Discover DFW: Connect With Nature By Ziplining At The Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary
MCKINNEY, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - In McKinney at the Heard Natural Science Museum and Wildlife Sanctuary, you can get a new perspective on life by stepping out of your comfort zone.
On the Heard's more than 280 acres, sits a zip line where guests can see the beauty of nature from the treetops.
The Heard Ropes Course Manager, Brittany Kryder, says the experience starts with a journey straight up.
"We are going to climb a 24-foot tree, up to our zip platform, and then we are going to hook you in and you will experience our zipline that runs about 500 ft," Kryder explains.
Kryder says part of the beauty is seeing the area from a different vantage point.
"We are tucked back here on the Heard Museum Sanctuary, back in the woods, so it is a great flight to take up in the trees," she says.
The initial climb up can be tricky and nerve-wracking, but the staff makes sure safety and encouragement is always top of mind on the climb.
"Our most important thing is we practice challenge by choice," Kryder says. "You know your body and mind better than we could ever."
She says she encourages visitors to take a moment to embrace the nervous butterflies they may be feeling.
"I would say (being nervous) is totally normal! I would be more concerned if this didn't make your heart race at all," Kryder explains.
"We as humans are built to be a little nervous about heights. It is engrained and part of our biology. So, it is all about stepping outside your comfort zone... but not into the fear zone."
Once guests reach the zipline platform, she says to embrace the moment as you prepare to take the plunge.
"For my kids that come out here and are really nervous, I tell them it's just like when you are on a swing, and you get those butterflies in your tummy," she says.
"That is exactly how the zipline will feel... just a little bit bigger."
An experience she says everyone should try at least once.
"It is a really fun experience and a great way to connect with nature," Kryder says.
"That's our mission to connect people with nature and this is a really fun and different way to do it!"
The Heard Museum and Wildlife Sanctuary is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m.
They will be hosting upcoming Zip Line Days on June 19th, July 18th, and August 14th from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. each day. Guests can zipline for $12 per trip down the line. Click here to buy tickets.
Guests can also make reservations for the Heard Ropes Course on other days for groups of 10 or more. Click here for more information.