Zipline adventures -- aka "canopy tours"-- are a new-ish type of family fun: basically, a person straps into a harness and zips along a cable for several hundred feet. Kids as young as seven can fly through the air with the greatest of ease.

"Canopy Tour" is often a bit of a misnomer, as -- even in the canopy of a tropical rainforest-- pretty much everyone focuses on the thrill of the zipline. Some tours do include an intro to local flora and fauna.

The zipline in the photo was in St. Lucia. Typically a tour has multiple ziplines including a climactic long or high run.

And now there's an outing in the mid-west, in Ohio: Hocking Hills Canopy Tours has ten ziplines, 60-foot high observation platforms, 3 rope "sky-bridges", dramatic cliff faces, and Guides who speak about native flora and wildlife. Bonus: "Kids Fly Free" on selected week days.

zipline adventure in St. Lucia   |   ziplining in Kauai