FAQ: The Adventure Park at Heritage Museums & Gardens
Q. What is The Adventure Park at Heritage Museums & Gardens?
A. The Adventure Park is an all-natural, interactive outdoor educational experience, set within four acres
of forest, and designed to bring the public closer to nature through recreation and learning. The park
contains two aspects from which the public can choose to participate. The first is the Aerial Adventure –
which consists of “aerial trails” between elevated platforms in the trees at different heights with zip lines
and challenge bridges to cross. The second aspect is the Forest Walk or “interpretive pathways.” These
ground level paths wind their way through the forest beneath the climbing activities and bear interpretive
signs explaining the area flora and fauna. The climbers in the trees will also benefit from educational
signs at their level, explaining scientific principles behind their treetop experience.
Q. Why is Heritage opening The Adventure Park?
A. Heritage strives to provide visitors with great experiences that align with our mission to inspire people
to explore, discover and learn together. This exhibit contributes to Heritage’s mission by promoting
outdoor discovery and family engagement. This new educational experience offers great opportunities for
visitors to both have fun as well as learn about trees and the environment that will surround the aerial
experience. The Adventure Park will be sited on land that Heritage hasn’t opened to the public before.
This area will be highlighted by the Forest Walk.
Additionally, since its inception Heritage has been part of the ‘Let’s Move! Museums’ program – a
national network of museums offering exhibits and programs that get children moving in healthy ways.
The Adventure Park fits perfectly with our commitment to this national initiative and to providing
healthy, educational outlets for our community’s young and young at heart.
Q. When is the Aerial Adventure opening?
A. Saturday, May 16, 2015
Q. What are the hours?
A: Spring Hours (May 16-31): Open Saturdays, Sundays and selected holidays, 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM;
Summer Hours (June 5-Sept 7): Daily, 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM. In the fall, the season extends through
November on weekends, weather permitting.
Q. How would you describe this experience?
A. Three words: “natural,” “fun” and “educational.” The Adventure Park at Heritage Museums &
Gardens is located on four wooded acres on Heritage-owned land that has not been previously open to
visitors. The focus is a total forest experience—both on the ground and up in the trees, with many
opportunities for learning about forest ecology, as well as physics and self-knowledge. It offers two
experience options:
On the Ground:
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Interpretive pathways on the ground known as the Forest Walk will guide visitors through the
landscape to experience the beauty of Heritage’s world renowned Dexter rhododendrons, see
patterns in the forest, and understand the natural world from a new vantage point. Trail length:
1,368 linear feet (about ¼ mile) of trails
In the Trees:
The Aerial Adventure – which consists of elevated trails between tree platforms at different
heights with zip lines and challenge bridges to cross. Climbers can choose between five colorcoded trails of varying degrees of difficulty, suitable for ages seven and older. Climbers will
experience the tree canopy, taste the thrills of climbing and enjoy views of the gardens typically
reserved for squirrels. They complete their climbing experience with an increased knowledge and
appreciation of both nature and themselves.
Q. How does The Adventure Park fit with the look and feel of Heritage?
A. The built elements are minimal and blend in with the natural surroundings. The construction is
designed to be tree-friendly and environmentally sustainable. The small platforms in the trees are all made
of natural materials, and blend into the forest. Only the climbers or gravity power the climbing activities.
No motors are used. On the ground, the Forest Walk features interpretive signage, just like other areas of
Heritage.
Q. What age groups are expected to participate in The Adventure Park?
A. The great thing is that it appeals to whole families. The adventure is available to people 7 years old
through active senior. By offering varying levels of difficulty, the aerial experience is accessible to both
introductory as well as more experienced climbers, while those who don’t want to climb can watch others
in the group from the Forest Walk and benches, or enjoy the other offerings at Heritage.
Q. How much are tickets?
A. Tickets are $43 for Adults (12+), $38 for ages 10-11, $33 for ages 7-9 for just the Aerial Adventure.
Combo tickets that include the Aerial Adventure and all of Heritage’s other offerings are $53 Adults
(12+), $43 ages 10-11, $38 ages 7-9.
Special discounted rates and educational programs tied to state curriculum standards are available for
reserved groups of 10 or more, including schools, youth groups, associations, corporate excursions, etc.
Q. How long is the experience?
A. The Aerial Adventure in-the-trees experience is a two-hour ticketed experience. Each aerial trail takes
approximately 15 – 30 minutes to complete. Climbers return to the starting platform after completing each
trail to select another trail. Visitors may linger on the ground-level Forest Walk interpretive trails as long
as they’d like.
Q. What are the educational elements of The Adventure Park?
A. On the ground, The Adventure Park features ten stops along the beautiful Forest Walk, with fun and
educational signage that engages visitors in learning about forest formation, history, workings of a forest
ecosystem, interdependence and interactions within forest ecosystems, forest succession and human
impact on ecosystems. Interactive components include opportunities to see and touch tree rings, listen to
and identify forest sounds, and learn the names and distinguishing features of trees.
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In the trees, educational signage offers learning focused on motion, gravity, energy, magnetism, and
friction, all of which are part of the climbing experience. In fact, the climb itself is a lesson in problem
solving along the aerial trails and that, combined with the thrill of achievement are priceless educational
rewards that fuel self-esteem, leadership, and teambuilding.
Q. What kinds of nature will people see?
A. The aerial trails afford views of breathtaking rhododendrons set in our unique Cape Cod forest
ecosystem that includes several tree species, high bush and low bush blueberries, mountain laurel and
other shrubs. They will be able to see the gentle roll to the land that centuries of glaciers created, and they
might also see a variety of local birds, including chickadees and finches, and if they are lucky, Heritage’s
resident red-tailed hawk.
Q. What will people learn?
A.
 Woodland geology and ecology
 The Cape Cod habitat and ecosystem
 Names of native plants
 How people affect the natural world
 Basic Physics principles
 Self-reliance skills
 Teamwork skills
 Self-knowledge
Q. What kinds of components are in the Aerial Trails?
A.
 There are five color-coded aerial trails from introductory through advanced levels.
 Each trail has 12-14 elements which include tunnels, moving planks, zip lines, rope walks, and
similar features.
Q. How long are the zip lines?
A. They vary on average from 65-110ft, depending on course difficulty.
Q. How many zip lines do you have?
A. There are nine zip lines.
Q. How high off of the ground are you on the Aerial Course?
A. Anywhere from 8ft - 45ft depending on the course difficulty.
Q. Can you paint a picture of the Aerial Adventure?
A. After putting on their safety harness and receiving thorough instructional and educational briefing,
“climbers” ascend the main starting platform above the forest floor. There, they choose a course based on
difficulty and their comfort level. With their safety harness clipped onto a secure cable throughout their
time in the trees, climbers make their way along the aerial trails, stopping between elements on tree
platforms. The climbing experience helps participants to build self-reliance, team skills, and appreciation
for the natural world.
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Climbing tickets are generally good for two hours in the trees, with each of the five aerial trails averaging
15 – 30 minutes to cross. After completing one trail the climbers return to the starting platform to select
another trail.
All Heritage visitors and those accompanying climbers will have an opportunity to experience the
interpretive paths on the ground.
Q. Do you offer school programs around The Adventure Park?
A. Heritage offers three school programs for Grades 6-8 set on the grounds of The Adventure Park. These
programs can be booked separately or in combination with the Aerial Adventure.
Workings of a Woodland (60 minutes)
Uncover the inner workings of the forest ecosystem and discover the interdependence of the
plants and creatures that live there. Working together in small groups, students will identify the
layers of the forest, discuss the life cycle of trees and the process of forest succession and record
and share their observations. They will also describe the interactions that occur within the forest
ecosystem (role of producers, consumers, and decomposers) in the process of energy transfer in
the food web while considering the human impact – both positive and negative – on the
ecosystem.
Sizing Up Trees (60 minutes)
Explore techniques used by professional foresters to identify, measure and estimate the height,
circumference, diameter, age and growth rate of trees. Working together in small groups, students
will practice math skills by using various methods and tools to compare their results and evaluate
the accuracy of each method. Groups will chart and share their findings.
Leadership Exploration (30 minutes)
Explore different leadership styles and identify each student’s primary leadership
“direction.” Analyze the strengths and weaknesses of each participant’s leadership style, reflect
on skills improvement, and discuss how different leadership methods complement
each other. This
program can be combined with Sizing Up Trees or Workings of a
Woodland or the Aerial
Adventure.
School programs are taught by Heritage Museum Instructors and meet state curriculum requirements.
They can be booked through Group Sales and are offered at the group rate of $10 per student.
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