High Gravity FAQs

You've Got Questions, We Have Answers

Reservations are *highly* recommended so you don't miss out.  Popular adventure times do sell out!  Or, on the flipside, if it's a bad weather day or things are just slow we may end up closing early!

If you are looking to book a group adventure of 10 or more participants, to claim a group discount you must reserve AT LEAST 24 hours in advance.  Email [email protected] to get this conversation started.

AGE:

Ages 4-6 can enjoy access to our Foothills Adventure Park when accompanied by a ticketed adult.  Ages 7+ meeting minimum reach requirements can explore on their own.

Ages 7+ who meet additional requirements for height, reach, and weight can enjoy access to our Zip Line TourBlue Ridge Adventure Park, and Giant Swing when accompanied by an Adult. 

Ages 11+ who meet additional requirements for height, reach, and weight can enjoy access to the Zip Line Tour, Blue Ridge Course, and Giant Swing on their own.

HEIGHT:

Foothills Adventure Park explorers must be able to reach a minimum height of 63 inches or otherwise be accompanied by someone who can.

Blue Ridge Adventure Park Explorers must be able to reach a minimum height of 73 inches or be accompanied by a guest who can.

Giant Swing riders must be at least 48 inches tall.

WEIGHT:

There is no minimum weight for the Giant Swing, Foothills, or Blue Ridge Adventure Parks.  

The minimum weight to participate in our Zip Line Tour is 75 lbs.

The maximum weight for all activities is 265 lbs. (120 kg).

Great question.  Every person who is going to get in the air will need to fill out our digital waiver before entering the course. Once you make your reservation, you will receive a confirmation email with your waiver link.  Fill those waivers out digitally before your arrival and we will be good to go.  There is no printing with our digital waiver.  Once you click "Submit", we should have it in our system!

All guests under 18 will need their legal guardian (mom or dad) to sign their waiver before getting in the air.  Anyone 18 years or older must fill out their own waiver.  No one will be able to climb into the air without this waiver completed.

If you are unable to complete your waiver ahead of time, make sure you arrive for your reservation a few minutes early and we'll have a waiver station available for you to fill it out on-site.

All activities at height come with inherent risks.  Without these integral risks, the activity would lose its value and appeal.  With that said, the owners and staff of High Gravity Adventures pride themselves on adhering to industry leading standards for construction, inspection, equipment and staff training. (For more on standards for our industry visit: acctinfo.org). 

HGA was built by Challenge Towers, an ACCT accredited vendor, which has been building aerial structures for over 20 years.  Find out more on the Challenge Towers website.

Before participating, each participating guest will be required to sign a waiver that explains the risks and guidelines for a trip through our park. Each guest will also be given an aerial orientation from trained staff before getting in the air.  We refer to this orientation as "Ground School".  In Ground School, each guest will be introduced to equipment and course procedures from the ground.  This orientation will help set up each guests' aerial experience for success.

Call us with any questions you may have about the experience.  828.266.0176

Your cameras and phones are definitely encouraged for use from the ground, our basecamp observation deck and surrounding green space, but are not to be used in the air.  In fact, your pockets must be emptied before you harness up and start ground school. This policy is in place for the safety of all those on the ground.  

If you have a Go Pro chesty harness or a helmet strap mount (NOT a sticky mount) you will be allowed to take your GoPro on adventures with you.

OR you can take advantage of our own Photo System where we can provide you with videos and photos of your adventures!

When you make a reservation, we ensure that space is available at the time of your booking. While all tickets are NON-REFUNDABLE, we understand that plans change. That’s why tickets may be transferred to a different date or time by contacting us at least 24hrs prior to the start of your scheduled activity. This transfer credit can be used to rebook your adventure in the future with no blackout dates or expiration. See our full cancellation policy for more information.

We want you to provide you with adventure, but we'll always keep the safety of our guests and staff top of mind.

There's no real black and white line when it comes to weather.  Some of the things that we need to evaluate include temperature, wind gusts, ice, visibility, and lightning.  Sometimes we need to think about more than one of these factors affecting operations at once.  The Shift Supervisor's goal in making weather calls is to minimize risks the best we can, and this is a short and simplified explanation of how we do it.

RAIN

The best thing about being human (and not a snowman) is that we don't melt in the rain!  Rain does not interfere with your adventure as long as we have visibility and it's not too cold out.  If we have a day-long downpour and no one seems to be up for the challenge (no reservations on the calendar) we will close up early.

LIGHTNING

If we have lightning nearby, we will cease operations and get everyone back down to the ground and inside shelter.  Typically a storm will come and go quickly and we'll be able to get everyone back up and having fun.

The Zip Line Tour is a 2 hour long experience, and it's less easy to exit and get inside shelter once you've started the tour.  For this reason we have to be a bit more generous when making our zip line tour weather calls to make sure we don't get caught high up in a tree during the storm.

VISIBILITY

To be able to run a successful aerial adventure operation and minimize risks to the best of our ability, we need to be able to see what's happening out there.  If we have walls of rain coming down on us or if there is dense fog out that significantly reduces visibility we will have to hold off on any adventures.

WIND

There are many different reasons wind can cause concern.  High sustained winds or wind gusts can be a problem and is one of the factors we need to pay attention to when making weather calls. 

TEMPERATURE

We can't risk frostbite!  If the temps are getting frigid out there, we'll close up shop for the day and wait for things to thaw.

ICE

Ice can interfere with critical functions of our course & equipment.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE CALL OFF OPERATIONS DURING YOUR RESERVATION?

We'll typically wait a bit to see if the weather turns so we can get you back out there.  This happens all the time with early summertime pop-up thunderstorms!  We'll have some games for you to play while you're waiting around, and the time will pass quickly.

If that doesn't work, we'll:

A) Rebook your adventure for a time later that day or week; or

B) Send you home with a voucher to come back and claim your adventure any other time we're open!

Additional information on our weather policy.

Yes. We are equipped with a water fountain to refill your personal water bottles. We also have Pepsi products, bottled water, Vitamin Water, and other drinks available for purchase from our drink cooler.

As far as snacks go, we have a selection of energy bars, chips, and other local provisions to keep your energy level high.  If you want something more substantial we recommend you bring in lunch or dinner with you- we have picnic tables where you are welcome to take a break and enjoy what you brought!

Yes!  Observers can walk around the course and enjoy some picnic tables under the shade trees.  We want everyone to see the fun and challenges that await those who enter our aerial adventure park.  There is the (very) occasional special event where an entry fee is charged.

Observers won't be able to see most of the Zip Line Tour specifically, but will be able to see the last line of the tour and will also be able to see the free-fall!

Before You Arrive 

Make sure to complete a waiver for each member of your party, remove rings and other delicate or dangly jewelry, and empty your pockets. We have small lockers for use at no charge to store a limited number of personal belongings. 


On Arrival 

Show up at or before your reservation time. We cannot guarantee reservations for guests arriving late. Upon check-in, you will be issued a wristband and provided additional information about your experience before heading to Gear Up. Take our word for it. You can't use the bathroom while wearing a harness. Make sure you use the bathroom before gearing up.


Gear Up 

Get outfitted with a full-body harness, helmet, and other equipment essential to your adventure. HGA staff will instruct you on your harness and helmet's proper fit and feel and complete a hands-on check to ensure that all straps and buckles are adequately adjusted. Once Gear Up is complete, you are ready for Ground School. 


Ground School

We tell you everything you need to know about your adventure and give you the chance to learn and practice key skills related to your experience. Expect Ground School to take 10-15 minutes for the High Altitude Zip Line Tour and 20-25 Minutes for the Blue Ridge and Foot Hills Parks

*Note: Ground School is not required for Giant Swing only tickets.


High Altitude Zip Line Tour & Freefall

The zip line adventure tour starts at a hidden treehouse and lasts approximately 2 hours. Your lead and sweep guides will be with you every step of the way, managing braking and belay transfers so you can sit back and enjoy the experience. The final zip line stretches 1,000ft and lands on the Dropzone Deck high above the Blue Ridge Park. To get down, take the heart-pumping 70ft plunge in the Dropzone, a simulated freefall through the center of the Adventure Park. Does a simulated freefall not sound like your cup of tea? No problem, we have a slow rappel option for that.


Blue Ridge Park

You will have three hours to explore three levels of nets, bridges, and challenges that get more difficult the higher you go. Test your nerve on one of our climbing stations, and rappel from the top-level from one of our rappel stations. Take as many breaks as you need until your time is up. Children 7+ who cannot reach the belay cables must be accompanied by a ticketed guest who can assist them with the belay system. 


Foothills Park and Zip Lines

You will have two hours to explore this single-level park adjacent to the observation deck. It has been purpose-built for young adventurers, sitting only 15ft high and using an always-on continuous belay system. Young explorers will traverse bridges and other challenges and soar across three mini zip lines. Take as many passes as you want during the allowed time. Some children may require assistance from a ticketed guest.  


Giant Swing

We dare you not to scream as you succumb to gravity on the three-person Giant Swing. Pick your partners, then pick your drop height up to 45ft. Pull the ripcord for a scream-inducing drop that will leave you wanting more. That's why we give you two swings per ticket. You're welcome. 

Comfortable, active clothing is recommended for your time in the air. Each guest will be moving around the aerial adventure park course in a full-body harness.  This means that guests will want to wear pants or longer shorts and full coverage shirts to ensure the most comfort while in the full-body harness. (You will be active while in the air and you will want to wear the kind of clothing that will allow you to move with the most comfort and coverage possible.)

We do require closed toed shoes.  This means no sandals or slip-ons.

We also need any long hair secured in low pony-tails.

Loose jewelry is not allowed in the air.  We don't want it to get caught on anything! 

We require pockets to be empty.  You can't take anything in the air with you that could potentially drop on someone below, even if you think it's secure in a zipper pocket.  Zippers come undone sometimes!

We will provide you with leading technology for the aerial world. For an experience on our Zip Line TourBlue Ridge Course, or Foothills Course, you will be given a helmet, a full body harness, and a set of smart belay personal safety tethers.  For an experience on our Giant Swing, you will be given a helmet and a full body harness.  These items will be used to keep you connected to the course and swing lifelines.

No experience with this type of gear is necessary for admission into High Gravity Adventures. If you are going to be a participant on our course, our staff will provide a course orientation to each of you each time you visit. This course orientation, or "Ground School", will instruct you on how to wear and use each piece of equipment before you go up on the course.

We strive to offer a wide range of challenging experiences suitable for most guests ages 4+.

The Foothills Park is purpose-built for children and designed to promote success. Everything, including the level of challenge, has been scaled for younger guests. We keep it all on a single level, close to the ground, and within sight of the observation deck.

The Blue Ridge Park steps things up with 65+ challenges across three levels. While each level has a mixture of easier and more challenging terrain, the difficulty level generally increases the higher you climb.

On the Giant Swing, you can choose the drop point anywhere between 10 and 45 feet.

Minors must be under the supervision of an adult while visiting High Gravity Adventures.

Children who can reach the belay cable in the Blue Ridge Adventure Park and Foothills Parks, in addition to meeting participation requirements for age and weight, are free to explore independently. If your child cannot reach the belay cable, they will need to be accompanied by another ticketed guest who can assist them.

Children ages 7 to 10 years old must be accompanied by a ticket-holding adult while in the Blue Ridge Park and on the High Altitude Zip Line Tour and Freefall.

To be on-site alone, you must be at least 14 years old.

It depends on the activity.  You can:

  • Choose to do it ALL with the Ultimate Adventure and you can expect to spend anywhere between 4-6 hours at HGA.  The Zip Line tour is a fixed start & finish and with other activities, you can choose how much time to spend up to 3-hours.
  • Choose to do just the Zip Line Tour and expect to spend about 2 hours from start to finish. Time will vary depending on how many people are booked on your tour.
  • Choose to do just the Blue Ridge Adventure Park and expect to spend up to 3-hours.
  • Choose to do just the Foothills Adventure Park and expect to spend up to 2-hours.
  • Choose to do just the Giant Swing and expect to spend around 30 minutes.  Time can vary based on how busy we are.

We share a parking lot with and are located next to Tweetsie Railroad in the mountains of North Carolina.  This is just off of Highway 321 conveniently between Boone & Blowing Rock!  Call us if you're having trouble finding us: 828.386.6222.

215 Tweetsie Railroad Ln

Blowing Rock, NC 28605

Find us on a map via our location page.

We share Tweetsie Railroad's very large parking lot.  Most days parking is free, but please note there are one or two days during the season where all Tweetsie Railroad & High Gravity Adventures guests will be charged for parking.

At this time, pets are not allowed at High Gravity Adventures.  

We're glad you asked.  The High Country is full of fun!   

Our neighbors include Tweetsie RailroadMystery Hill, and Doc's Rocks Gem Mine- definitely all stops that should be added to your agenda!

We also have area maps on-site and a sheet full of dining, hiking and exploring options that come directly from our HGA team.  Just ask the front desk!