By Mary Ashton Mills
What if you could take your teenager out of their daily environment to a place to reconnect and explore the world’s longest and largest zip line canopy tour? What if it was less than four hours from home? Would you be ready to take the plunge? Thrill-seeking adventures like this may as well be a teenager’s love language. For parents of teens, Historic Banning Mills should be added to the top of the “must see” list. In addition to offering six levels of zip lines, this attraction also has the world’s tallest freestanding artificial climbing wall, an aerial adventure park, horseback riding, nature hiking trails, kayaking, birds of prey shows and more. Home to a 100- foot power free fall (10 stories), the first and only in Georgia, this park continuously delivers loads of thrills. Located in Whitesburg, Georgia, Historic Banning Mills was an old mill town dating back to the 1800s. Now visitors can still see the ruins of the mill and remnants of the ghost town as they soar over Snake Creek Gorge on one of six levels of zip lines. Feel like bringing the younger kids along? The resort offers level-one zip lines for ages eight and up especially designed for families. Easily accessible from Augusta, Banning Mills is a quick day trip or if you choose to stay, they offer many accommodations at their inn and retreat center, including an opportunity to stay in tree houses. Happy Zipping!!
Distance: 194 miles, three hours and 29 minutes.
Budget: Zip line tours begin at $49 and go up from there depending on the level.
What To See: The Screaming Eagle (The World’s Longest and Largest Zip line Canopy Tour), Artificial Climbing Wall, Birds of Prey, Mills Ruins, Aerial Adventure Park, Tarzan Slide, Crazy Squirrel Village, GPS Adventure challenge, 100 foot power free fall, and tree houses.
If You Go: Book your trip ahead of time to ensure the best rates and availability. If you decide to spend the night, check out the Swiss Family Robinson style tree house accommodations perched high atop the trees. Rest assured they pride themselves with having the safest zip lines in the world. Banning Mills offers the only courses that use a patented closed belay system from start to end so riders stay connected between zip lines until they are safely back on the ground. For more information visit their website at www.historicbanningmills.com .
Mary Ashton Mills is an Augusta freelance writer and mother of two.
This article appears in the April 2017 issue of Augusta Family Magazine.
Did you like what you read here?
