A growing number of travelers are putting some zip into their vacations by checking out the aerial adventures of zipline and ropes courses… soaring through the trees and looking down on the world from above. Here’s a line on a few of our favorites:
Cypress Valley Canopy Tours (Spicewood, TX; outside Austin) — A place of adventure, nature, fun, and relaxation. Soar through the trees, harnessed in climbing gear, for an exciting look at Texas Hill Country nature from a completely new perspective. Guides escort you on an individual, group, company, or family adventure where you will have your adrenaline rush as you learn about the local ecology from a bird’s eye view. The canopy tour includes five ziplines, two sky bridges and a rappel, and lasts from 90 minutes to two hours. The longest line is over 350 feet and most launch and land in platforms up to 40 feet high in the trees. At the first platform, your guides will help you acclimate to the heights and point out some of the things you’ll be seeing on your tour. From there, you and your guides are free to fly through the canopy, taking in the beauty and exhilaration of soaring through the trees.
Dollywood SkyZip (Pigeon Forge, TN; outside Gatlinburg) – You can add a special zip to your visit with Dollywood’s first premium adventure, SkyZip. Fly like an eagle over Dollywood and experience the majesty of the Great Smoky Mountains as you’ve never seen them before. Be a pioneer in the sky as you explore the first multiple station zip-line attraction to open in a theme park. Your SkyZip adventure includes experiencing up to four treks ranging in length from 700 to nearly 1,000 feet. Plus teeter above the treetops on a 100-foot-long swinging bridge. Each tour offers a distinctive point of view as you venture from point to point on an elevated and inclined wire high above the ground.
Slotzilla at Fremont Street Experience (Las Vegas) – If you think Vegas can’t get any more thrilling, think again. Imagine soaring quickly through the air past neon signs and classic hotels under the world’s largest canopy and light show on the Fremont Street Experience while giving air-fives to the pedestrians below. That’s Slotzilla, a 12-story slot machine in the middle of the street. Starting at the east side of the Fremont Street Experience, the Slotzilla zip line is 77 feet high and 850 feet long. A zoom line that’s 114 feet high and launches riders in a horizontal position, as if they are Superman, flying 1,700 feet — the entire length of the Fremont Street canopy – at speeds faster than 35 miles per hour.
Tree to Tree Aerial Adventure Park (Gaston, OR; outside Portland) — Challenge yourself on a series of six obstacle courses set high up in the trees. Each self-guided course contains a sequence of obstacles (more than 60 altogether) and zip lines (16 in total), but you must cross the obstacles to get to the zips. Obstacles include wobbly bridges, tight ropes, balance beams, Tarzan swings and much, much more! You’ll start on our beginner level courses which are relatively stable and closer to the ground. As your confidence increases, you can move up to the higher level courses where things get more wobbly and a whole lot more interesting! Come test your limits, and see how far you will go. There’s also a Zip Line Canopy Tour, which includes a zip bridge and a series of five “super zips” (the longest is nearly 1/4 mile long). You’ll also face a 40’ rappel in the middle of your soaring adventure. (See video below.)
Voiles en Voiles (Montreal) – The immersive world of Voiles en Voiles takes place in the world of royal boats and pirate ships of the 18th century. There are 61 different obstacles in seven different adventure courses, suitable for all age groups, ranging from the 2-foot-high Escape Octopus for young children to the 35-foot extreme Mission Barbarossa and two expert courses, Mosses and Sabotage Mission. No matter whether you’re looking for adrenaline, to overcome your fears of heights or simply quality time with family or friends, Voiles en Voiles offers a whole range of activities to entertain kids and adults.
Zipline Hilton Head – This two-hour canopy tour eco-adventure thru the majestic live oaks and pines looks out on the water, boats and marshes of beautiful Hilton Head. You’ll soar on eight ziplines to a height of 75 feet and swing on swaying bridges and an aerial staircase, all interconnected by platforms and trees, leading to your dual-cable zipline finale, where 2 people race side-by-side for 900 feet to the finish line. At Aerial Adventure Hilton Head, you can enjoy 50 in-the-tree challenge activities on six courses ranging from easy to hard as you cross swinging bridges, zip on a skateboard zipline, jump through hoops and climb many invigorating obstacles – some with fun Hilton Head themes of beach, boats, gators, water and more. It’s self-guided, and you’re harnessed and helmeted. The best news is, it’s for ages 5 plus!
To plan a high-flying trip to any of our soaring destinations, drop us a line at [email protected] or visit www.takethreenights.com. To learn more, and to receive information about travel specials and all our terrific getaways, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.