Are your kids climbing the walls? We can’t recommend enough sending them into the trees instead. On a warm September afternoon, I took my daughter (4.5) and nephew (nearly 8) to the TreeRunner Adventure Park. The kids had a blast and fell asleep on the way home, a hallmark of a successful afternoon.
Located on the David R. Khan Jewish Community Campus in North Raleigh, this aerial adventure course offers more than 70 obstacles, ropes courses, and ziplines for all ages (4+) and difficulty levels. Kids on the larger courses do need an adult to supervise them in the trees, but if you’re anything like me, it’s an added bonus, not to mention a decent workout.
You begin with employees helping to get you and your kiddos into full-body harnesses equipped with sanitized equipment that has been triple checked for safety. All employees and climbers were masked while we were there. We were walked over to the junior park where they explained how the equipment worked and what we need to do to move from one course to the next. The junior park demo was pretty quick whereas the main aerial courses had a proper orientation equipped with low-to-the-ground practice runs so participants can master the equipment.
I spent the afternoon in the junior park with my daughter. This area is roped off for kids aged 4-7, is only a couple feet off the ground and a great introduction for the little ones. I was able to guide my daughter through the challenges from solid ground while she challenged herself on the different elements and ultimately spent an hour going back and forth on the same couple of ziplines. For the two hours we were there, we had the junior park entirely to ourselves. I was so impressed at her fearlessness to step off a platform and zipline from one tree to the next and the pride she felt shone brightly through her eyes.
My nephew, an avid ninja warrior fan, is very athletic. He enjoyed the junior park for about 10 minutes but then he wanted up. He and my sister went up to the main courses, color-coded for difficulty, and easily filled 2 hours tackling the different challenges. He recommends starting with the pink course, the easiest of the aerial challenges, to acclimate yourself to being up in the trees before you and your kiddos level up.
While we were there, they were also setting up for Halloween with fun and spooky decorations and lights. From October 3-31, they will be hosting Hallowglow Glow Nights for ages 7+ which I know my nephew would love, not to mention a fun date night idea. Some staff joked with us that the skeletons decorating the course will be getting nametags for staff members that have moved on. They may be less helpful but they add a lot to the Halloween ambiance.
The afternoon we went, it was pretty crowded but the beauty of an aerial park is that social distancing is built in. Only one participant is allowed on an element at a time and a maximum of two people on a platform (you and your kiddo). The staff is very helpful and communicative and the tree cover shields from those hot North Carolina days! The bathrooms were clean but definitely had that forest feel. They can be found right around the corner from the ticket office. I would also highly recommend tying up long hair and leaving the short shorts at home as they are less than friendly with the harness.
My kids had a blast that afternoon and I’m certain yours will too. Book your experience today!
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