Things to Do in McMinnville

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.

Wild Blue Yonder's founders Johannes Zwart and Gina Goldie have been populating Alberta's picturesque, serene landscapes with myriad adventures, including rafting trips and paintball battles, since 1998. The pioneering pair combine Zwart's 20 years of experience as a guide for canoeing, dogsledding, and rafting with Goldie's entrepreneurial spark to lead a team of friendly, insured, and safety-minded staff members that spearhead adventures. Licensed guides who are certified in Swiftwater Rescue and first aid lead rafting adventures that take leisurely, pirate-themed jaunts or trips over moderate rapids that ignite the body’s production of adrenalin and Mountain Dew. Guests can also don camouflage coveralls and facemasks to reenact the War of 1812 with paintball guns in the facility's woodland fields. Zwart and Gina can plan adventurous outings for both small and large groups, and can coordinate accommodations, meals, and transportation.

After paddling his way into the U.S. Olympic Team–trial finals twice, Jeff West, founder of Ace Kayaking School, began sharing his love of the sport with readers of popular publications and more than 5,000 eager students. Striving for a maximum 3:1 instructor to student ratio in all of his courses, Jeff and his team teach key skills to beginners and experienced rollers alike while gliding down the Ocoee River's famous Table Saw rapids. In addition to whitewater kayaking, Ace teaches stand-up paddleboarding and the advanced waterfall navigating techniques of creek boating and freefalling in a barrel.