Hey Charlotte residents — Looking for a way to REALLY have some fun (and do something adventurous) on your weekend getaway? Head west to Asheville and to the treetops of Navitat Canopy Adventures! From downtown Asheville, take a quick jaunt north on I-26 West to exit 15, where you’ll find Navitat’s flagship location, the premier zip line canopy tour adventure in the Southeast. From downtown Charlotte to Navitat, it’s an easy 2 to 2.5-hour drive. You can find directions here.
Of all the zip lines in NC (and there are quite a few), Navitat is the only one to have been featured on CNN, in the NY Times, and called “one of the best in the nation!” in USA TODAY. We’re proud of this distinction, and we know this recognition comes as a result of hard work and having the best leadership team and staff in the industry. Partnering with our sister company, Bonsai Design, Inc., (folks who really know how to build a zip line) sure doesn’t hurt, either! Add a bunch of fun into the mix, and we’re sure thankful to be ziplining through the mountains of North Carolina every day.
So Charlotte friends, considering a day trip, weekend getaway, or extended vacation close to home? Plan a trip that includes ziplining near Asheville with Navitat! Just read what travelers are saying about us, browse our website to learn more, and then book your tour. We can’t wait to welcome you to the trees for the area’s only 100% tree-based zip line canopy adventure.
Ziplining through the trees at Navitat Canopy Adventures is a great way to experience Southern Appalachia’s spectacular fall color show each year. Navitat offers a unique perspective of the fall leaves — and because our tree-based adventure combines both a thrilling and educational nature experience, fall is one of our most popular tour seasons!
Throughout the year, tours book up fast… but that’s especially true during the month of October. Check out our new Fall Video to get a glimpse of zipping at Navitat in the fall, and then plan your adventure today!
One of our favorite perks of being in this adventurous business is watching the ways people are drawn together because of the Navitat experience. This is especially true of families. Because folks must weigh at least 90 pounds to participate in our tour, most of the adventure-seekers we welcome are at least 10 years old; the bulk of youngsters are teenagers accompanied by their parents.
It’s a fun scene to watch unfold:
In walks a family, whether on vacation or locals on a day-trip adventure. The parents might be nervously stepping outside of the box with this experience, or maybe they are pro-adventurers… either way, many kids tend to have the same expression pre-tour. The expression says something like, “We’re going ziplining. Sure, it’ll be fun, but I’m not going to act too excited. After all, I’m stuck chillin’ with Mom and Dad.”
But then they meet their Canopy Guides. And get geared-up. And then they head up the mountainside in an all-terrain vehicle. “Maybe this is gonna be fun…”
By the time they’re zipping across the first few ziplines, something awesome happens… they’re smiling. Real smiles. (Yes, teenagers smiling!) Mom and Dad are laughing. Everyone’s learning something new. And it is fun. And suddenly, Mom and Dad are cool again. At least a little.
Navitat Canopy Adventures exists to to provide immersive, engaging and educational nature experiences. We get the pleasure of providing this experience in a thrilling and fun way. While crossing 10 ziplines, 2 bridges, rappelling and hiking, groups experience the beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains and Southern Appalachia’s forests in an entirely new way. And for families, it’s a brand new way to get away for a few hours, reconnect, and cheer each other on. The result is truly (honestly!) life-long memories. You can’t beat that.
For more information, including how to book your Navitat adventure, click here.
And the mascot finally has a name! We recently announced the winner of Navitat’s mascot naming contest, and the honor went to Donna S. Cishek of Arden, N.C. Over 500 people entered, but Donna’s name was too cute to resist. So, without further ado, please welcome our mascot, Chester A. Corn!
For her winning suggestion, Donna will receive a canopy adventure for four and said she plans to make it a family affair by bringing along her daughter, her sister and her niece.
“We’re so excited that our name won,” said Donna. “I’ve bungee-jumped before, but never done zip-lining. It looks like so much fun. And we just love the outdoors.”
Adventure Rope Gear is helping spread the word that Navitat is now open! The outdoor gear store keeps fans up-to-date on new ziplines and other outdoor adventures on their blog, where they recently posted to introduce Navitat.
Navitat is definitely getting noticed! Recently, Navitat was reviewed on TheEconaut.com, a site designed for readers who want to protect our planet while reconnecting with nature. They noted that Navitat “offers a view of the forest that promises to be not only spectacular, but environmentally friendly as well,” and encouraged travelers looking for an “eco-travel treat” to check us out.
Asheville Citizen-Times reporter, John Boyle, brought his family to Navitat last week and survived to the tell the story! Here is what he had to say:
The ziplining Boyle family handled the course with some serious whooping and no major misadventures. From left, Aidan, Grace, Jack and John Boyle. (Special to the Citizen-Times)
John Boyle: Navitat ziplining
was exhilarating, crazy fun
John Boyle • May 13, 2010
I knew if I just kept eating, one day I’d find my sport.
And let me tell you, packing a few extra pounds onthe old zipline really gets the blubber flying.
At the goading of my former boss, Lydia Carrington,who’s now handling some publicity for Navitat Canopy Tours in Barnardsville, the family and I signed up for a Sunday tour. None of us — the wife, Grace, or our two boys, Jack, 12, and Aidan, 10 — had ever done this, but we couldn’t be outdone by that ubiquitous harness-wearing squirrel on all the billboards around town.
So here’s the skinny: In a word, ziplining is magnificent. In three words, it’s a little scary.
I say that partly because zipping through the treetops and soaring over 200-foot drop-offs at 25-30 mph is incredibly fun, partly because I almost went code brown on several zips and found myself emitting a high-pitched girlyman scream.
Before you can whizz through the trees on an exciting Asheville Treetop adventure; the zip lines have to be erected. In this video, owner John Walker explains the process…Ballistics?!! Who knew?
Watch as he fires a line gun, one of the first steps in constructing a zip line. Pretty crazy business! We’re glad this portion of the build is long-since over, as we love the peace and quiet of our home, Moody Cove.
In the next post, learn a little bit more about how and why John selected certain trees to be a part of the Navitat canopy tour experience.
Construction of Navitat Canopy Adventures began during the 2009-2010 winter months. As luck would have it, Western North Carolina experienced one of our harshest winters in years; lots of snow, many bitterly cold days… and through it all, John Walker and the Bonsai Design crew were hard at work. Way to go, guys!
With all the beautiful spring weather we’re now experiencing, it’s hard to believe that it was just a few short months ago when John’s design left the drawing-board and began its life in the trees.
Over the next few posts, you’ll get an inside look at what it takes to build a world-class canopy tour. This is no small under-taking.
Our progress continues! Over the past several months, it’s been non-stop creating, building, improving and anticipating as we get closer to opening day. Now that we’re only a few weeks away from our May 15th opening, most of the ground (and tree) work is finally done!
Here’s what we’ve accomplished recently:
The Welcome Center is nearly completed, with electric and wiring in place.
Our parking area is close to being finished, with just the final grade left to go.
Ken reports that he’s just had some new trees planted around the Welcome Center.
The road that guests will take to the top of the canopy tour is finished! It’s going to be an exciting ride with some beautiful views.
The first half of the canopy tour is completely finished; we’re installing second cables on the remaining half (we operate a dual-cable system), and finishing the platform decking.
The entire staff is so excited to welcome our guests and have them see what we’ve created. As each new part of Navitat is completed, there’s a sense of satisfaction we all share, and it’s sure to get even more exciting when we open our tours to the public. Stay tuned for more progress updates over the next month as we prepare for our big grand opening.
