King of the zip line

A treetop obstacle course and recreational park in rural east Manatee County received an unexpected marketing boost from someone who knows his way around high wires: Nik Wallenda, the Sarasota native and resident who made national news earlier this year with his tightrope walk over the Grand Canyon.

Wallenda and a group of eight others, friends and family, spent a recent weekend morning at TreeUmph! Adventure Course. The park, on State Road 70, nine miles east of Interstate 75, opened earlier this year. It's a combination of zip lines with wobbly bridges and bungee swings with hanging nets.

Now the park is also Wallenda-approved: “Had a great time at TreeUmph! Adventure Course, something every family in Sarasota and Bradenton must do!” Wallenda wrote on his Facebook page Dec. 1. “Special thanks to the staff!”

Aaron Corr, who co-owns the park with his wife, Kathy Corr, says Wallenda's agent called them a few days before the visit. The Wallendas didn't have any special requests, says Corr, and only wanted to make sure TreeUmph! could accommodate a large group. “He was very low-key,” Corr tells Coffee Talk.

Wallenda, further, posted four pictures of his TreeUmph! adventure on his Facebook wall. Those pictures received more than 600 likes within the first day — a marketing bonanza for TreeUmph!

Corr hasn't devised a plan yet to capitalize on the Wallenda visit past social media, though he hopes it wasn't a onetime trip. “Our guys were egging him on a little bit, asking him if he will come back to see if he can get the course record,” says Corr. “It's a different kind of element for him. I think he found it interesting and challenging.”