A brand-new Manalapan indoor slide and action park brings big thrills for the whole family

BY ERIK SCHONING

In Manalapan, adventure has a new address. Opened at the end of August, Slick City Action Park is a one-stop shop for thrills, games and big-time slides that puts daylong family fun back on the calendar.

The first New Jersey outpost of this growing franchise, Slick City offers a new kind of family experience, an all-ages supercharged playground that lets everybody pick their lane. For the high-octane thrill chasers, the dry slides themselves are unmissable. Each slide is coated with Slick City’s proprietary “slick sauce”, keeping them running fast and smooth. Like roller coasters, each slide has its own name and personality, from the speedy Rush to the half-pipe-inspired Big Wave to Slick City’s signature Mega Launch. (If that name isn’t clear—you’ll fly high on this one.)

Principal owner Andy Katz comes from a marketing background. After deciding to open a brick-and-mortar business, Slick City was a no-brainer as a place that would appeal to the inner child in everyone, a physical place to connect and unwind in an increasingly virtual world.

“Nobody can do these slides virtually,” Katz said. “And the nice thing is, adults will partake in this also. It brings something new, different and exciting, and it’s kind of nostalgic. Everybody’s gone on slides at some point in their life. Now you have a full park dedicated to them.”

Rounding out the experience at Slick City are a smorgasbord of activities: an approximately 3,000-square-foot toddler play area, a dodgeball sport court, a basketball sport court, a zipline, an arcade, and a full service café. The facility is fully rentable for large events. Whatever the occasion, there’s no shortage of ways to customize the experience.

Slick City is the latest tenant at the MultiSports Kingdom (MSK) facility on Woodward Road, complimenting the current uses of the space, including a large basketball facility. After connecting through a mutual friend, broker Mike Desero of Starker Commercial Realty and Katz were able to find a home for Katz’s franchise. For the Starker team, whose brokers include Desero, Eric Starker, Susan Hetzel, Michael Imperato and Isaac Steinberg, Slick City was the perfect tenant to bring something new to the community.

“[We] felt Manalapan needed an entertainment center & action park for all ages to enjoy,” Eric Starker and Mike Desero said. “Parents can now drive locally instead of venturing to other towns for casual amusement or birthday parties.”

Slick City’s popularity with kids and adults is proof enough: you’re never too old for a good slide.

Slick City Action Park — 150 Woodward Road, Manalapan — slickcity.com/nj-manalapan