Soar Across Zip Lines and Aerial Adventure Parks

1 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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3 Navitat Canopy Adventures

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Navitat’s original zip line stretches out 1,250 feet in sections with stops at sky bridges and artfully crafted tree platforms in between. Soaring through 240 acres in Moody Cove at heights up to 200 feet, riders cross over mountain streams and get up close with 100-year-old hardwoods during the three-hour excursion – the same tour Josh Hutcherson and others from "The Hunger Games" took in 2011 while filming in the area. Or try the Mountaintop Tour, a twin zip line course where you can whoop and holler alongside your friends or family. Add an RTV excursion to enjoy from the land and air.

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

5 The Swamp Park

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Located south of Wilmington in NC's Brunswick Islands lies The Swamp Park, a privately operated alligator and reptile rescue sanctuary. Guests can fly through 100-year-old cypress trees during the two-plus-hour zip line tour and get a bird’s-eye view of the wildlife that call the natural habit home like deer, turkeys, raccoons, owls, wild boar and more. Swamp boat eco-tours are also available, and you should keep your eyes peeled for the American alligators that live here.

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

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6 Hawksnest

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Known for its epic snow tubing in the winter, Hawksnest also features two different zip line tours, lauded for their views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Reach speeds up to 35 miles per hour through trees and over creeks on the Hawk Tour. Or go faster, higher and longer on the Eagle Tour, with speeds up to 50 miles per hour.

By the numbers: Hawk Tour: 11 zips, 2 swinging bridges, 1.5 miles; Eagle Tour: 9 zips (2 over 2,000 feet long), 3 miles

8 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

9 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

11 US National Whitewater Center

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Multiple options are offered at this major adventure park in North Carolina’s largest city. The Figure 8 Tour at the US National Whitewater Center features two of the center's longest zip lines, plus a series of cable bridges. The Pine Zip is a combo of a zip line and a jump, while the Canyon Zip travels across a canyon on twin zip lines. You can add other activities such as whitewater rafting, climbing, ropes courses, mountain biking trails and jumps from 30- to 100-foot-high platforms.

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