5 High Air Adrenaline Activities In Florida

By Dawn S.

If you are a thrill seeker or adventure lover, here are five high-air adrenaline activities in Florida to try out. Pick up your Escape Campervan in Orlando and hit the road for some high-flying fun as you travel through the sunshine state. A campervan makes it easy to sleep, eat, and travel, as you plot a course to the next day’s adventure.   

GIFT IDEA – Need a great gift for the adventure lover in your life? Give them an Escape Camper Vans trip, or plan a campervan road trip to do together later in the year instead of giving a gift now.  

HOT AIR BALLOONING

Central Florida is the premier location for year-round hot air balloon rides.  Have a special occasion coming up? This is a wonderful way to celebrate, to see a beautiful sunrise and take in the breathtaking scenery. Most tours allow participants to assist with setting up the balloon, which is all part of the fun and learning experience and of course a post-flight celebration or brunch. A reputable hot air ballooning outfitter near Orlando to try is Aerostat Adventures. 

PARASAILING

Whether you are at the beach, river, or an inland lake, parasailing is a fun adrenaline activity in Florida that even older kids can enjoy. Participants sit in harnesses attached to the parachute, while you and your chute will remain attached to the boat the entire time via a tow rope. You will take off and land either from the shore or from the deck of the boat, floating through the air over the water as the boat tows you along.  Expect to get wet as most outfitters will let you float down to the water’s surface for a toe dunk, before taking off again, inflating your parasail and raising you back up into the air. It’s a great way to see the coastline, look for dolphins, sharks and other wildlife from the air.  

HANG GLIDING AT WALLABY RANCH

Wallaby Ranch near Orlando, is the place for hang gliding in Florida. With no mountainsides or steep cliffs around, aerotowing is the answer! Your glider will be attached to a specially designed ultralight aircraft with a 150 ft tow rope. The hang glider has wheels and is self-supported, for easy takeoff and landing. 

Thrill-seekers are strapped into a harness along with a tandem instructor, but hang on because next you will be towed up to about 2,000 feet elevation, after which the glider is detached from the tow plane and you gently free fly back down to the ground. The views of the rolling hills and forests are beautiful and the entire experience takes about 15 minutes to gently glide back down to the ground.   Also, an in flight video can be requested to record the entire experience. Wallaby Ranch is open year round and offers onsite camping, mountain biking and hiking trails, a climbing wall, swimming pool, and a playground for the little ones.

WHEN TO GO? The best times to fly are early mornings and late afternoons, when the winds are the calmest.

SKYDIVE SPACE CENTER – WORLD’S HIGHEST TANDEM JUMPS – FROM 18,000 FEET!

Located on the Atlantic coast in Titusville, Florida, Skydive Space Center offers some of the highest altitude tandem jumps in the world.  Options range from 10,000, 12,000, 15,000, and even 18,000 feet high, which means you get to experience a much longer free fall, and open canopy ride, the higher you go. Another bonus is their recent permission from NASA to fly over the Shuttle Launch Pads, Landing Runway, and the Main Assembly Building, so you get an amazing aerial tour of Kennedy Space Center as you are flying up to altitude. 

The less adventurous non-jumpers in your party can ride along in the plane, to take in this tour, too.  The tandem skydive is a great option for first time jumpers as you will be on your way up in no time, after a little bit of training on the ground first. If you think you have the nerve to do it, you can also spend $89 bucks and have the entire experience  recorded on video, which makes a great souvenir and is proof and reminder of the experience. If you have you always wanted to learn to skydive? Skydive Space Center has certified instructors and offers Accelerated Freefall Training. Already an experienced flyer? Come checkout their facilities, special events, and accommodations.  

Where to camp –  While visiting Florida’s Space Coast, park your campervan at one of these campgrounds: Sebastian Inlet State Park, Jetty Park, Manatee Park, or Long Point Park

SIDE TRIP – KENNEDY SPACE CENTER VISITOR COMPLEX  is a fun way to spend a day or two, and is fantastic for kids or adults.  Meet or dine with an astronaut, train like an astronaut, journey to Mars, see Space Shuttle Atlantis, take a bus tour out to the Apollo and Saturn V launch pads, don’t miss the space telescopes and imax films. 

THE WHEEL AND STAR FLYER – INTERNATIONAL DRIVE

Central Florida is home to countless theme parks and water parks with tall coasters, steep water slides, and towers of terror.  But two of the highest rides in Florida are not found in any amusement park, they are located near each other on International Drive in Orlando and both are family friendly. 

The first one is The Wheel, formerly known as the Orlando Eye. It is a 400 foot tall wheel with slow-moving observation capsules.   Next is the Star Flyer the world’s tallest swing ride, at 450 feet tall. Travel up, down, and swing around the tower at 45 mph, with your feet dangling, strapped securely into a double seat with your friend. You can enjoy cocktails before or after your ride at the Sky Bar. Make sure to go at or after sunset to see the lights.

Book your Escape Campervan today, and experience the best adrenaline activities in Florida as you fly high!