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Best Activities For Summer Thrill Seekers In Boston

Jump out of a perfectly good airplane. Shoot the rapids in a little rubber boat.  Zip down a mountain.  Wobble across a rope bridge.  Dive under the waves in Boston Harbor. Race or glide on a bike along an historic rail trail.  These are just some of the many opportunities for adventure available for Bostonians seeking a thrill this summer.  Some of these adventures start in the city, or its suburbs, others of course require a couple of hours drive (unfortunately there are no mountains or white water rapids in Boston).
Go Skydive Boston
(Photo Credit: Go Skydive Boston)

Go Skydiving
Skydive South Boston
Cranland Airport
777 Monponsett St.
Hanson, MA  02341
(781) 293-7700
www.goskydiveboston.com/

For those Bostonians who have always wanted to leave a perfectly good airplane in mid-air, Skydive South Boston is a mere 35 minutes outside of the city.  Not only is it the closest skydiving center to Boston, but the quickest to get to -- which means less time for anyone or their friends and family to talk them out of it.  First time jumpers are welcome, and there are tandem jump packages where an experienced skydiver not only straps themselves to the jumper and goes out the door with them, but will even pull the ripcord.  Group discounts are available.  Equipment rental is available for those without their own gear. Jumpers must be 18 years of age or older.

Boston Scuba
(Photo Credit: Boston Scuba)

Boston has a harbor, a shore and islands, and is a short drive to many beautiful lakes and ocean beaches.  For those who want to go below the surface and see what lies beneath the waves or still waters, Boston Scuba is one of the best places in Boston to rent, buy, upgrade or repair scuba gear, or to arrange for diving lessons or outings.  Their teaching program involves prep work that can be done at home, plus diving lessons in their own pools and off their own boat in the harbor.  Boston Scuba also offers charter dives from its own vessel, a former lobster boat named the "KEEP-AH."

Jiminy Peak
(Photo Credit: Jiminy Peak)

Go on a Mountain Adventure
Jiminy Peak
37 Corey Road
Hancock, MA 01237
(413) 738-5500
www.jiminypeak.com

Jiminy Peak in the Berkshires is a little more than two to two and a half hours out of Boston, and while it is one of the most popular ski resorts in New England, it is also a summer playground as well, especially for those who want to take on the challenge of mountain sports.  Jiminy Peak has mountain bike trails and equipment rentals, zip-line courses, and a scenic chair ride lift for those who want to sit back and enjoy a breathtaking view while being every so slowly drawn up to the peak in an open chair.  That experience is anything but tame, as it is akin to being on a Ferris Wheel that only rises and never goes down, and goes up a mountain at that.  The Aerial Adventure Park at Jiminy has six elevated rope courses, three zip line challenges and a "Leap of Faith" option that set adventurers on a two-hour trek over swaying rope bridges, up and down cargo nets, ladders and, as the brochure puts it quite simply "more."

Related: Boston's Best Water Slides

Zoard Outdoor
(Photo Credit: Zoard Outdoor)

Go Whitewater Rafting
Zoar Outdoor
Route 2 (Mohawk Trail)
Charlemont, MA 01339
(800) 532-7483
www.zoaroutdoor.com

Just 90 minutes west of Boston lies Zoar Gap on the Deerfield River.  The 10-mile white water rafting course starts at the Fife Brook Dam in the small town of Florida.  Experienced instructors takes parties of adults, teens and children as young as seven years old down one of three escalating levels of adventure on the river.  Rafters shoot rapids with such names as Microwave, Pinball and Freight Train.  Picnic lunches are provided - at the end of the ride, of course.

minuteman bikeway
(Photo Credit: Minuteman Bikeway)

The Minuteman Commuter Bikeway is a long, lovely and history-packed rail trail that goes from Alewife Station in Cambridge through Arlington, Lexington and Bedford.  There are numerous access points all along the route, with centers at each of the four towns listed above.  There are visitors centers, parks, monuments, museums and more all along "America's Revolutionary Rail Trail."

Related: Fun Things To Do In Boston This Spring

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