Baton Rouge parents know all too well the stress of white-knuckling a cross-town commute, but Brody and Katie Thompson are making the city feel a bit smaller—and way more fun. Five years after opening Tumbles South Baton Rouge on Bluebonnet Boulevard, the couple has expanded with a second facility.

In January, Tumbles East Baton Rouge opened in the Drusilla Shopping Center as the largest location in the North American franchise. It boasts one of the tallest indoor playgrounds and the first-ever two-and-under play zone. Offering high-energy tumbling, hands-on STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics) classes and popular kids’ nights out, the Thompsons have thoughtfully designed a space that balances active play with developmental growth.

The expansion is as strategic as it is impressive. Now, the two largest facilities in the franchise are just five miles apart, and each is thriving.

The Thompsons’ journey to Tumbles ownership began while visiting friends in Atlanta, where they discovered the ease and joy of catching up while their children, Louis and Elise, then ages 4 and 2, played in an enclosed kids’ gym. On the way home, Brody wondered aloud why Baton Rouge didn’t have something like that. “I said, ‘Why don’t you open one?’ and that became the defining point of my life,” Katie says with a laugh.

In early 2019, they signed the lease on the Bluebonnet facility, and the pandemic offered their first hurdle as new business owners. Instead of throwing their hands up, they put their heads down. Brody consulted with other franchise owners around the country, determined to learn everything he could to bring the best version of the programming to Baton Rouge.

Locals may recognize the couple from their more than 20 years spent at weddings and capturing milestone moments through their previous business, Thompson Photography.

The transition from behind the camera to the gym floor was more natural for the pair than one might expect. They have become experts in the art of human connection, with a shared affinity for the arts.

“Photographing children in any setting—weddings, family portraits or kid portraits—takes a lot of patience, thinking outside of the box, and some silliness mixed in,” Brody notes. “That has helped us better prepare to deal with children of all kinds and ages. What makes any art or craft unique requires thinking outside the box, and the same mentality proves true with Tumbles.”

As photographers, they navigated every imaginable family dynamic and built bonds across generations. Today, that deep-rooted experience serves as the foundation for Tumbles. And many families they worked with as photographers regularly walk through the doors for classes and parties. For the Thompsons, Tumbles isn’t just a new venture. It’s a place to continue lifelong relationships and foster curiosity, growth and development in a new generation.

“Our instructors have a diverse range of backgrounds, which is really fun to observe in their classes,” Katie says. “Their experience ranges from gymnastics, dance, martial arts and those simply with a passion for teaching kids.”

There are several ways to play at Tumbles, including drop-in open play, a slate of gym classes for children as young as 4 months old, and camps and hands-on STEAM classes that set it apart from similar franchises.

The magic of Tumbles lies in its longevity. It isn’t just a gym, but a place where local children grow up. Because memberships include unlimited play, families often visit multiple times a week, making the entire staff familiar faces in their lives. This deep connection ensures that as a child outgrows one level, the transition is seamless—like when one of Katie’s Wigglers is ready to move into Mr. Micah’s Ninja Warrior Jr. class, the instructors are already one step ahead, ready to ease each child into their next milestone.

“We’ve seen so many children grow from our infant and toddler classes into independent athletes,” Brody says. “During those parent-participation classes, we get to know the families so well over time. Our instructors truly love what they do, and it shows.”