East Brainerd, TN Outdoor Activities

At Benton Sporting Clays, marksmen take aim at airborne clay pigeons from 14 fully automated shooting stations and a tournament-grade clays tower. A fully covered five-stand shooting station protects shooters from wind, rain, and real pigeons avenging their clay cousins. Between sessions, shooters traverse the expansive grounds to try different stations in one of the facility's comfortable carts. Members enjoy benefits such as year-round shooting, waived cart-rental fees, and discounted clay pigeons at the range’s fully stocked pro shop.

The certified instructors at Creek Bend Stables have groomed world-champion horses and riders. With their expert guidance, beginner, intermediate, and advanced riders can polish their technique and avoid common blunders such as mounting the horse by climbing up its face. Lessons progress in length and depth of instruction as students age and develop skills.

At Blue Point Stables, a team led by Master Riding Instructor and 25-year industry veteran Brandy McDonnell offers equine services that range from lessons for people to training for horses. Brandy and company engender a safe and fun environment through positive reinforcement as they teach students the basics of English or Western riding.

Upon arriving for lessons, riders typically get fitted for a helmet and receive some basic instruction on safety before meeting and grooming their equine friend. Next, they’ll hop aboard a noble steed while an instructor coaches proper technique in such aspects as mounting and dismounting, riding aids, and communication with the horse through vocal orders, physical cues, and handwritten post-it notes dangled from a fishing pole.

Visitors to Colorado Adventure Center explore much of its terrain suspended above the pine trees—specifically, hanging from five ziplines that span more than half a mile and reach heights of up to 65 feet. Harnessed into a secure single-pulley system, riders glide over Clear Creek as it glimmers in the sunlight or, at nighttime, in the bright beams of their headlamps—which can also be used to spot teenage woodpeckers vandalizing trees with lovers' initials.

Colorado's waters are also the setting for rafting and kayaking expeditions, during which guides lead paddlers down the rapids of the Arkansas and Colorado Rivers during outings and spring break trips. On solid ground, adventurers hit the trails of the Vail Pass and Glenwood Canyon on scenic biking trips, pedaling along paths lined with trees and rivers with options for bipeds of all skill levels. During spring months, zipliners can soar through newly blooming trees and flowers for a scenic treetop adventure.