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School
Field Trips

FOR SCHOOL FIELD TRIP BOOKINGS:
Sarah L. Dickson,
Group Sales Coordinator
828.450.3400

The Best Adventures for School Field Trips

The Adventure Center is the best outdoor experiential adventure for activities that cultivate leadership skills, team building, character development, and immersive learning!

With literally decades of experience and education in outdoor education, team building programs, environmental science, outdoor recreation, and experiential learning, our leadership team offers field trips that surpass every expectation.  From our adventure activities to our environmental education programs to our facilitated team building, we create custom-made activity-driven immersive learning in our 100-acre outdoor classroom like no other company. 

We create exciting and competitive experiences designed to instill confidence, cooperation, communication, and connection between group members.     

Our adventures are not just for students, we also host teachers and administrators for a fun day of team-bonding adventures outdoors at ACA!

              Choose one activity or group multiple programs together for a full day of adventure.  

School Field Trip Adventures

  • Asheville Treetops Adventure Park is the largest WNC challenge course in the trees with 77 unique climbing, rolling, and swinging elements in a wooded park on 7 aerial trails. With new technology, our smart clips keep all guests attached to our aerial trail cables until you are down on the ground. It is Challenge by Choice! Aerial trails range from Beginner to Intermediate levels.  Watch your group step out of their comfort zone to complete an aerial challenge while encouraging each other to create a team bonding atmosphere.
  • Group Cooperative Games are custom-created fun and competitive experiences designed to instill confidence, cooperation, communication, and connection between group members. We offer a program full of team challenges that focus on working together.  While completing their goal, they are engaged in high-excitement activities that require them to think outside of the box.  Packed with fun, your group will be challenged while laughing, joking, and having a ball! 
  • Asheville Zipline Canopy Adventures is an urban canopy tour with 2 options: Asheville Zipline Tour with 9 ziplines and 1 sky bridge in treetop platforms on adventure towers with views of downtown. Or our abbreviated tour, the Asheville Skyline with 5 zips including our 1,200-foot lines. We use a hand-breaking system that teaches self-reliance and confidence.  Our extensive ground school and course options are created for group volume to minimize wait time. 
  • TreeQuest is recreational tree climbing on a large oak tree. Guests use specialized gear and techniques to climb on one of our stately oak trees using a rope without negatively affecting the tree. Climbers “inchworm” their way up one of our eight climbs that range in height. Then they can participate in a team-building exercise while “hanging out” in the tree! 
  • Kolo Bike Park is a mountain bike sampler pack designed for all rider levels.  With 2 pump tracks, a jump line, 4 miles of trails, a skills area, and scattered challenge features, Kolo is the perfect venue for your mountain bike team! 
  • Whitewater Rafting with 1 location (Nantahala River) close to Asheville by our sister company, Wildwater. Ltd. Whether you are looking for a slow and easy or wild ride, students will raft with our experienced guides to have a splash on the river!

Experiential Learning Programs: STEM/Wilderness Skills

Our adventure activities pair perfectly with our outdoor environmental education programs! We have designed outdoor hands-on programs with North Carolina and South Carolina state standards and outdoor survival skills in mind,  but they can be tailored to cover your school’s goals and standards. Our program staff has decades of education and experience in experiential education with Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in the field. So we are excited to create an immersive learning experience for your students that encourages curiosity, teamwork, and fun!

Program options include: 

Zipline-palooza!       Do you think you can guess whether a heavier or lighter object will move faster on a zipline? Can you guess the angle of the zipline for an object to have a safe landing? Experiment with gravity, weight, friction, and how these and other forces affect the motion of zipliners by building a small-scale model. Working in small groups, students will create their own design and then compete with other groups to see who can create the fastest zipline while keeping safety in mind. Longer programs include a study on simple machines and how they are used in our Treetops Adventure Park. Add this to our Treetops Park or Ziplines so that students can experiment with and experience physics in action!     NC & SC standards: NC 5.P.1, 7.P.1, 7.P.2, Psc.1.1, Phy.1.1, Phy.1.2; SC 4.S.1, 5.P.5, 6.P.3, 8.P.2, 8.P.3, H.P.2, H.P.3

  • Cost $10/student/hour
  • Time:  1-2 hours
  • Grades: 5th and up
  • Number of students: 10-30

Fire Building Skills     Have you lost your electricity at home and needed to light a candle or a fire?  Have you been camping in the woods and lost your matches? The simple skill of starting a fire and following safety procedures to keep it lit and safe can be an important life skill.  Learn how to build & start a fire using primitive materials with fire safety procedures, then practice in small groups to build a small fire. Longer programs include learning about “Leave No Trace” principles, where students will learn and practice essential outdoor ethics.

  • Cost $10/student/hour
  • Time:  1-2 hours
  • Grades: 4th and up
  • Number of students: 10-20

Outdoor Survival Skills    What if a fun day hiking leads to getting lost in the wilderness?  What if your car breaks down on a family road trip in the woods?   What life skills are essential to have in a survival situation?  Students will work in groups to sort through items they would prioritize for a camping trip, then practice building shelters using minimal materials. Longer programs include foraging for materials and wild edibles, and learning how to create knot-tying tarp shelters.

  • Cost $10/student/hour
  • Time:  1-2 hours
  • Grades: 3rd and up, 7th and up for knot tying
  • Number of students: 10-20

Forest Ecology     Take an inside look at plants, and how they interact with other living and nonliving things in their environment. This ecology-based class offers hands-on learning for students to get to know trees up close and personal through tree identification, decomposition exploration, and hiking on our 100 acres of property.

  • Cost $10/student/hour
  • Time:  1-2 hours
  • Grades: 3rd and up
  • Number of students: 10-30

Wildlife Ecology     Animals are everywhere!  This program will take a moment to look around our area for evidence of animals and their habitats, and think about how they interact with their environment. Students will also discover how animal adaptations affect their chances of survival using experiential, hands-on activities.  NC & SC state standards: NC 4.L.1.2, 5.L.2.2, 8.L.3.1, 8.L.3.2 SC 2-2.2, 5-2.5, 5.L.4B, 6.L.4B, 7.EC.5B

  • Cost $10/student/hour
  • Time:  1-2 hours
  • Grades: 6th and up
  • Number of students: 10-30

Town Hall Meeting     Students will roleplay different interest groups in a debate about the ecological, social, and economic advantages and disadvantages of building a theme park attraction in their fictional community. This activity teaches students the importance of and how to have a civil and ethical debate with their peers, and will leave them empowered to enact change in their local community!

  • Cost $10/student/hour
  • Time:  1.5 hours
  • Grades: 5th and up
  • Number of students: 10-40

Our activities instill personal development and self-confidence, encourage cooperation with others, enrich problem-solving skills, and offer fun with a challenge.  While expanding your comfort zone, each person is supporting and planning with others in the team, developing positive relationships, building trust and inspiring positive changes.

Nowhere in Asheville are there so many different outdoor activities in one place that offer personal growth and discovery. Guests are encouraged to expand their personal comfort zones, increase their self-confidence, and support others challenged to do the same. We offer opportunities to move from good to great friends, team members, or leaders as guests literally climb to new heights!

Meet our awesome Leadership and Education Programs team! 

Contact group sales today to create your custom school field trip adventure!  828.450.3400

The Adventure Center is the best outdoor experiential school field trip for:

  • listening to instructions then applying what you have learned
  • using small motor skills, as well as incorporating physical fitness balance and strength
  • personal development, self-confidence
  • cooperation with others, becoming a team member
  • stepping out of your comfort zone in a controlled environment
  • team bonding: encouragement, assistance, communication, support, leadership, and connection with others
  • decision making based on completion of challenge element
  • problem solving skills leading to accomplishment
  • a fun outdoor activity with a challenge

Your group outing can be:

  • an experiential field trip
  • include math or science educational options (see our programs)
  • a beginning-of-the-year teambuilding activity or an end-of-the-year incentive
  • sports team or club teambuilding outing (ROTC, Band, Student Government)
  • grade level field trip
  • teacher or administration teambuilding days
  • performance/music groups visiting the area

What we offer school field trip groups:

  • a discounted rate for groups of 10 people or more
  • escorts and/or monitors required depending on age and activity
  • bring your own meals or snacks to enjoy under our tent
  • pre-visit tips for preparing your class for their adventure
  • performance area if requested
  • complimentary teacher access
  • free bus parking

The Adventure Center Difference

At the Adventure Center we focus on the optimal guest experience in every activity we offer.

Annually we host approximately 2,000 students,  athletes, teachers, administrators, and coaches looking for an awesome adventure experience. Contact our group sales office today to book yours!

What Our School Group Guests Are Saying…

“Our field trip was awesome. The kids were really positive and encouraging while we were there which was great since they’re often kind of discouraging and poke fun at each other a lot as middle schoolers tend to. We’ll be back next year!”

Cory Finneron | Francine Delany New School

“The staff at the Adventure Center of Asheville go the extra mile in making sure that the experience for school groups is both enjoyable and educational. Everything is well planned, laid out and prepared upon arrival. Our students really enjoyed the teambuilding activities as well as the Tree Tops ropes course. The rangers working at the ropes course are vigilant, well-trained, and make sure that all climbers are well attended to and looked after. I highly recommend this experience to any group interested in teambuilding activities and adventure.”

Apple Valley Middle School

“I can’t begin to tell you how much fun we all had! It was AWESOME! I think those kids (who am I kidding…. the adults too) will be talking about this trip for a while!! I am actually posting pictures as we speak on our club’s facebook page. Everything exceeded our expectations! Our club will continue to visit the Adventure Park, and if I can talk my personal family members into it, I will be returning on a personal visit soon! Thank you again for helping make memories of a lifetime for so many of our children! They loved the experience and the adults did as well.”

The Outsiders Club at Chesnee Elementary School

“Tree Tops well exceeded my expectations! This was the most care-free school event I have ever chaperoned. I knew each student was safe and having fun, and I was glad for the chance to join in with them. I especially loved that everyone was active the entire time so we could maximize our experience. I saw some students make great strides in conquering some fears and other students jumped at the opportunity to provide encouragement and support for one another.

The day was filled with shouts and screams of excitement and discovery. Phrases like, “Miss Hilterman, watch this!” and “I can’t believe I did that!” were heard throughout our time there. Being an outdoor guide myself, I was impressed with the staff (especially Amanda Wheelock!) and the set up even before we got to the gate. Each staff member did a great job testing each student’s helmet, getting us into our harnesses, explaining the clip system, letting us practice, and helping us through any roadblocks during the course.

I loved it so much that I’m bringing my family there next week!

Thank you for a great experience!”

Jennifer H. | Asheville Christian Academy School Event

“Thank you! The students really did have a wonderful day. I’ve attached some photos of students during teambuilding, which was a great favorite among them. Several of them still talk about it. The challenges on the ropes courses were also a novelty for many of them, particularly the floating kayak on the red course. Several had done ropes courses before, but were pleasantly surprised by many of the obstacles they found. I think they would gladly come back at any opportunity. “

Jessica O. | Fayetteville Academy

“We had a great day, thanks so much for having us. I cant believe how long we have been coming and how each year it just gets better and better. You are all doing a top notch job there and I mean that. I heard a kid say when he came into the treetops area, “It feels like christmas morning.” So cute….. Thanks for giving our kids a great experience.”

Jennifer W. | A C Reynolds Middle School

“I took 65 middle school students to the Adventure Park as a team-building exercise for our Student Council. We had a FANTASTIC time. The folks at ATAP obviously put a lot of thought and planning into the team-building exercises we did on the ground and the climbing was just fantastic. Our students were excited, engaged, encouraging, and encouraged. It was all around excellent and we are already planning to return next year.”

Middle School Field Trip

“We had a fantastic experience! Our group of 16 high schoolers was handled with extreme care, attention, and efficiency. The kids had a great time. There is a great range of courses from beginner to advanced. We had several kids afraid of heights that had no problem. The greatest part was the safety aspect. Being the guardian of 16 high schoolers is a little nerve-racking, but the smart locking (it was called something like that) system was unbelievable. There was virtually no way to fall off the course. It was an absolutely brilliant safety system. Besides that, we had ample training and more than enough support from the staff while we were on the course. We were extremely satisfied in every way!”

High School Field Trip

“I thought this year the program was stronger than it’s ever been. Our students had such a fantastic time and learned team building strategies that will carry them throughout the year (and life). The leaders were patient and had the right level of excitement and caring that middle schoolers need.”

A C Reynolds Middle School Teacher

OPEN: WED-SUN 10am-5pm

Fun adventures for the full family, Ages 4+