Memphis Adventure - Go Ape Treetop Adventure at Shelby Farms Park

Last week, I did one of the most thrilling things that was completely and utterly outside of my comfort zone. I spent majority of the afternoon 40 feet above the ground climbing to and from trees.

Let me start by saying that I really do not like heights. So, you might be wondering right about now why I would ever do this! Well, I'm always up for an adventure and let me tell you, I am so so so glad that I decided to Go Ape.

Ok, let's talk about specifics. There are 6 sites throughout the Go Ape area of Shelby Farms. Each site starts with a ladder where you climb up to a platform in a tree. From there, you go through a series of obstacles until you get to a zip line that takes you across the lake and back to the ground. This was the first time I'd ever zip lined or done anything quite like this and it was a thrill. Like I mentioned earlier, I am not the biggest fan of heights (like really not at all) but once I decided to just trust the harness, I stopped shaking so much and had a blast.

This is definitely something you should put on your list of things to do in Memphis. So, tell those friends of yours who claim that there's nothing to do in Memphis to Go Ape! They won't be disappointed.


PS. Use code SPRING for 10% off until the end of May!

  

Dog Park

This is Harrison. He's a mutt that has very quickly taken a very special place in my heart. If you sit on the floor, he will be in your lap. If you leave, he waits for you to come back. If he hears a strange noise, he tilts his head to the side. If you take him to the park, he'll play with other dogs but keep coming back to where you're standing just to say hello.

When I started dating Jeremy, I knew Harrison came along with him and now I can't imagine life without either of them.


  
Anyways, back to the dog park. Shelby Farms has an amazzzzzing off leash dog park. It is huge! (that's what she said) Jeremy and I took Harrison out there on Saturday to stretch his legs and play with other dogs. Even though he wonders around without his leash on, it's so funny to me that he never lets us out of his sight.

He made some friends, but didn't want to get too far away from us. At one point, Jeremy starting petting a huge great dane and Harrison did not like that! I don't know if he felt intimidated or was protecting Jeremy, but it was pretty funny. Luckily, the great dane thought he was playing and didn't go into attack mode. Harrison would have been toast.



There were hay bales. Obviously we stopped for a photo op. Harrison really understands the model walk. I mean, he was clearly doing it better than me!


PS. This wasn't our first time at this dog park! Read about the first time here!

Sunflowers and Shelby Farms

This next guest blogger can be found a little bit closer to home.. she's in MEMPHIS!!! anddd she decided to talk about one of her favorite parts (which is also one of mine) Shelby Farms. It amazes me how much this park has to offer! But I'll stop talking and let her tell you all about it!

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Hello, TFOB readers! My name is Brenda and I blog at Don't Stop Believing. Like Alyssa, I'm a Memphian. I'm originally from South Florida, so I don't quite consider myself a native, but I've lived here for most of my life. Alyssa's enthusiasm for Memphis has inspired me to get excited about the good things our city has to offer! So today I want to share a little about one of my favorite parts of Memphis, Shelby Farms.


Shelby Farms is one of the largest urban parks in America, much larger than Central Park in NYC. In addition to Patriot Lake, a really cool new playground, a disc golf course, walking trails, and the Greenline (my fave), it also has a huge, beautiful sunflower field that peaks at the end of summer.


I took these sunflower photos last year and still have them as backgrounds on my phone. When it's in bloom, the field is a popular portrait destination – you see lots of professional photographers there! Behind the sunflower field is a corn maze, which is open now! Closer to Halloween, there's a "haunted" corn maze at night. Against my better judgment (I'm a little jumpy), I went to it once years ago with a group of friends. In the process of running from a guy with a chain saw (seriously), I dropped my cell phone in the middle of the maze. I figured I'd never see it again, but a friend called it and someone answered, and we were able to meet up so I could get it back. Moral of the story: don't take anything important into the haunted corn maze!

Another thing I love about Shelby Farms is the buffalo herd! The buffalo pasture is close to a major intersection, so you don't have to go far out of your way to see them. You can even adopt a buffalo – I've been thinking about it for a while.

Fall is one of the best times to enjoy Shelby Farms, so I encourage locals to have a picnic there or take a ride on the Greenline while the getting is good!

Thanks Alyssa for the guest post opportunity!

 

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 Isn't that amazing! I always forget all the stuff you can do at Shelby Farms and those sunflowers... oh my gorgeous!! Hey, Jeremy... can we go there more often??

Oh -- now everyone... go to Brenda's blog Don't Stop Believing and say HELLO!