Elite Experience: Go Ape Treetop Adventure

This was my favorite Elite event to date. I felt wild, free and adventurous.
Jefferson Memorial is absolutely beautiful and to see it from above the tree tops– outstanding! The staff of Go Ape did a great job– explaining safety and demonstrating how to take on the obstacles. I like that they were there along the course to guide you if you need assistance but you were still on your own.
I am not sure exactly how many obstacles there were but we moved along fairly quickly and it still took about 2 hours to complete. Love it! Walking high above the ground on ropes, swinging from the trees into a rope wall, zip lining and challenging swinging steps.
About half way through the course you get a choice of going the «easy» direction or the «difficult» direction. Of course I chose the difficult and extreme because that’s how I roll. Even with my adrenaline pumping, I still felt very safe on every obstacle. The most challenging was the Tarzan Swing into the last rope wall. You are so high above the ground and if you push off the platform correctly, you swing fast. So awesome! I felt like «American Ninja Warrior.»
At the end of the course, there was a staff, member to point you in the direction of the exit. We were given water, Gatorade and bananas. What a nice touch. I will definitely be back.

This was, by far, my favorite Unilocal Elite event ever! There were so many things I loved about this event it’s hard to know where to start!
1– I loved it because I love adventure and adrenaline activities (i.e. bungee jumping, roller coasters, zip-​ling), but this was something a little different and new. I loved that you had to push yourself and use your motivation to propel yourself on the swinging rope steps. Once I got across, I had such a sense of accomplishment! The best was definitely the Tarzan swing for me. I was scared to do the first one, but I wanted to do it again immediately after I jumped!
2– I loved the scenery. I am a runner. Admittedly, I go through life too fast to appreciate the beauty of nature and be present in the moment. The Go Ape course makes you fully aware of your surroundings and gives a treetop view of the naturally peaceful Jefferson Memorial Forest. It was a great way to feel adventurous and peaceful at the same time!
3– I loved the safety. Just because I enjoy adrenaline and adventure doesn’t mean I’m a dare-​devil. I think Austin (our instructor) did a wonderful job of thoroughly breaking down what each item on our harness was for and he repeatedly stressed the utmost importance of staying attached at all times. We were up high and they wanted us to use caution. I felt safe the entire time.
4– I loved doing the course with fellow Unilocal Elite members! I am a single lady, and it can be really hard to talk my married friends into doing things without their spouses or to do anything outside of dinner/​movie. Being a part of the Unilocal Elite allows me to meet like-​minded people in Lou and try things that are out-​of-​the-​box. Sometimes the event is something I’d never try on my own, but the Unilocal Elite friendships we have forged encourage us to constantly experiment. I was the third person (and first female) of the Elites on the course and Joe and Brad were cheering me on (and sometimes laughing when I wiped out on the zip-​line) the whole time! That sense of camaraderie made the experience even better!
What an excellent way to spend a Sunday morning! Thanks, Emily :)

What an amazing experience!!! I am not the most brave nor find it easy to leave my comfort zone. By the end of the Go Ape experience I had for sure broken out of my bubble and felt brave!
This is a self-​guided tour. You pretty much always could see staff patrolling on the ground and had a whistle in your harness just in case you needed help or had an emergency. But the Go Ape spends a great deal of time making sure that everyone in your group is trained on how to safely go through the course. You can tell Go Ape is all about safety. There are signs all over the course to remind you what to do and also rules that ensure you are not only safe, but not treaded on by someone behind that wants to rush you through. They have a smaller version of the course to let the trainer ensure that you listened and are ready to be let loose in the woods.
There are 5 obstacles that all start with a ladder to get up and a zipline to get back down. While you are up in the trees you will meet all sorts of obstacles, tarzan swings, rope ladders, swinging wood platforms, etc. They had multiple ‘choose your own adventure’ spots that let you choose a more difficult route to get back down. I was not that adventurous, but it was fun watching my friend tackle the harder routes. By the end I was clipping in and out and soaring down the zipline without a second glance, it was an amazing transformation from needing coaxing from our trainer down below on the first obstacle.
By the end of the course you will be high on adrenaline, sweaty, a little dirty, and feel physically challenged. It took about two and half hours to get through the course. We were actually surprised that so much time had passed. We all were having so much fun!
At the end of the course we got cute little certificates of completion and all sorts of goodies from Unilocal and Go Ape!
This was my favorite Unilocal event thus far! I didnt think I would go back on my own because of the price, but after experiencing the course I cannot wait to go back!

Best.Yelp.Elite.Event.Ever. No really.
I went from being a scared shaking cat at the beginning of the course to an American Ninja Warrior by the end. I felt invincible! And soaking wet in sweat, of course. It was awesome!
Although, I did have nightmares all night last night about forgetting to stay attached. My only regret is that I didn’t take my running belt to put my phone in so I got no pictures on the course. I had my teenage daughter with me and she loved it so much. She was also sad that I couldn’t take photos.
That was so exhilarating!

What a great event! I’m glad I signed up for this. At first I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it didn’t take long to warm up to the obstacles. The short training/​safety class before starting the course was comforting since I wasn’t sure what to expect.
There are so many Unilocal events that involve food, bourbon, or beer. This event was unique & just as fun. The adrenaline starts pumping as soon as you climb the first ladder. The group I was with decided to take the difficult route at the decision points & it was definitely worth it! I could easily play in the trees all day.
If you’re afraid of heights this might not be for you. You don’t really have to be in shape for this. It is physical activity that will wear you out, but you can push yourself through at your own pace easily. The Tarzan swings are slightly intimidating, but they’re so much fun!
One suggestion… wear gloves! I didn’t wear gloves. I didn’t notice it immediately after the course, but I did have a little rope burn on the hands. No big deal for me, but some people might not like that.
Side notes:
– My group was in front so we didn’t get to see our awesome community manager being a monkey. Kudos to the people that snapped pics of her!
– While this event was free… I do think I should mention the regular price. $ 57 seems pricey from an outsider, but when you look at that price compared to other similar activities around the area it’s a steal. You should definitely go here once!
– Water is available at the beginning of each of the 5 courses.
– This event might have created a monster. Now when I travel, I’m going to look for Go Ape locations in other cities.

Wow! What an amazing Elite Event! This was my first one, but I am blown away at the amazing things Emily can organize for us Unilocalers. Awesome job, Emily!
The staff at GoApe was super friendly and accommodating to us. They took the time to thoroughly explain the ropes (pun intended) and were encouraging to those that were a little unsure of their abilities to complete the course. You do lead yourself through the course after undergoing the safety training, but the staff is below you if you need anything at all, and it was great to be able to move at your own pace.
The course was fun and very active, if not a little challenging, but I will definitely be back to GoApe, and plan to tell friends about it. What a beautiful way to see Jefferson Memorial Forest in a new and exciting way!
Thanks, GoApe and Emily for the fun event, and of course the goodies at the end of the course!

First of all, kudos to Emily for planning such a WILD elite event! Just the fact that we got to take part in this whole experience for FREE deserves a big thanks. And the fact that it was SO FUN deserves even more applause. Thanks again, Emily!
This was a great experience all around. Definitely for the adventure seeker and NOT for the faint at heart. If heights, physical activity, or sweat are not your thing, Go Ape is not for you! However, if you’re down with all of the above then be ready to enjoy everything from rope bridges, zip lines, shaky log crossings, Tarzan swings, cargo nets, rope ladders… oh yeah and planting your butt in some mulch!
I loved that the activity was unguided and allowed us to move at our own pace. As someone who has been zip lining over 10 times, always with a guide, I can say this was a very unique experience. Quite frankly, it was SCARY to be solely responsible for your own equipment and safety, and I LOVED it :)
We left with some great freebies from both Unilocal and Go Ape. Thanks to everyone for such an exciting end to the weekend!

What a fun, unique adventure! This was not my first time in Jefferson Memorial Forrest and I was so excited to try something new in this beautiful place. I was not disappointed.
From the beginning, the staff were friendly, organized and knowledgeable. We were given a short but clear safety run down by Mary Kate and it included some hands on practice. This went a long way to building confidence and knowledge we’d need during the rest of the day. After that, the employees were very hands off. You can see them on the ground so you can ask for guidance but they’re not standing over you.
The course was filled with fun challenges and it was such a great way to enjoy the trees. There were rope ladders, Tarzan swings, zip lines and all kinds of ways to get across from platform to platform. Some areas were fun mental challenges because you had to think through what to do before you did it. I have a feeling we will all be a little sore tomorrow! We will also be still talking about how much fun we had.
I would love to go back!

This elite event is only my second event I’ve been to, but since I became an elite this was my first event! The go ape treetop adventure was a blast! I took my friend Shelby as my guest. We both had a wonderful time, talking, hiking, zip lining, and acting like Tarzan. I met new people and had a great time with friends. The trees weren’t too high up do if your afraid of heights this zip line course isn’t too bad. I was able to see a beautiful part of Kentucky I had never been to before and get some great exercise in! This elite event was so fun and the free stuff I received was more than I expected, but the memories I made were even better. Can’t wait to go back to this place with some of my sorority sisters!

It was such a great experience! The fact that I had a huge fear of heights and still finish it… took a lot. I think the hardest part is letting go and knowing that you’ll always be attached to something. this was my first official elite event and it was definitely the best one yet!
The best part was the ziplining and the worst… is the ladder. The last few steps took so much more than you think. I’m glad I could say I went ziplining. goape was awesome. I’ll definitely will go back with my friends! (I’ll still have the fear of letting go… but at least I know from experience)

Wow! This was such an adrenaline rush. I really had no idea what to expect and was blown away. This event I will remember always because I shared it with my 10 year old daughter. Emily this was so uplifting (pun intended) and fun. Thank you for putting this event together. The course took us approx 3 hours to complete which was exactly what the event advised. Honestly I almost did quit after the first part of the course because I was so scared and completely out of my comfort zone. I pulled from within. Determined to not let my 10 year old show me up with fearlessness agility and although I took it slow, finished the course feeling like I was Rocky Balboa celebrating at the top of the court house steps. I will recommend to all my friends and 100% do this again. Love the new water bottle swag!

This has seriously been my favorite Unilocal event to date. What’s not to love about haphazardly climbing and swinging and zip-​lining amongst trees?
Honestly — was very safe. And very exciting. The last Tarzan swing really made my belly jump to my throat. Was awesome.
I’ll be back and I’m telling all of my friends.