I was not overly pleased when I saw the price of a three-hour high ropes obstacle course – more than $200 for our group of two adults and two kids ($63/adult, $43/kid over 7 years-old). TreeHoppers, about an hour away from our suburban Tampa home, had to be impressive for me to forget about the dent it made to my debit card.
It was.
The Good
The process begins with buying tickets at a pre-determined day and time span on a easy-to-use website. When you select the specifics of your visit, the site lists the amount of tickets yet available on your selected day – a nice way to plan for the number of climbers you’d expect when visiting.
The staff at TreeHoppers was great – ushering climbers through the waiver signature process, equipment fitting, a quick walk-through, and safety/training demonstration. The pre-climbing process takes approximately thirty minutes in all. Insider tip: everyone should go to the bathroom BEFORE putting the climbing harness on – no exceptions.
Once your group is trained and ready, I found TreeHoppers ropes courses to provide appropriate challenges for anyone – adults to teens to my own 7 year-old daughter, Emersyn. My 10 year-old son climbed the highest courses with the big kids while Emersyn stuck to the easier “yellow” courses. She did have issues reaching some of the ropes along the way – the only part of courses that would give littles ones trouble (kids must be 7 to climb the big courses).
Away from the elevated ropes courses, there were several picnic tables in the shade as well as a snack bar – all great spots to enjoy a break from the sun and climbing. Insider tip: coolers with outside food are allowed into TreeHoppers so save some money and BYOF.
We were always safe and felt the system of cables that get climbers tethered to the network of ropes was easy for the kids to negotiate – no constant, ‘Dad, will you help me?’ requests.
The Bad
As far as climbing goes, once you begin a course, there is no tapping out. So, if your kid wants to start at aggressive course, be sure they are capable of completing it. While it is possible to call staff to disconnect your safety guide to return to the ground, those instances require care that is a pain for climber, staff, and those around. Additionally, if the pace of others is slow, there is no way around waiting at an “element” while those in front of your traverse forward. There is no skipping ahead.
I did come around to thinking the price of admission was worth it, but the fees charged to book online were heavy – making the $5 discount for booking online less meaningful. I feel like there should be a “family of four” or group discount – making the ropes course more accessible to a wider audience.
We climbed during a nice day, but make sure to watch the weather as you plan to book. TreeHoppers is (duh) outdoors and subject to the unpredictable Florida weather – pop-up thunderstorms and oppressive heat from June to September.
Staff did mentioned that lightning would shut down the course and your time would be extended accordingly, but I am unsure what the policy is for a full wash-out rainstorm during your pre-purchased date and time (?). The canopy of trees might provide protection from the rain, however, I’d suggest looking at the forecast prior to spending the money on a date.
The Summary
My overall impression of TreeHoppers in Dade City, Florida was two thumbs up – a solid use of an afternoon outside with the kids and without any technology. While a bit pricey (over $200 for a family of four), the courses will entertain kids from 7 to older teens (and adults). Note: there is a free “Little Lemurs” course for children under 7 – this is a non-supervised series of small obstacles for the little ones. Parents must supervise their own Little Lemur.
So, if you’re in the greater Tampa Bay area, give TreeHoppers a try – your crew will have enough fun to allow you to forget about the short-term dent to your wallet. Maybe.
