Hey Atlantans! Get out of the city and head for the hills – to the Blue Ridge Mountains of Asheville, NC, a short (and scenic) 200 mile drive from home.
When you get here, you’ll want to make sure you see our beautiful mountain home from every possible angle, so be sure to join us in the trees to zipline at Navitat Canopy Adventures. Located just 20 minutes from beautiful downtown, Navitat’s home — Moody Cove — is a special place. Here, you’ll find an adventure tour nestled seamlessly into the natural environment. As many have said, it just seems like it “belongs here.” Hidden among 242-acres of wilderness, you’ll feel worlds away from the hustle and bustle of life in busy Atlanta.
Why is Asheville the perfect destination (and Navitat the perfect adventure) for our friends from Atlanta? Because our cities are in the midst of a blossoming love affair. It’s true!
Last year, the folks over at the Asheville Convention & Visitors Bureau (you know them online as the awesome www.exploreasheville.com) even brought Asheville to Atlanta with their clever “30 Days of Asheville” campaign. The CVB, with the help of Asheville residents, took to the road to share a taste of Asheville with you, our friends just a little further south. From fabulous food and brew, to art, music and incredible outdoor adventure offerings, Asheville has it goin’ on (if we do say so ourselves).
So Atlanta, Georgia residents: Make your way to Asheville, North Carolina. The Paris of the South. You’ve just gotta experience this place firsthand. And then, find your way just a little further north to Navitat Canopy Adventures, the area’s only zipline canopy tour featured on CNN, in The New York Times, and called “one of the best in the nation” in USA TODAY. In true southern hospitality, the trees will welcome you. We promise.
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.
Suddenly, Mom and Dad are cool again.
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.
Navitat recently invited folks from the local hospitality industry to visit us and experience our tour for the first time. It was so fun to see local Bed and Breakfast owners, hotel managers, and their staff get together for an adventure in the trees. We’ve gotten a lot of great feedback from these folks. Here, just a few of the highlights:
“You guys have done a wonderful job setting up the course. Lots of thought and nice touches. The guides were also first rate (as well as the rest of the staff) and I could see that the rest of my group was also having a great time.”
“I just wanted to thank you for an amazing and exhilarating experience for all of us. Who would have thought that a lady who is normally running around in heels would love it…I was STOKED! I want to commend your staff for their professionalism. We all had a sense of the safety-first factor they were constantly aware of and using. I felt safe and in good hands at all times. We will not hesitate to recommend Navitat to all our guests, family and friends.”
“We’re deeply impressed with the safety and quality of the experience, and especially thought the guides were knowledgeable, professional and calm (that’s a nice quality when your own heart is pumping a zillion beats a minute!).”
As we head into Fall, all area authorities have announced that this year, it’s shaping up to be an amazing, colorful fall season. The weather and other conditions have come together just right to ensure a brightly colored haven of crisp autumn leaves, and since this is Navitat’s first fall, the excitement in the air is palpable. Most people consider leaf season to run from October through the second week of November, although it can run longer or shorter. To all the zipline enthusiasts looking forward to taking advantage of the leaf season tours, that means it’s time to make your plans!
With the recent national exposure and positive reviews we’ve been receiving, Navitat has definitely seen an increase in reservations. While we still have room for many more new visitors, certain days and times have filled up, so it is best to plan upcoming fall visits soon. After all, once the leaves drop, there won’t be another leaf season for 12 months – and there will never be another “first” leaf season at Navitat.
If leaf season does seem like it may pass you by, however, there are still lots of great reasons to experience the Navitat adventure during November, our final month of the 2010 season. Some people plan to time their visit for just after leaf season, when all the leaves have dropped to the ground to crinkle underfoot. With the empty treetops, visitors will have a sensation of being even higher up than normal, and a chance to experience a unique view of the forest and surrounding areas.
Whether your goal is to view the colorful leaf season, experience the biggest thrills, or simply to check out a treetop adventure for the first time, this fall is great time to do it! We’re looking forward to seeing you at Navitat!
In the outdoor adventure industry, canopy tour is still a very loosely defined term that can be used to describe all sorts of courses. At Navitat, we consider ourselves a true canopy tour because guests aren’t just ziplining high above the ground, they’re doing it in a way that is truly canopy based. We haven’t just built towers and platforms in a parking lot, and erected telephone poles to hold our cables. In fact, that couldn’t be further from the Navitat experience. Instead, Navitat’s guests are treated to a well thought out course that’s seamlessly intertwined in its remote wilderness setting. Comparatively speaking, we’re unique in that we’re an excursion into an area of untouched wilderness. Your zipline views won’t include office buildings; instead, they’ll include the lush flora and fauna that Western North Carolina is known for.
The length and depth of the Navitat course also set us apart from other canopy tours. It takes a solid half day to complete our tour, during which time you’ll travel over 5,700 feet of cable. Our platforms are built into existing trees, and you often can’t see from one platform to the next, which means you’re not exactly sure where you’re headed as you zip off over the trees. That aura of possibility and mystery adds to the excitement of the tour, and is one of the things we love about our course. Because it was designed using the natural corridors of the forest, you can truly experience the vast area of Moody Cove the way it was meant to be seen.
Below, Abby Burt tells you more about canopy tours vs. zip lines, and some Navitat specifics!
There are some obvious things that people love about the Navitat experience. The speed, the views, the awesome adrenaline rush, the trees. We, of course, love that Navitat delivers all of these “big” things to our guests, but we also find a great deal of joy in the small surprises guests may not expect.
The “little” things of Moody Cove are awe-inspiring, too. Southern Appalachia is one of the most biologically diverse regions in the world. As such, the variety of plant, animal, and insect life is incredible.
We find that the little things in our forest home (insects, birds, tiny plants) are often the most complex and exciting discoveries. And typically, the most over-looked.
While it’s always great to see a bear or deer while on tour, or maybe watch a Barred Owl perch in a tree nearby, we hope that folks also keep eyes open for the tiniest forest dwellers that call our mountain cove home. Pretty awesome, indeed.
One of our favorite finds, the Hickory Horned Devil
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Most of our Navitat guests aren’t shy about sharing their opinions, and we love the feedback! Our Facebook Page is one great place to check out guest comments. Guests also sometimes choose to complete one of our exit surveys at the reception desk after their tour. In addition to sharing great general info with us, these surveys help us capture guests’ thoughts just after their tour experience.
Here are just a few of our favorites!
“I smiled so much my cheeks hurt!” – JoAnn Fekany, August 7
“Weather was rainy (beautiful!) The whole experience was GREAT! Loved the rain forest effect. The guides were very knowledgeable and helpful. Fun and very safe!” – Tony, May 31
“I felt like I was flying!” – Erin Biggs, August 13
“Not only was this trip a one of a kind experience, your guides David and Jeff were informative and explained the habitat and some of the company’s history – they were above excellent! I can honestly say that everything we did was fantastic! Your people absolutely made the difference!! When someone loves what they do, it shows!” – John MacIntyre, June 7
“A great variety of activities and being in the forest: climbing ladders, rappeling, zipping, it was a zippy-dee-doo-dah time!” – Jonathan Sleger, June 14
“It was all great – right up there as the best adventure of my life!” – Jan Wilcox, June 5
Have you experienced a Navitat adventure with us? Tell us about your experience by commenting on this blog or posting on our Facebook page!
So far, we’ve been really lucky to have had great weather at Navitat during our first year. To us, that doesn’t mean a completely dry season; since our tours go on rain or shine, we don’t judge the weather based on a little water. Instead, it takes lightening or high winds to qualify as bad weather and have us shut down a tour.
Sometimes, people are surprised that we’ll still take tours out during the rain. At this time of year, we’re not getting cold, driving rains that last all afternoon. Instead, we might get a few showers of pleasantly cool rain that feel refreshing compared to the heat of the day. We always tell people to dress for the current weather, but bring a few changes of clothes and other options in the car with them. You never know when the weather might change, or be totally different in two locations as close as Asheville and Moody Cove.
When it’s raining, most of us sit inside. If our goal at Navitat is to help people experience nature in new and different ways, then getting out in the rain is a great way to experience something new and view nature through a new lens. Watching the smiles on the faces of guests who have joined us on rainy days proves that zipping Navitat is certainly worth experiencing in (almost) all types of weather.
