When it comes to one-tank trips or romantic getaways, the Buckeye State doesn’t lack for tourist destinations. One of them is the Geneva area, where Mother Nature’s autumn color explosion acts as the perfect backdrop for visiting wineries, checking out covered bridges and now experiencing some high-flying fun.
The Lodge at Geneva-on-the-Lake recently unveiled its Lake Erie Canopy Tours, which feature adult and kids adventure challenge courses along with zipline canopy tours across 25 acres of Geneva State Park.
Suspended above the forest floor, riders will travel through the canopy’s sky bridges, towers and other course features. All riders will be harnessed and belayed to a network of steel cables for maximum safety.
CoolCleveland talked to The Lodge at Geneva-on-the-Lake general manager Eric Frantz about the new thrilling attractions in Ashtabula County.
Eric Frantz: It’s an aerial adventure park that allows guests several options, one of which is somewhat stereotypically thought of as a ropes course. It’s an adventure challenge course. They go up a three-story treehouse, basically, and there are various elements. It’s about a two-hour experience that not only challenges their maybe concerns of the height off the ground, but also there’s some mild physical challenge. Also on the adult tower is a freefall, which is the climax of the whole experience. They walk out on a plank and jump off into a simulated freefall that puts them onto the ground safely. It really kind of tests a person’s ability or desire to be at great heights. There’s this kind of a perceived danger even though there’s really no danger actually.
CC: What about the ziplining options?
EF: I think that’s the adventure that will the most public attention. There are a series of eight different ziplines and several aerial suspension bridges that are different heights off the ground. Some of the ziplines are really especially thrilling. The longest one is about 800 feet. It’s a double-zip high-speed line, and it has a panoramic view of the lake and the river that’s behind the Lodge. It’s pretty thrilling. That experience is going to be the real capstone of the whole project. If someone is coming they’re certainly going to want to take advantage of that.
CC: How safe are these adventures?
EF: The adults use Clikits. These devices are like double lifelines that you can’t release at the same time. So an adult would never be disconnected fully from the line. We put our guests high up in the trees at pretty good heights doing some pretty unique things. And there’s no concern of falling off because they’ll always have a lifeline attached.
CC: What’s interesting is there’s also a Kids Adventure Challenge Course.
EF: That’s for kids ages 3-10. It’s the same concept as the adults, but it’s only four to six feet off the ground and includes a zipline. The kids link into a trolley system that follows them. Once they’re clicked on, they don’t have to manage or manipulate their lifeline. They follow a cable as they work their way through all of the elements of the course.
CC: How do Lake Erie Canopy Tours fit into the Geneva-on-the-Lake experience?
EF: It make sense for a number of reasons. It will give yet another activity for our guests to do while they’re visiting the area. We expect about 25% of the users to be Lodge guests, but about 75% to be people making a day trip from one of the surrounding areas or maybe a visitor in one of the other lodging establishments nearby. Also, it appeals to broader demographic: Maybe younger people haven’t thought of the Lodge as a destination and now they can because it has some exciting activities that appeal to them. There are so many reasons to go to the lake in summertime, but there’s not as many reasons in the spring or the fall. The fall is a great time to be ziplining through the trees and out by the lake.
CC: What else does Geneva-on-the-Lake offer?
EF: There’s beautiful biking and walking along the lake on a two-mile trail. The lodge itself has indoor/outdoor pools and hot tubs that are open year-round. We have a great restaurant and a great view of the lake. One of the things our guests like is our wine tours. Wine country in this area is a big deal. Thousands of people every weekend visit the area’s 22 wineries. We provide shuttles that take them to the fine wineries. They don’t have to drive. They can drink and enjoy it and get safely back. So there’s actually quite a lot of reason to come here in all seasons.
CC: It sounds like the Geneva-on-the-Lake experience is now wine country and zipline adventures. Hopefully, never the twain shall meet.
EF: (laughs) At least not on the same day.