10 Adrenaline Junkie Ways to Spend Your Birthday
Craving Adventure?
If you’re anything like me, you like to get your adrenaline pumping and have a somewhat Y.O.L.O. mindset, meaning you realize that “You Only Live Once,” so you might as well go for it and try the scary things. And what better time to do something epic and brave than on your birthday? If you really want to remember your birthday and don’t mind using some muscles and courage, then this is the perfect list for you. A majority of these activities are available in most states, though you may have to travel for 1 or 2. Let’s jump into it!
#1 Zipline & Ropes Course
I did this for my 19th birthday and absolutely loved it! So, if you're looking for some adventure, visit a TreeRunner Adventure Park. There are 3 locations in Michigan, including Grand Rapids, West Bloomfield Hills, and Rochester. There is also a location in Raleigh, North Carolina. As of right now, in 2025, tickets are around $65 a person.
What makes these parks so cool is that you get to pick which courses you want to go on, and you don't have to wait for workers at the park to operate your zipline and harness equipment. The park gives a 30-minute training demonstration that shows you how to operate your harness, and it is built in such a way that you will always be locked into the course so that you will never fall or be injured. There are beginner, intermediate, advanced, and expert courses, all marked with colors. Some of my favorite obstacles were walking on the tight ropes, making it across the floating planks (pictured below), swinging on the rope swing like Tarzan, repelling off platforms, and, of course, ziplining!
#2 Ride Roller Coasters at Cedar Point or a Nearby Theme Park
Scream your heart out and spend your day having fun by riding all of the roller coasters at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. My favorite rides are Steel Vengeance, GateKeeper, Top Thrill Dragster, and Valravn. Tickets are around $50 a person.
If you find yourself in Las Vegas, Nevada, be sure to stop by the Strat to try their thrill rides on top of the tower. This is a hotel, casino, and experience spot. My adrenaline junkie bestie and I went on the X-Scream twice! This was the scariest roller coaster I’ve ever been on. You shoot over the edge of the building headfirst! We also tried out the Insanity ride, which involves a big metal arm that extends out over the side of the building and then spins you. You sit in a swing-style seat where your feet can dangle. The view of the Las Vegas strip was insane. Lastly, we went on the Big Shot ride, which is like a power tower that goes up and down. This one was the least scary.
Right now, their website doesn’t mention the Insanity ride, and the X-Scream is currently closed, so I hope they reopen these soon. I would highly recommend this experience when and if they reopen these 2 rides. Prices range from $7 to around $40 right now. Height requirements to get on the rides can be found here.
#3 Get a Tattoo (Maybe Matching)
Think this one through before you do it, because it will be permanent, and it will hurt a little bit. Also, think about who you are getting this tattoo with and realistically consider if this person is someone you will always love. It's also a good idea to get a matching tattoo that can stand on its own. By this, I mean that the tattoo shouldn't need the other person's tattoo to make sense. You are absolutely more than welcome to get tattoos that depend on the other person, like "she keeps me wild" and "she keeps me sane," but if you do have a falling out with that person for some reason, a tattoo that can stand on its own will age better with you.
I've got one matching tattoo, and it's with my mom because I know that no matter what goes down in this life, I'll always love her and want her right by my side through it all. We chose to get one of our favorite Marvel quotes. Notice how the quote can stand on its own, but is still cute together? Also, notice that we didn't get our tattoos in the exact same place. So, know that you can absolutely get your matching tattoos in the same place, but that they can still look cool if they are in different spots.
Small quotes like these tattoos are more affordable than big, colorful images. For example, I got watercolor pawprints for my late dogs, and that was just under $400. So, keep price in mind and be sure to research your tattoo artist. Read their reviews! If you are in Southeast Michigan, I highly recommend Carl Door. You can find his company, Litos Body Art, on Instagram and at Comtempo Salon Studios in Ann Arbor. I highly recommend him because he is kind, respectful, clean, and he doesn’t pressure you or rush you. He just wants his clients to be completely happy with the art. Carl does book months ahead, but I think he is well worth the wait.
#4 Helicopter Ride
One of my best friends decided to celebrate her 21st birthday with a sunset helicopter tour over Detroit, and it was honestly one of the coolest things that I have ever experienced.
If you want to have a great 21st too, check out Max Flight Helicopter Services located in Grosse Ile, Michigan, and book the sunset tour. This tour costs around $175 per person and allows you and 2 guests to spend 30 minutes in the air. You also receive a video of your flight at no extra cost and can take as many pictures as you want. My friend’s mom gifted this experience to her, and I believe she spent around $500 for the 3 of us to go.
None of us had ever been in a helicopter, but we all did great and didn’t feel sick at all. You'll get to see Comerica Park, Ford Field, GM’s Renaissance Center, the mansions of Grosse Ile, and Canada. This company is open 7 days a week and offers a variety of other tours, so be sure to check them out.
#5 Skydiving
Get an adrenaline rush, bragging rights, and some awesome pictures. Go tandem skydiving. You’ll be harnessed to a certified professional instructor and won’t have to go through hours of training to do a solo dive. Be sure to grab a photo and video package for this awesome experience!
If you’re in Michigan, check out Skydive Tecumseh. They have over 2,000 reviews on Google, and they are rated the #1 skydiving center in Michigan. Their tandem skydiving packages range from $249 - $475 a person. Pricing depends on the day of the week and the height from which you skydive. Your free fall will range from 30 to 90 seconds, and after your parachute opens, you’ll get to take in the scenery for 4 to 6 minutes as you float down. The video packages range from $119 to $239. Skydive Tecumseh also notes on their website that they have hosted many guests with disabilities. They evaluate everyone with a disability on a case-by-case basis to ensure everyone’s safety. So, it’s really cool to see that there is a possibility for people with disabilities to skydive here.
#6 High Speed Go Karting
If you like racing, this is perfect and a great idea for a bigger group of people! My favorite place in Michigan so far is at Best in Games (B.I.G.) in Ypsilanti. The track is indoors, you get to do 10 laps, there’s a hill you get to go up and down, and the cars go fast. You buy a helmet sock to put over your face and stay clean, and then put on a helmet. I felt really safe the whole time. After your race, you get to see the leaderboard to see who came in what place. My bestie did this to celebrate her 22nd birthday.
I also love the go-kart track at Niagara Falls in Canada called Niagara Speedway! They have 3 levels you get to go up and then a giant hill you get to race down! C.J. Barrymore’s in Michigan recently built a similar track called their Indy Skytrack. They have a ton of other adrenaline junkie things you can do here, too, like roller coasters, ziplines, a saddle swing (I am too scared to do that), and a second go-kart track called the Grand Prix that has lots of twists and turns.
#7 Indoor Adventure Course / Ninja Warrior Course
Walk along foam balance beams, run up warped walls, and go down tsunami slides on an indoor adventure course! Check out the course at Best in Games. They have locations in Ypsilanti, Sterling Heights, and Warren in Michigan. These multi-level obstacle arenas let you climb, swing, balance, and leap your way through a series of challenges. Plus, these courses are typically inside and padded so that if you fall, you won’t get hurt, and can get right back up to try again. Race your friends to see who can make it through the course the quickest.
#8 Rock Climbing
Challenge yourself to reach new heights by going indoor rock climbing.
One of the largest and most iconic climbing gyms in Michigan is Planet Rock, with locations in Ann Arbor and Madison Heights. Their starter package is around $45, and they offer some really cool options like bouldering, which is free-climbing on shorter walls without any rope. You can also check out DYNO Detroit. Their day pass and rental gear start at $32, and they have cool, trendy purple walls.
If you’re not in Michigan, a lot of gyms have their own rock climbing walls. Compared to other adrenaline junkie activities, this is one of the most affordable activities.
#9 Trampoline Parks
Bounce into your birthday at a trampoline park where you can literally bounce off the walls! Jump, slide, or zipline into foam pits. Play dodgeball and shoot basketballs on trampolines, joust your friends and see who falls in the foam pit first, or climb ladders and walk across balance beams over foam pits. SkyZone has multiple locations in Southern Michigan and neighboring states. There are multiple trampoline parks across other states as well. This would be another activity that is great for larger parties, like high-speed go-karts.
#10 Hang off the Side of the Building on an Edge Walk Tower
This was one of the most fun things I’ve ever done! It’s an epic daredevil moment that will give you ultimate bragging rights and a once-in-a-lifetime action hero movie experience. I went to the CN Tower EdgeWalk in Toronto, Canada, with my bestie to do this. There is also an experience in New York called the City Climb at Hudson Yards. These experiences let you lean over the edges of the building with nothing but a harness. You get to see amazing views of Toronto or Manhattan. The CN Tower lets you lean over the 116th floor, and the City Climb lets you hang off the 100th floor.
I would recommend the CN Tower EdgeWalk because it is the world’s highest full-circle hands-free walk. This means you get to walk around the whole top of the building in a circle and lean over the edge in multiple places, whereas the City Climb only allows you to hang off of one spot. It’s also taller than the City Climb.
At the CN Tower, you go up with a group of 5 other people, your instructor, and an assistant. The whole experience is filmed from your instructor’s GoPro camera, and everyone has the chance to get 3 solo pictures as well as group pictures.
The picture on the right is the view of the tower from the ground. We leaned over the edge of the building all the way up at the circular part!
Our instructor and everyone we interacted with here were so incredibly kind and fun. One girl in our group was very scared, but the instructor was so nice. He didn’t rush her. He kept her calm and hyped her up, letting her know that she was absolutely capable and brave. I thought that was such a cool thing to see. The views were amazing, and we got to hang off both backwards, sitting in the harness, and forwards, leaning like a superhero. Tickets for the CN Tower EdgeWalk are around $225, and I think it’s absolutely worth every single penny.
What Adventure Are You Going to Choose?
Are you going to hang off a building or zipline in the trees? Maybe race high-speed go-karts or see the city from a helicopter? Or will you jump out of a plane or get that first tattoo? Let me know your favorite idea in the comments below! And tell me if you have other adrenaline junkie activities you want to try. I’d love to know!
I hope you have the adventure of a lifetime on your birthday!
Love,
Selena
