For adventurous families, some adrenaline-pumping activities are pivotal highlights that are looked forward to with great anticipation in every holiday. To have a successful and memorable holiday that every member will enjoy, planning and deciding on the destination is always a little bit tricky. For multigenerational families with active kids and daring elderlies, the task is even more challenging. One escapade that thrill-seeking families can consider is treetop adventure.
Treetop Adventures…. What is that?
These are ecologically wholesome, yet exhilarating activities that adventure parks with a lush forest (such as a tropical rain forest) offer to people. With the unique setting, these parks offer a variety of “mechanisms” to allow the adventurers to see, enjoy and experience the forest canopy. There are “soft adventure” features that are mild or sedate enough even for kids or elderly, just as there are courses or ways to give canopy walks and zip lines a more daring approach.
These activities are called by many names, but most share a common concept, which is to have a group or circuit of platforms or zip decks mounted on high features and joined by as Tarzan swings, flying skateboards, rope bridges, and zip lines. Thrill-seekers zip or walk from one platform to another or from tree to tree to get that view from the canopy level using these features.
Finding your Treetop Adventure Park
With the growing popularity of treetop adventures, finding a park for multigenerational families is no longer as difficult. Karon Warren writing for Family Vacation Critic says …
Family vacations provide great opportunities to come together and create lasting memories. For some truly memorable escapades, why not take to the air and test your sense of adventure? With zip lines, rope courses, sky bridges and freefall towers, your options for going above and beyond are endless. To help you rise to the occasion, we share some of the best treetop adventures around the country. Which one will take you and your family to new heights?
To answer that question, Warren offers her readers 10 Best Treetop Adventures. Find one for your next family adventure from the list. Audacity and rudeness
- Historic Banning Mills, Whitesburg, GA: The Guinness World Records in November 2012 named this park the “longest and largest zip line canopy tour course…” The platforms are connected by sky bridges and ropes. Every member of the family can zip having no restrictions on age, but make sure your weight will not exceed the set limits.
- ArborTrek Canopy Adventures, Jeffersonville, VT: The ride for thrill seekers ages 8 and older is “intertwined with local ecology and natural history for the area…” At ArborTrek Canopy Adventures you get to enjoy eight zip lines with two suspension bridges and two rappels that take about two and a half to three hours to complete.
- Adventures on the Gorge, Lansing, W.V.: Suitable for kids 7 years and older, this park offers a fabulous view of the New River Gorge. There is the TimberTrek Aerial Adventure Park with and the New River Gorge Bridge Walk with the 24-inch-wide catwalk as well as other outdoor activities.
- Monkey Trunks Extreme Aerial Adventure, New England: The Park boasts of three locations with courses and eight zip lines that offer amazing panoramas of the area. The courses are ideal for all ages.
- Cypress Valley Canopy Tours, Spicewood, TX: The course that runs on top of the cypress trees takes about 90 minutes to two hours to complete. There are two sky bridges and seven zip lines that end by rappelling off the last zip deck. There is even a private lake where guests can take a dip or take its lake zip line and rope swing.
The rest of the list includes:
- TreeTop Quest, Buford in Georgia has six geared for kids 7 and older. It has bridges and nets in various patterns.
- Tree Frog Canopy Tours, Glenmont in Ohio offers seven zip lines for adventurers 10 years and older. This takes about three hours to complete.
- Mammoth Cave Adventures, Cave City in Kentucky has two different courses overlooking the beautiful countryside. The first offers five zip lines, ideal for the elderlies, and the second has four zip lines that are perfect for children.
- Treetop Adventure Park, Tahoe City in California offers diverse courses in terms of difficulty and height. Kids as young as 5 years old are welcome.
- Honoli’i Mountain Outpost, Hilo in Hawaii provides eight-line course over the canopies of rainforests. Children are welcome here; there numerous other ways to enjoy this park.
Most of these treetop adventuring parks offer more than just zip lines and canopy walks. For the members afraid of heights, these activities offer a fun way to overcome your fear. If kids can, so can you. Happy zip lining!