Adrenaline Packed South Part 2
This 5-part series gives you the greatest adrenaline-packed action in the South. Jet-ski, climb, and skydive your way to fun and adventure.
Paddle Out To a Treehouse
Fulfill your fantasy of sleeping in a treehouse by reserving one on the Edisto River, the longest undammed waterway in South Carolina. Carolina Heritage Outfitters in the town of Canadys midway between Charleston and Savannah will set you up with a canoe rental and your choice of three treehouses, accommodating two to eight guests. canoesc.com
Pure Horsepower
Want to experience what real race car drivers feel when they plunge into a hairpin turn? Bloomingdale GA’s Roebling Road Raceway is your ticket to the checkered flag. You’ll have to participate as part of a club, but their website has a handy guide to a few that might help you get there. roeblingroad.com
More Bounce to the Ounce
Every adrenaline junky started out as a kid on a trampoline. If that’s you, it’s time to spend a little quality time with your inner child at Get Air Trampoline Park. And if you want to bring any actual kids along, you’ll be parent of the year. Here you can launch yourself up off of hundreds of trampolines covering nearly every inch of this indoor playground, slam into the foam pit or show gravity who’s boss. 3609 Ogeechee Blvd. | getairsports.com.
No Chain, No Gain
A chainsaw is a loud, angry device used for rapid-fire deforestation and scaring the pants off of trick or treaters.
When these two things come together, they create a high-octane ballet of visual spectacle and pure adrenaline. Tim Davis may be a relative newcomer to the scene, but his art is built on a passion forged in his grandfather’s workshop.
“At a young age I kind of stayed out there in the workshop with him a lot and that’s when I found my love of woodworking… But I really wanted to try chainsaw carving ever since the first time I’d seen it done.”
He’s been honing his craft for several years now, creating surprisingly intricate works of art using the snarling blade of a Stihl chainsaw. A soaring eagle taking flight, each feather rendered in lifelike detail. Signs bearing impossibly intricate logos for John Deere, UGA and yes even South magazine. And one particular horsehead that brought a charity auction to standoff. “This fellow bid $500 on it right away, and no one bid against him because they could see how bad he wanted it.”
And that’s an important part of Davis’ work – the urge to give back. Whenever he attends his local charity festival, Evans County Cares, he brings along a carving for the charity auction. And during this year’s “Chaptacular” carving festival, he not only brought along carvings for donation, he did something extra for a few folks who single handedly saved the show.
“It rained so much, the very first day they had some dump trucks that brought in a bunch of gravel because it was turning into a muddy mess,” he said. He showed his appreciation with a custom-carved dump truck sculpture he created on-site.
What began in his grandather’s workshop became a hobby and is quickly becoming a viable career for Davis, with sponsorship from Claxton Saw Company.
“Some of these guys I was carving with at Chaptacular have been doing this for a living for 20,30,40 years… I’m gonna get there eventually,” he said.
Handy with a chainsaw? If you have Tim Davis-like skills and would like to get sponsored, contact the Claxton Saw Company.
Get Out on the Water
The low-lying coastal plains of the Lowcountry and Coastal Empire are criss-crossed by rivers. But it’s further inland that we find surging whitewater rapids, coursing downward from the Smokies, Appalachia and the Blue Ridge Mountains as they rush toward the sea. This high-velocity current makes for some of the most intense rafting experiences on the planet (just ask those guys from Deliverance).
Among those rivers, Georgia’s Chattooga is among the most feared for its risky curves, unforgiving swells and hair-raising falls. Wildwater Rafting (wildwaterrafting.com) knows the harrowing waters of the Chattooga better than anyone and has crafted experiences to suit any skill level. Their Chattooga mini-package guides paddlers as young as 8 through the lower part of section III, with an option trip down the Bull Sluice Rapid for the adventurous. But experienced rafters will definitely want to check out section IV, where the river drops more than 75 feet over ¼ mile, including the legendary Five Falls.
Of course, one of the most storied rivers anywhere is North Carolina’s Wilson’s Creek, a wrathful stretch of water that comes roaring out of the Blue Ridge Mountains daring you to challenge it. Wahoo’s Adventures (3385 S US Highway 321, Boone, NC, wahoosadventures.com) offers a white knuckle extreme ride down these class V rapids that will keep you buzzed on adrenaline for weeks. whitewaterexpress.com/chattahoochee
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