TreeRush Adventures at Fontenelle Forest — Attraction in Nebraska

Felt targeted, discriminated against, and not listened too.

I recently brought a group of 8 teenage boys for my son's birthday. I felt that, as soon as they began, they were targeted as being a trouble group.

First, when instructions were given, the boys were all answering certain repeated questions in unison. "How many people on the stand at once?" They would yell "3". etc. When doing this, I noticed an adult worker looked over in concern and then walked over. I understand we have to be cautious. I am a teacher and know those signs to look for. But excitement and fun does not equal trouble. I thought this a bit weird and was a little worried right away. Nothing was said, and we moved on to further training.

The worker doing the training did a great job! He had fun with the boys and my group was very respectful.

During the next couple hours, I felt everything went fine. There was only one issue during that two hours. One group of boys wanted to climb a course that was for 15 and older. Another group had already climbed it not knowing the rules. (My son is 15, however which may be where the confusion did lie) The next group that went up was told they couldn't go up. They boys were confused and explained that another group of the boys went up. Instead of handling it professionally, this worker responded sarcastically and rude. The boys came up to me after it happened and told me. We just told them to brush it off and move on to something else.

The final straw was toward the end. A girl was stuck on one of the climbs. The boys were up there for at least 20 minutes waiting. As they got down from the course, another worker told the group to follow him. He then said they were "done" because they were making fun of this girl.

The worker didn't even discuss anything with the boys; he didn't ask for an explanation. The girl that was stuck thought the boys were pointing at her and laughing. This is NOT what they were doing. I was there the whole time observing and saw nothing.

What was happening? The boys were bored, being goofy, and shaking their butts at each other. Does that sound like a group of 14 year olds? Absolutely! That is why they were pointing at each other and laughing.

So instead of hearing both sides, they automatically assumed that the boys were in the wrong. Again, I am a teacher. Many times I have seen disrespect BUT have also seen accusations made falsely. As a teacher you ALWAYS hear both sides. So very often the side that is "tattling" is misunderstanding the situation.

I felt this was handled very unprofessionally. When I asked for specifics, they could not even back up their reasons with evidence. We spent over $400 at this facility. I would expect a little better customer service.

I am a parent of 3 and a teacher. I NEVER automatically take the side of my kid. In this case, after hearing both sides, I 100% defended these boys.

So I would not recommend going with a group of boys. The workers did not know how to communicate or handle this age group. I was extremely disappointed in how it ended and am still so upset, I am up at 3:30 am posting this so...

If you aren't faint of heart or afraid of heights, and love an athletic outdoorsy adventure, the Tree Rush at Fontenelle Forest is a must experience! The safety harnesses and equipment are truly a work of genius and not once did I feel unsafe or afraid of falling. This was my first experience in a tree obstacle course and I hope it won't be my last. The different courses are fun, physically challenging, and get your heart pumping! The training for first timers got us comfortable and up to speed quickly with the clips, locks, and zip line gear. It's super helpful that you watch the how to video but also get one on one instruction to make sure you are confident. You can bring your own gloves or buy theirs. I brought some gardening gloves but then tried a course with the gloves you can buy onsite and I think those were actually more comfy and well worth the $4.50 price tag(plus you can keep them to use next time you climb). They have different levels of difficulty and I am hoping to go back soon to try some of the more challenging ones. While the experience itself is a little pricey, I really enjoyed my time there and would recommend to anyone who is looking for a memorable activity to do outdoors with friends and family of just about all ages. Just make sure you dress appropriately and don plenty of sunscreen and bug spray prior to climb time. If you're not fond of bugs you might also wear a hat or long sleeves/pants as you'll find plenty of them in the treetops! Also, don't plan on bringing anything valuable or that can't be fit and secured in a securely zippered or buttoned pocket while you're very snugly strapped into your harness if you plan to climb. There are plenty of vantage points and trails below for loved ones who aren't climbing to follow you around and...

This is an aeriel obstacle and a zip line course inside Fontanelle Forest. Parking was free, but the lot was full, so we parked along Bellevue Blvd. We had a great visit. I strongly recommend the online reservations and completing the waivers ahead of time. I spent about 55 dollars for one 12 year old. There are some low to the ground activities for young kids. They also have tables for observers that did not require a ticket. The weight limit posted was 275lbs. There is a water jug, but there are no other concessions that I saw. The clip in cable system was pretty impressive and prevents both cables from being unlocked. The courses are graded like ski runs (green, blue). My son and his friends had a great time. The only feedback I would offer is a weight minimum on the zip lines. During our last hour, a young girl got stuck multiple times in the center of each zip line. While I was very impressed with the speedy and clearly well rehearsed rescue manuevers, after the fourth rescue, I was pretty exasperated. It had been 45 minutes since my son had started his course, and he was still stuck behind her. I'm not saying he shouldn't ever have to wait. Everyone involved was very patient when the staff talked my brother through his rope challenge when his arms gave out. However,  at some point, there needed to be a recognition that the girl simply didn't weigh enough. I would have appreciated an opportunity for the climbers behind her to "play through." I am not sure if that is even possible with the clip system. It was still a great trip. Even with that frustration, we will...