Last week my husband couldn’t get home from work. It was Fourth of July weekend and all of the flights were full. Fortunately for us we are an airline family and this doesn’t phase us one bit. So he flew to a different airport and the kids and I drove to Chattanooga TN to pick him up.
Chattanooga was a favorite place for me as a kid and my kids had only seen the Chattanooga Choo-Choo so far. So we were going to make some memories while we were there. We picked my husband up and we were off to Ruby Falls. My son had picked it from all the options I gave him and he was excited to go inside a real cave.
But it seemed as though everyone else had the same idea we did. However, they were far more determined than we were. Upon being told the wait was well over an hour (in the rain) the glitz and glamour of a cave wore off faster than I could ask where my umbrella was.
So we did what our family does best. We pulled over for a minute and made a new plan. We called to be sure our 3 year old was big enough and we were off.
High Point Climbing is right next to the Tennessee Aquarium, which also had a long line out the door. We were confident though that our kids would love this new idea even more than any of the others we had talked about.
The outside of the building itself was so cool. You can LITERALLY climb up the side of the building.
We signed some waivers, paid our fee (for ALL DAY), got our climbing shoes and were on our way to a intro lesson.
We were worried about the shoe situation before we went. My son and I are almost always in flip flops in the summer, so we were sure we weren’t wearing the proper footwear. But everyone must wear climbing shoes there, so it was fine. I do recommend that you bring/wear socks. They have little cubbies holes for you to leave your shoes in while you are wandering around the building climbing.
Their system there is so easy to hook into that my 6YO could do it the first time without help.
The Kid Zone was our favorite part. The kids can climb up “buildings”, climb on top of building roofs, climb up rope walls. They had a blast trying out every one of the walls. They also have a bouldering section. (Bouldering is when you aren’t strapped in with a rope, but are free climbing up the wall. They aren’t as high and have tons of padding for falling onto.) My kids loved every bit of it, as you will see in the video!
Thankfully while we were playing in KidZone it had stopped raining and we were able to venture outside. There are several walls on the side of the building for climbing. It was quite neat to watch climbers climbing up the walls of the building, and of course I took my turn as well. And as you will see in the video… I came down with my usual grace and fell on my butt. Go ahead and laugh… I certainly have.
The High Point staff is great. The building/facility is clean and very well kept. It is a fun atmosphere as well as feeling like a safe place to bring the kids.
Things I wish we had known: wear socks, and pack a lunch. They have tables inside so you can bring your food in, and they have vending machines so you can find a snack. Next time I won’t be taking my purse in. And on our next visit we will go early and spend all day.
My husband and I went climbing (at a different location) years ago when we were first married. We always loved it and had a great time. But as with most things I am finding, it sure is more fun to take your kids.
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Great article. It looks like a wonderful place to visit!! 🙂
It was, Amy! We had the best time! I am sure you can find a similar spot closer to you. We had so much fun and it’s a great work-out!