Zip & Stay - Romantic Adventure In The Hill Country

Grab your spouse or special friend, a bottle of champagne, a couple red roses, and get ready for a special and fun weekend. You're going to get out of your comfort zone and head to the Austin area hill country for an exciting and fun zip line canopy tour and an unusual overnight stay in a unique and cozy tree house - "do what and stay where?" you say! Yep, you heard it right - you're going to zip through the trees and right into a very cool tree house where you'll spend the night in a comfy canopy queen bed perched on a platform suspended 40' above a canyon with small creek! So pick up the phone and book a romantic getaway at Cypress Valley Canopy Tours .

After school you'll head up to the first launching platform, where you'll be hooked to the zip line, take a leap of faith and jump off the platform, hoping that you remember how to stop, and zip over to the next platform 40 feet up in a tree. And the adventure has started! From here you'll traverse three swinging sky bridges and 6 zip-lines, the longest of which is the "Screamer" at over 350 feet. The sky bridges and zip lines launch and land from tiny platforms up to 40 feet high in the trees. Your guides, ours were fantastic (cute, great sense of humor, and very knowledgeable of the environment), will also provide interesting facts and observations at each platform stop.

If you take the last tour of the evening, you will end up zipping right into Loftheaven, your tree house lodging for the evening! Your luggage and car have been delivered, so you just need to unhook your gear (very important unless you want to spend the night suspended on the zip line) and settle into your accommodations. Oh, and in addition to unhooking the zip line, don't forget to take off your gloves and helmet - you probably won't need them for the rest of the evening.

Loftheaven is really cool - its a platform built into the trees 40' above the ground with a canvas covered room with a 360 small walk around deck. Inside you'll find a netting covered queen bed (really soft and comfortable); a table with water, some snack bars, and a coffee pot; and a small table with a couple chairs. A canvas canopy covers all four sides of the tree house - roll up all four canvas covers and you'll know what it feels like to be a eagle, squirrel, or owl who lives and sleeps in the trees. You might also call this unique experience "getting up close and one with Mother Nature" - you're alone in the trees far from the hustle, bustle, and noise of the city and the only sounds are the birds, fireflies, bob cats, coyotes, foxes, owls, wildlife, and the bubbling brook 40' below you. Don't freak out - there is electricity (no air conditioning, but the ravine and rocks keep it fairly cool), you can lower the canopy if you don't want the critters observing you, and if nature calls, you can walk 30 feet across a swinging bridge to a cool bathroom with hot and cold water, a shower, and toilet! And your car is just across the foot bridge and 50 yards up the hill.

There is a small walkway surrounding the loft and the small bench seat at one end is perfect for sitting with your best friend and enjoying nature, sunset and a cold drink, or sunrise and a cup of coffee in the morning. Bring a good book and enjoy the peace and quiet.

Here are a few additional ideas and suggestions for this weekend, all of which are within 15 minutes::

• You might consider packing some appetizers, a picnic dinner, and some cold drinks to enjoy that evening as well as something to munch on the next morning
• Or you can head out to some great local restaurants and some fun bars with live music - don't forget to get the code to get back in the gate. Some good choices include: Angels is good for live music and burgers, La Cabana Grill is good for Mexican food, and Lakehouse Cafe has a fantastic setting and good food
• Or if you like birds, sign up for Cypress Valley's early morning birding tour
• Visit some of the local wineries - just down the road is Stone House Winery
• Play some golf on Willie Nelson's fun 9 hole course or any of the other nearby courses - check out this golf course map to find and learn more about some nearby golf courses
• Rent a ski boat, wave runner, or pontoon boat from one of the boat rentals on Lake Travis - Briarcliff Marina is the closest for rentals or to launch your boat. Use this Lake Travis Map to find restaurants, marinas, boat rentals, and more on Lake Travis
• Go fishing on the banks of Lake Travis or sign up with a local fishing guide to catch that trophy fish
• Take the canopy tour again or if there is water in the Cypress Valley Lake, zip into the pond and swim for awhile

To find Cypress Valley Canopy Tours and get directions or to locate any other businesses type in the name on the map below