The kids were off from school on Election Day so I took them to The Adventure Park in Bridgeport for some outdoor family fun! We had never been there, so it was a new adventure for all three of us!
Where is it?
The Adventure Park is located behind The Discovery Museum right on Park Ave in Bridgeport (about 30-40 minutes from the Greater Danbury area). It sits on 5 acres of trees and contains 13 trails to explore at varying levels of difficulty. When we arrived, we walked down the gravel pathway and followed the clearly marked signs and checked-in to our reservation at the snack booth which felt right smack in the middle of the woods! Right away I noticed the fire pit going with people gathered around making s’mores! That coupled with the fall foliage made for a wonderful setting and backdrop for our adventure. This was my kind of place already!
Easy and Thorough Check-in Process
After a short wait in line, we checked-in and made our way to the next step which was to watch a video about what to expect, how to attach your clips to the ropes and how to stay safe. While the video was very detailed and thorough, the information in the video felt overwhelming to the girls, making them a bit nervous. I reassured them that it will be easier once we get our harnesses on, checked and can practice with them. And it was! The staff was very friendly and helpful while assisting each of us into our harness and explaining how they work. When you go, be prepared for all of this to take about 20 minutes depending on how crowded it is at the time.
Practice First if it’s Your First Time
I LOVE that there was a practice area. As beginners, we felt reassured knowing we could practice as long as needed in order to feel comfortable, on a course that was not too far off the ground. The practice area had three stations to practice locking and unlocking your clips, walking bridges/ropes and zip-lining. We spent a decent amount of time here and worked out all the kinks until we became comfortable and more fluid with our transitions from one rope challenge to another. Be prepared to linger in the practice area for a bit if you have never been to the park or if you have kids who are bit nervous — it is well worth the extra time!
Choose Your Own Adventure Trails
I was happy to see that there were a variety of trails to choose from in varying degrees of difficulty and relative to each person’s age and ability. We decided to start out easy on a Yellow trail since it was our first time.
TIP: MAINTAIN A 1:2 PARENT TO CHILD RATIO
If you are going to take more than a couple of kids, I recommend pairing up two kids for every one parent. Here’s why. Depending on their age and experience level, you may need to assist your child with the locking and unlocking of clips as well as the special trolley clip for zip lining. I wanted to ensure I could help either child if need be, so I had my younger daughter go first, then me and then my older daughter. This way, as we navigated from platform to platform, I could help them on either end.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU NEED HELP
Both of my girls froze when it was time to go across the zip line. They felt it was too high off the ground and too long of a ride. After a few minutes of contemplation, I called out to the Staff below and they instructed us to simply reverse course to exit the trail the way we came. This proved to be more challenging than expected as there were several kids behind us that we had to pass while keeping in mind the 3-person to a platform rule and ensuring that both my daughters ahead and behind me were Ok with the transitions. If this should happen to you as well, keep in mind that depending on how far into the trail you are, you would either return to the main platform or leave via one of the early exits.
Once we exited and had all six of our feet planted safely on the ground, the girls’ faces turned from worry to pure elation! While they didn’t complete the entire trail, they were proud of themselves for how far they went. I was proud of them too, for attempting a new activity that they were a bit nervous trying.
MAXIMIZE YOUR VISIT
Since we had some extra time in our session the girls weren’t ready to leave. When we exited the yellow trail prematurely, another parent suggested to us that we try the Purple trail, which was easier and not as high. It's designed for 5-6 year-olds, so my 9 and 12-year-olds were worried they'd be a little old for it, but once on the trail they felt it was better suited for their comfort level being it was their first time. They had no problem navigating through it. We even rode a zip line to culminate our experience and it was so exhilarating and fun that my 9-year-old even declared that maybe next time she'd give the Yellow trail zip line a try after all!
“It was like I was in the clouds! The zip line felt like I was wearing jet packs and climbing through the trails felt like I was in a real adventure. If I had to rate The Adventure Park from 1 to 5, I would give it 5 stars! For kids my age, I would recommend starting with the Purple trail until you are comfortable. I can't wait to go back to practice more and build up my confidence to try the Yellow trail again.” ~ My daughter, Age 9
After feeling very accomplished, we visited the snack bar/gift shop for ice-cream, snacks and a commemorative t-shirt before heading home. We were a bit time crunched to get to another scheduled activity otherwise we absolutely would have stuck around to sit around the fire pit for a while. Next time, for sure!
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In summary, our experience at The Adventure Park was certainly one for the memory books! While we didn’t compete the trail we initially set out to conquer, we left feeling great about having the shared experience of trying something new and out of our comfort zone. The anticipation is already building for our next visit -- the girls want to return before they close for winter!
“I am very afraid of heights so the idea of going to The Adventure Park was a bit scary. But even though I was nervous, I pushed myself to give it a try and it turned out to be really fun! I liked that there were different trail levels so that you can choose whichever one you feel most comfortable doing. Locking and unlocking your hooks can be a little confusing especially if it’s your first time going, so the practice area is great because you can practice locking and unlocking as many times as you need to get the hang of it. Now that I’ve been to The Adventure Park, the idea of going back is less scary because now I know what to expect!” ~ My daughter, Age 12
YOUR TURN, WANT TO GO?
The Adventure Park wraps up it’s 2021 season at the end of November, so book your climbing session ASAP! The online booking process if very easy and the check-in at the park is seamless. For detailed pricing and to make your online reservation, see web site here.
- General Admission (GA) Tickets are valid for three hours of climbing with an additional 30 minutes of orientation that begins at your reservation time.
- Last Call Tickets are valid for two hours of climbing plus the 30 minute orientation. Ticket prices as based on the number of trails available for each age group. Prices range from $34 for ages 5-6 (booked online) and $63 for ages 14+ (booked upon arrival). See price chart here.
- Ages 5-6: 1 adult ticket required per 2 children.
- Ticket prices do not include applicable taxes fees and are subject to change.
- Reservations are strongly recommended. Please complete your waiver online in advance of your climb.
The Adventure Park Holiday Sale is kicking off now and building up to their best deals of the year. They’ll have a new deal every Thursday! Check their web site here for the latest sale information.
Gift eCards make the perfect gift and can be used on anything sold at The Adventure Park, including tickets and merchandise. Gift eCards are available in denominations from $20-200 and are delivered instantly via email.
Publisher is grateful to The Adventure Park for providing complimentary press tickets for her family in order to help facilitate the writing of this review.
