Grand Opening Celebration Rescheduled for June 7 at Storrs Adventure Park

Ribbon Cutting, Refreshments & Free Sample Climbing All Day at Connecticut's Second "Aerial Forest Ropes Park"

There's going to be a big celebration under, around and up in in the trees, at #2007 Storrs Road in Storrs, Connecticut, beginning at 10:00 AM and continuing all day long, until dusk, as The Adventure Park at Storrs marks its Grand Opening on Friday, June 7. The festivities will include a ribbon cutting, cake and coffee in the morning, demonstration climbing, free sample climbs for the public all day long, as well as free ice cream later in the afternoon. The public is invited.

This event, previously scheduled for May 29 and postponed due to the weather, has been rescheduled to June 7. There are some updates to the day's program from the previous news release.

The event begins at 10:00 AM with a ribbon cutting ceremony featuring area VIPs, including Gregory Haddad, State Representative, 54th District, Mansfield; Betsy Paterson, Mayor, Town of Mansfield; Cynthia vanZelm, Executive Director, Mansfield Downtown Partnership; Bahman Azarm, President of Outdoor Ventures Group-the designer, builder and operator of The Adventure Park; and Lynn Stoddard and Chris Kueffner, the local landowners who partnered with Outdoor Ventures.

Immediately following the ribbon-cutting, attendees will be invited to enjoy coffee and cake while observing demonstration climbers up in the trees as they zip-line and navigate The Adventure Park's five different "aerial trails" or courses.

After the demonstration climbs, the public will be invited all day long to try climbing the courses themselves, with a free sample climb on a single course, first-come, first-served. Finally the afternoon will include free ice cream from Canterbury Cones.

The Adventure Park at Storrs-Connecticut's second "aerial forest ropes park"-opened to the public on May 10, 2013. Appealing to outdoor fun-seekers age 7 through adult, the Adventure Park features multiple zip lines and aerial ropes challenge courses. It follows the success of the Adventure Park at The Discovery Museum, which opened in Bridgeport, Connecticut last summer to rave reviews by media and public, alike.


The Park's design works with the natural arrangement of the forest to create a healthy, environmentally friendly, recreational venue in the trees for kids, teens and adults. The activities require no electricity or motors.

The Storrs Park is the realization of a dream for local landowners and outdoor enthusiasts, Lynn Stoddard and her husband, Chris Kueffner. "When we purchased this land we hoped to find some way to use it in an eco-friendly manner," said Stoddard, "When we learned about Outdoor Ventures Group and their Adventure Parks, we knew immediately we had found the right thing for our property."

The Adventure Park at Storrs consists of five different "aerial trails" or "courses" through the trees, of varying challenge levels, from introductory to advanced. The self-guided courses do not require previous climbing experience. After receiving a safety briefing and harness, each climber selects a course at their comfort level and then proceeds to navigate its different "bridges" or "elements" moving from tree platform to tree platform. The courses include zip lines as well. Climbers proceed at their own pace and each course requires anywhere from approximately 15 – 30 minutes to complete. A regular climbing ticket entitles the visitor to unlimited climbs during a two-hour period. Park staff members are continually on-site and available for assistance or questions.

All climbers wear safety harnesses that employ "double-clipped-on" technology to help keep the climber continuously connected to a safety cable throughout their time in the trees. Climbing is suitable for ages seven and older, with appropriate challenges available for kids, teens and adults.

General admission prices are $38 for ages 12 and older; $33 for ages 10 – 11 and $28 for ages 7 – 9. (Prices are exclusive of 10% Connecticut Admissions Tax.) Groups of 10 or more making advance reservations can benefit from reserved starting times and discounted prices. Friends and family who are not climbing are admitted free of charge to enjoy the Park's woodchip paths, take pictures and share the experience.

OPERATING HOURS: Regular hours for general admission are 9:00 AM to dusk on weekends and selected holidays in the spring and fall. (Or any day to groups of 10 or more by advance reservation.) Starting June 17 it will be open seven-days-a-week for the duration of the summer. For more information call (860) 946-0606 or email info@StorrsAdventurePark.com.

The Adventure Park at Storrs is designed, built and operated by the Outdoor Ventures Group, the leading authority in the United States on aerial forest parks and largely responsible for bringing this increasingly popular activity to the United States from Europe, where it originated. The Group also designed and built The Adventure Park at The Discovery Museum in Bridgeport, Connecticut, The Adventure Park at Sandy Spring Friends School in Maryland and Catamount Aerial Adventure Park in Hillsdale, New York. Additionally it has designed and built over a half dozen other Adventure Parks throughout the United States for its clients.