Things to Do in Troy
Recommended Things to Do by Groupon Customers
Owner and pilot Todd J. Monahan remembers chasing hot air balloons across the sky as a land-locked child. After attending extensive training and FAA-approved safety seminars, he finally caught up to them, founding SunKiss Ballooning and enlisting the expertise of his brother Scott as well as a cast of experienced pilots and crewmembers. Citing safety as a priority, SunKiss' captains stay up to date on the latest in balloon technology, and they escort passengers through the sky in two vessels each rated to carry different gross weights and repel different-sized Mothras.
An outdoorsman since birth and G. Loomis–endorsed guide, GSOutfitting's owner, Eric Gass, grew up hunting and fishing the Pioneer Valley and Berkshires. After graduating from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Eric returned to guiding and now fishes and hunts with his faithful gordon setter, Duncan, by his side.
Eric's business partner, fly-fishing guide Michael Kocot, studied fisheries science and aquaculture in college and uses this knowledge to lead groups as a G. Loomis–endorsed guide and suspected Aquaman alter ego. With their combined powers, Eric and Michael lead fly-fishing trips aboard their 13.5-foot Aire drift raft, as well as local hunting trips for turkey and grouse. GSOutfitting also trains gun dogs and companion dogs, ensuring every hunter will have a loyal sidekick during the season.
A tow system pulls an inner tube and its passenger to the top of a slide, from which the inflated vessel speeds down the hillside, twists through trees, and plunges into adrenaline-pumping drops. These thrills and the occasional daredevil squirrel emerge from Tubby Tubes' four downhill tubing slides. To add more excitement, the company's crew revamped the colorful slides with snow-like surfaces that create increased speeds. This spirit for adventure echoes at nearby Lower Hudson Gorge, where Tubby Tubes' kayaks, rafts, and tubes explore the flat waters and tree-lined banks.
As the weather cools, the park shifts its focus to winter tubing. Attendants push tubers down powdery runs that double as express lanes for snowmen on their morning commutes.
The staff members at Rocksport Indoor Climbing & Outdoor Guiding Center regularly explore the Adirondacks and mountain ranges throughout the world, mentally cataloging the frost-kissed crags and adrenaline-soaked sheer expanses. When they are not leading adventurers on ice-climbing expeditions or scrambling through narrow caves, the climbers can be found on the 4,400 square feet of climbing space at their facility. There, they teach students to how to deal with complex stone surfaces in order to navigate actual cliffs or volunteer at the local gargoyle shelter. Rocksport owner Tom Rosecrans leads the crew, lending knowledge from three Himalayan expeditions and his self-published book Adirondack Rock and Ice Climbs.
At Fort Ballocity, TreePaad Fun Center's centerpiece adventure, kids and adults fire soft balls at targets, load them into buckets, and disappear beneath a foam-ball shower. Within the same three-story structure, 30 feet of waterless slides send visitors racing through more colorful twists and turns than an Alfred Hitchcock comic strip. However, Fort Ballocity is only one of TreePaad's indoor attractions. Neon lights paint a laser-tag arena, rock-climbing walls stretch to the ceiling, and a video arcade creates an orchestra of electronic beeps. Kids younger than 4 can join the fun in the toddler play area, filled with soft surfaces on which to climb and slide.
This sprawling fun haven can set the stage for parties, office outings, or simply spontaneous visits. For kids' birthdays, an on-staff party coach organizes each moment of the festivities, from serving food to helping kids create stuffed animals at the Stuff-n-Fluff area.
