Florida is known for its beaches, springs, vast wetlands, and theme parks. But located in Ocala are these canyons surrounded by luscious vegetation and beautiful blue waters below. The Canyons Zipline and Adventure Park provides the unique opportunity to take in these amazing views from the sky. This has been on my bucket list since I first moved to Florida, and I was so excited for the chance to fly!
They have three different zipline adventures to choose from. The Sky High Tour which is 3 ziplines over Sky High Canyon and Gator Lake. The Treetop Express is 5 ziplines through a Florida forest and two suspension bridge walks. The one that I did was the Big Cliff Canyon Tour, which has 9 ziplines through trees and over large canyons and several lakes. You also get to do 2 sky-high rope bridges and a rappel at the end. My thought was, go big or go home!
It is required that you make a reservation ahead of time. You will receive an email with a link to complete waivers beforehand. The page wouldn't load for me when I clicked the link, so I called them. They said no big deal, just to arrive a little bit earlier and I could complete the form there.
I've been to Ocala several times, to visit the springs and their adorable downtown area. When my friend and I saw the sign for the entrance to the park, both thought, "It's right here?" To the right of it was just a field with no canyons to be seen.
After checking in, we met our guides outside. I suggest using the restroom before getting started with the tour. Our guides were CT and Matt, and they were awesome! They got us all strapped up with gear, and then we headed to do a little training course. Even though I have been ziplining before, I liked that they had you do a mini-training course before getting to the more extensive zips on the tour. They taught you how they want you to break, hand signals, and how to get yourself to the end if you lose momentum and get stuck.
Our first few ziplines were through the trees, starting off with shorter distances and increasing from an initial speed of 5 miles per hour. We got to see, from a bird's eye view, the horseback riding tour winding their way on the trail (Yes! This place has two different riding tours). Our guides were fun, making dad joke remarks about the names of each zipline. The distance and speed increase more rapidly between the third and fourth zipline.
Soon we were ziplining hundreds of feet over canyons!
Finally, we made it to the longest zipline in Florida, which is 1,100 feet long! I said cannonball, and off I went!
There is a photographer at the end of this zip to capture the magnificent moment of you soaring.
We winded down with a few more ziplines and a bridge walk, where you feel suspended in the air.
Ending our adventure with a rappel down from the sky back to the earth. I did end up having a little bit of a practical joke played on me...
We all had a good laugh! Our guides were fantastic at making sure we were safe but also made it a light-hearted and fun experience.
All that adventuring can make you hungry. Just down the road, about 15 minutes, is Downtown Ocala. I have visited here many times. There is an adorable town square surrounded by several restaurants and shops. Since it was the holiday season when we visited, it was all decorated like a Hallmark movie town. We had done our grand zipline adventure on a Monday, and fun fact, many of the restaurants are closed on Mondays in this little downtown.
As we wandered around to find someplace to eat, we happened upon this adorable old candy store called Grandpa Jo's Candy Shop. It had every kind of candy you could think of!!
There was a wall of bottled sodas. Some classic flavors like root beer and Cheerwine, and some unique ones like rose lemonade.
Over by the checkout counter is a case of chocolate treats in whimsical shapes.
Feeling like a kid, we decided to enjoy our desserts before our meal.
We found this quaint coffee shop at the south end of Broadway St called The Gathering Cafe, which fits the trend of a small Hallmark town. I had their holiday special Cookie Chai Latte. It was full of holiday spice and not too sweet. All the food is made fresh every day and tastes homemade. My friend and I had the sandwich and soup combo with their seasonal carrot apple soup. Trust me, it was creamy and delicious.
As I mentioned earlier, I was so excited to check this zipline adventure off my bucket list. It goes to show that every state and place has more to offer than its preconceived notions. And that you can explore a place many times and find something new. Every day is an opportunity for a new adventure!
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