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TreeUmph! navigates its own obstacle course in opening Brooksville location

 
JOHN PENDYGRAFT   |   Times  Kelsey LesKinen, 17, works through hanging logs at TreeUmph!, an outdoor zipline adventure and obstacle course, in Bradenton on Monday, July 26, 2016. The grand opening for the Brooksville location of the adventure park is scheduled for Dec. 9.
JOHN PENDYGRAFT | Times Kelsey LesKinen, 17, works through hanging logs at TreeUmph!, an outdoor zipline adventure and obstacle course, in Bradenton on Monday, July 26, 2016. The grand opening for the Brooksville location of the adventure park is scheduled for Dec. 9.
Published Nov. 22, 2017

BROOKSVILLE — The point behind the adventure park east of Brooksville is for visitors to challenge themselves to overcome obstacles to gain a sense of personal achievement.

For the owners of the tree-top adventure course known as TreeUmph!, the road to expand their brand from a location in Bradenton to a Brooksville venue hasn't been much different.

The project took longer than expected, ran into political criticism from those who have questioned the abilities of the county's administrator and economic development director Len Sossamon and then, just days before a planned opening date in September, the course got hit with the winds and rains of Hurricane Irma toppling 50 large trees, damaging course elements and scattering limbs everywhere.

The County Commission even turned them down recently for a financial boost they requested after the storm by refusing to defer this year's lease payment for a year on the 40-acre site. But despite those setbacks, the course is slated for its Grand Opening on December 9.

For owner Aaron Corr, it is hard to contain his enthusiasm for the opening of the park and for the experiences it will offer for an estimated 25,000 to 40,000 visitors per year.

The challenging obstacle course in the trees features 130 different games over five different courses. They grow progressively more difficult and Corr said about 95 percent of those who visit cannot complete the entire course.

"You stop when you want to stop,'' Corr explained. "The whole time you're attached to a lifeline" so when a visitor wants to end their experience, they can simply walk away, or if they are up in the trees, use the safety equipment to descend or even get help from the TreeUmph! staff.

"It's all about building a sense of pride,'' he said. New visitors are often nervous about the course but when they come in, they receive training, they are briefed on how the extensive safety harness system works and "they end up having an absolutely fantastic time.''

Rope ladders, cargo nets, tunnels, wooden bridges and the popular 500-foot zip line are among the features of the park. One new addition not available at the Bradenton location is a ground-based Ninja Warrior course for children aged 5 to 8. So far the oldest visitor on the course in Bradenton was 96 years old and the oldest to complete the course there was 76.

Ticket prices range from $12.95 per hour for the children's course for ages 5 to 8, to $54.95 for the day for the adult course for ages 12 and up. The adult course takes from 3 to 5 hours. There are also special prices for college students, seniors and veterans and a season pass is also available.

TreeUmph! officials estimate the economic impact for the course to reach $3.85 million. That includes $2.6 million in local consulting and construction services, $750,000 in payroll, supplies and materials and $500,000 in peripheral business from visitors in the area.

The business will provide 20-30 full-time and part-time jobs in the first year.

Corr was feeling good about the upcoming opening.

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"We're very excited about it,'' he said. "We're excited about being in the community and we're excited for the community.''

Contact Barbara Behrendt at bbehrendt@tampabay.com or (352) 848-1434.