated to destination entertainment.

“Premium experiences will continue to favor productive malls and CBDs,” the JLL analysts said. “Large vacant boxes will keep converting to entertainment uses as former theaters and department stores become viable targets for entertainment expansion.”