New outdoor climbing park opens at ICCNE
By Mary Ann Price
Dillon Anderson, 16, tests out one of the trails during Friends & Family Day on Friday, June 1. (Michelle Stark photo)
Molly and Chris ‘Topher’ Kerr have just a few basic rules for guests who choose to spend some time at their place: wear closed-toed shoes, check the fitting of your harness, and secure your carabiner to a life line. Once that is done, visitors are invited to ride a zip line, cross a swinging rope bridge, climb a ladder, and crawl through tubes as they travel along trails that are 10 to 60 feet above ground level.
The Kerrs opened TreeTop Adventures at the Irish Cultural Centre on New Boston Drive in Canton last weekend. TreeTop Adventures, a climbing park set on three acres of land, offers 10 trails marked yellow, green, blue and black in ascending levels of difficulty that allow guests to work their way around the course. The Kerrs took their family to a climbing park several years ago and enjoyed the experience so much that they decided to open one of their own near Boston.
“My wife and I fell in love with the zip line and climbing park concept when we experienced it up in Vermont with our daughters Madeline and Julia,” Topher said. “They were scared, then brave, then exhilarated. They came alive right in front of our eyes.”
Molly said that the couple spent about three years looking for a site that would be accessible to Route 95 and about a 30-minute drive from Boston. After securing a lease from the Irish Cultural Centre, they worked with Swiss alpine mountaineers who designed a course with three yellow trails, four green trails, two blue trails, and one black trail. Construction began in April.
Guests are encouraged to visit the TreeTop Adventures website to make a reservation and complete a liability waiver. Once they arrive at the park, they check in and then spend about 30 minutes with a staff member while securing themselves in a harness, attending a safety and information briefing session, and completing a practice trail. When they reach the end of the practice trail, they head to Tir na nog, a large platform where each trail begins. The trails are named after Irish landmarks, such as the Ring of Kerry, the Giants Causeway and the Burren. Members of the Irish Cultural Centre chose the names. “It’s a great partnership,” Molly said.
Each entrance ticket is good for three hours. After finishing the orientation session, guests have about two and a half hours to climb their way through the park. TreeTop Adventures stresses safety first then fun. The equipment uses a double locking system in which one of the two carabiners on the harnesses is always attached as guests clip on and off the ropes. All staff members have been trained in CPR and first aid. Children must be at least 7 years old and supervised by a parent during their visit. Night lights will be installed this week so that climbers can experience the park on weekend evenings. “Date night,” Molly suggested.
Charlotte Campbell, 7 (Michelle Stark photo)
The park held a soft opening on Friday, July 1, for friends and family of staff members and the sound of clicks filled the air as hundreds of people tested the equipment and the trails. They practiced calling for a staff member during orientation and later called words of encouragement to one another from lofty tree platforms. The park opened to the public on Saturday, July 2.
“Opening Day was just what we’d hoped — climbers happily zipping through the trees on a beautiful day with family and friends,” Molly Kerr wrote in an email. “Our favorite was a little girl who would reach each new platform and exclaim, ‘I did it!’ TreeTop Adventures is all about being challenged, gaining confidence, all while having a tree-mendous time!”
TreeTop Adventures at the Irish Cultural Centre is open Sundays through Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. through Labor Day. The park will close at 8 p.m. on Friday, July 8, and Saturday, July 9, for the installation of the night lights. The park will stay open on weekends from September 6 through November 27. During the fall, group visits may be scheduled during the week and on some holidays. For more information, go to tree-topadventures.com.
Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=33759
Posted by Mary Ann Price
on Jul 7 2016. Filed under Business.
Both comments and pings are currently closed.
