By Nancy Foster
If you are you a thrill seeker, and testing your mental and physical abilities calls to you, head to the Tampa Bay area for attractions certain to get your adrenaline pumping and push you beyond your comfort zone. Go ahead—try them all!
ZIP LINE THRILLS
Take to the trees at Empower Adventures Tampa Bay, located 16 miles northeast of Clearwater Beach in Oldsmar, where professional guides will put you at ease. Whether or not you’ve experienced zip lines before, you’ll love the Zip Line Canopy Tour. Strap on a harness and work your way through five different courses, varying in length from 400 to 600 feet, as you soar high above the natural expanse of Mobbly Bayou Wilderness Preserve. Test your inner resolve on the Extreme Zip Tour, challenging you to cross the 200-foot Flight of the Osprey Suspension Bridge and conquer the ninja-style obstacle course via rope ladders, swinging logs and free falls. Invest in a GoPro rental to capture your action-packed adventure. Age and weight restrictions apply and reservations are required. Allow two hours minimum. zipontampabay.com
ESCAPE IF YOU CAN
It’s fun, it’s challenging and it’s the sort of adventure that tests your mettle and leaves you with a keen sense of victory—if you can finish. At Tampa Bay Escape Room in downtown Clearwater choose from three rooms with varying levels of difficulty. Get lost in the Cabin in the Woods, be kidnapped by foreign traitors or morph into a music producer guarding a recent talent discovery. Work through the puzzles and games to find your way out by using strategic skills you never realized you had. Don’t worry if you get stuck, game masters will rescue those who become hopelessly stumped. Tampa Bay Escape Room is suitable for ages eight and up. tampabayescaperoom.com
ROCK CLIMBING FUN
A heightened feeling of confidence and a sense of true achievement are takeaways at Vertical Ventures, a 20,000-square-foot state-of-the-art indoor climbing facility located just off I-275 near downtown St. Petersburg. If you’re a newcomer to this challenging fitness experience, invest in the $25 Intro to Belay class taught by seasoned professionals, and learn the basics before testing your resilience on multiple top rope, autobelay and bouldering experiences. If you’re short on time, try the 1-hour Quick Climb! Recommended for ages five and up. verticalventures.com
Vacation packages to the Tampa Bay area are available at allegiant.com.
