OC Aerial
Rating
Family of 4
Admission is per person and priced in tiers, with separate rates for roughly ages 3 to 5, ages 6 to 10, and ages 11 and up, and a lower rate for the 1.
Duration
1.5 or 3 hours, because tickets are sold in those two blocks rather than as open-ended admission
Best Ages
3-17 years, with the courses hitting their stride around age 6
About
OC Aerial is not the aerial silks studio the name suggests to most parents. It is an indoor adventure park tucked into a warehouse suite off Coates Industrial Boulevard in north Durham, built around harnessed ropes courses, aerial obstacle elements, and a rock climbing area with bouldering and roped walls. Knowing that before you arrive saves confusion, and so does knowing that the address is Suite 200 inside an industrial complex where the building numbers are genuinely hard to spot from the road.
The model here is time-based rather than open-ended. Tickets are sold in a 1. 5 hour block or a 3 hour block, priced in tiers by age, with the youngest tier starting at age 3.
That structure is worth thinking about before you buy. Harness work is more physically demanding than a trampoline park or a soft play space, and a five-year-old who is thrilled for the first forty minutes is often done well before the ninety-minute mark. For a first visit with young kids, the shorter block is usually the honest choice.
Kids around eight and up, and especially tweens and teens who want to grind through the harder routes, are the ones who actually use three hours.
A 4.7 rating across 291 Google reviews is strong for this kind of park, and the recurring theme is staff who are attentive on the harness side. That matters, because the entire experience depends on someone competent checking the clips.
The rules are stricter than at most indoor play places, and they are the main thing that trips families up. Closed-toe athletic shoes are required, with Crocs, sandals, and boots all turned away at the door. Pants are required rather than dresses or skirts, which is a real consideration if you are coming straight from somewhere else.
A parent or guardian has to remain in the park for the duration, so this is not a two-hour break where you sit in the car and answer email. Plan on one adult being present and, honestly, on that adult being talked into climbing.
As a rainy-day option it is genuinely useful. Everything is indoors and climate controlled, which makes it a reliable answer for a wet Saturday in the Triangle when the trails and playgrounds are out. That is also when it fills up, so book your block online rather than driving out and hoping.
For pricing, current hours, and party or group packages, check the pricing page linked from this listing, since rates and session structures change.
Age Suitability
Parent Logistics
Stroller-Friendly
Limited
Nursing / Changing
Unknown
Kid Meals
N/A
Setting
Indoor
Rainy Day
Great option!
Plan Your Visit
Best Time to Visit
Right at opening on a weekday, or the first session of the day on a weekend. Afternoons and rainy Saturdays are when the harness lines get long.
Wait Times
No entry line if you book your session online, but expect a few minutes of harness fitting at check-in and short queues at the most popular elements during busy weekend blocks.
Nearby Food
This is a working industrial park, so there is nothing to walk to. Picnic, the whole-hog barbecue spot on Cole Mill Road, is the closest sit-down restaurant in our directory and is a short drive away. The wider Hillandale and I-85 corridor around north Durham has the usual mix of fast food, chains, and a few local counters within about ten minutes. Confirm hours before you count on any specific place, since several nearby kitchens close between lunch and dinner.
Why Kids Love It
Kids get clipped into a real harness and then sent up into a maze of wobbly bridges, cargo nets, and swinging obstacles that feel genuinely risky while being nothing of the sort. There is a visible progression built in, so a kid who does one nervous lap on the easy route usually comes down demanding to try a harder one. For the six-to-ten crowd it is the rare place where the whole point is climbing on things instead of being told to stop climbing on things.
Pro Tips from Parents
- Closed-toe athletic shoes are required and they mean it. Crocs, sandals, and boots are all turned away, and this is the number one reason families get sent back to the car.
- Pants are required, so no dresses or skirts. A harness over bare legs is uncomfortable, and leggings or joggers work better than shorts for anyone doing the full session.
- A parent or guardian has to stay in the park the whole time. This is not a drop-off, so plan on one adult being on the floor rather than running errands.
- The address is a suite in an industrial complex off Coates Industrial Boulevard, and the building numbers are easy to blow past. Look for Suite 200 and the signage rather than trusting the pin.
- Tie long hair back and empty pockets before you check in. Phones and loose items in a harness end up on the floor under whichever element your kid is standing on.
- Book the session online before you drive out. Blocks sell out on rainy weekends, which is exactly when everyone else has the same idea.
What to Bring
- Closed-toe athletic shoes for every person who is climbing, including the adults
- Pants or leggings rather than dresses, skirts, or very short shorts
- A hair tie for anyone with long hair, since it gets caught in harness hardware
- Refillable water bottles, because harness work is more tiring than it looks
- Snacks for the car, plus a plan for a real meal afterward
- Grippy socks or a spare pair of shoes if you are adding the climbing area
Cost Info
Estimated Cost (Family of 4)
Admission is per person and priced in tiers, with separate rates for roughly ages 3 to 5, ages 6 to 10, and ages 11 and up, and a lower rate for the 1.
5 hour block than the 3 hour block.
Rock climbing day passes are sold separately from the adventure course.
Parents are required to stay in the park, so budget for supervising adults even if they do not climb, and confirm on the pricing page whether a non-climbing adult needs a ticket.
There is a group discount once you buy four or more tickets, which most families of four will hit.
Current rates are on the pricing page linked from this listing.
Nothing here is a quoted price.
Tips to Save
- Buy four or more tickets in one transaction and ask about the group discount, since a standard family of four usually qualifies.
- Choose the 1.
- 5 hour block for a first visit rather than the 3 hour block, because most kids under 8 are worn out well before three hours of harness work.
- Tickets are valid for a year from purchase, so if a kid gets overwhelmed and taps out early, ask whether unused time can be carried to another day.
- Eat before you come and pack refillable water bottles instead of buying drinks on site.
- If climbing is the part your kid actually wants, compare the rock climbing day pass against a full adventure course ticket before you buy.
Hours & Contact
Have a Question?
Frequently Asked Questions
Tickets & Booking
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