Soar Across Zip Lines and Aerial Adventure Parks

1 ZipQuest Waterfall and Treetop Adventure

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Choose between two zip line adventures – one sailing over trees, or a longer waterfall expedition that sails right above the cascades. Riders coast down lines nearly 1,000 feet long and some as high as 80 feet during the two-hour tour. The varied topography includes Carver's Falls, one of the largest waterfalls in North Carolina. For added thrills, try a nighttime ride.

By the numbers: 8 zip lines, 16 tree platforms, 3 suspension bridges, 3 spiral staircases

2 Kersey Valley Zip Line

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The two-and-a-half-hour tour follows an aviation theme with sky decks named for airport city codes, and riders will soar to heights of 100 feet as they fly across the attraction’s corn maze and into the canopy. Kersey Valley garners most of its notoriety during fall, including the Halloween season when guests can also explore the Spookywoods haunted house, one of the country's most famous spooky attractions. Other add-ons include high ropes, escape rooms and lasertag.

By the numbers: 14 zip lines, 10 sky towers, 17 sky decks

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4 Navitat Canopy Adventures

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Maybe you’ve zipped through a treetop canopy before. Ready to up the ante? Near Asheville, Navitat’s premier Mountaintop Tour includes two lines spanning more than half a mile between two mountain peaks. Side-by-side lines allow you to fly with a buddy for moral support (or a little friendly competition).

By the numbers: Treetop Tour: 6 zip lines, 2 stair climbs, 1 rappelling experience; Mountaintop Tour: 3 zip lines, 4 forest trails

6 The Swamp Park

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Your feet are sure to stay dry when you stick to the treetops. And these aren’t just any hardwoods. The Cypress Canopy Zip Line Tour promises an intimate encounter with its swamp trees – some more than 100 years old. Watch for deer, raccoons and even wild boar in the wetlands below.

By the numbers: 10 zip lines, 3 bridges, 1.25+ miles

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9 SKYWILD

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Tickets for the Greensboro Science Center’s high ropes course, SKYWILD, pack quite a value as each pass also includes admission to the entire facility, which combines an aquarium, museum and zoo. And this treetop adventure park traverses above the zoo. You select from three levels of intensity, and embark on any of the dozens of aerial challenges comprising zip lines and ropes courses. Parents or grandparents who’d rather watch from the ground can bring kids ages 10 and up to tackle the course on their own. The center also recently opened FLYWAY, another zip line experience that zooms above Lake Sloan at Country Park.

By the numbers: 60 aerial challenges, 45 feet high, 2 hours

11 US National Whitewater Center

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This home to the world’s largest human-made whitewater river serves up more than paddling fun. Cable bridges, ropes courses and zip lines round out the adrenaline-pumping offerings. You can glide down some of the lines after dark or book tickets for a Zip line and Dine event, featuring local sips and bites.

By the numbers: 2 longest zip lines reaching 1,000+ feet

12 The Gorge

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Set in the stunning Green River Gorge, The Gorge is a 3.5-hour adventure that crosses protected game lands and old-growth forests in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It features one of the steepest zip lines in the US at 1,100 vertical feet. On clear days, flyers can see all the way up to Linville Gorge, Lake James and even Grandfather Mountain located two hours away. Green River Adventures, The Gorge's sister company, offers guided inflatable kayak trips, whitewater kayak instruction and waterfall adventures.

By the numbers: 11 zip lines, 3 rappels, 1 sky bridge, 1.25 miles