Untether From the Ground for These Seven High-Flying Summer Activities

From aerials to trapeze art, here are seven ways you can satisfy your inner ninja and defy gravity in Austin. Started from the bottom now we here.

1) Movies and TV love to use the trapeze as a metaphor for letting go and trusting yourself. Have your own Sex and the City moment and nail that trapeze catch for a good cause at nonprofit Circus of Hope (13317 Fitzhugh at Stunt Ranch), which provides circus experiences for at-risk youth and select classes for adults, too.

2) Practice doing acrobatics on ribbons in the middle of the air as well as other aerial arts at Sky Candy (Main studio: 507 Calles #117; Cesar Chavez studio: 2400 E. Cesar Chavez).

3) Camping is fun. Camping off the ground away from the creepy crawlies is better. Elevate your camping experience with Austin-based Kammok's hammocks and tents that hang in the trees. Order online, or visit the gear shop at 1401 E. Seventh.

4) Train your kid to safely parkour – the discipline of leaping and evading obstacles in the most artful way – and be America's next Ninja Warrior at BAM Academy (8222 N. Lamar).

5) Just 40 minutes outside the city, Lake Travis Zipline Adventures (14529 Pocohontas Trl., Leander) lets you cross 2,800 feet in a flash, James Bond style. Night zips come with glow sticks and headlamps.

6) Look down on Austin literally (and possibly figuratively) and enjoy how baller it feels to be poolside on a skyscraper roof sucking down a fruity drink. Downtown Aus­tin has a few rooftop bars and pools to choose from, including the JW Marriott (110 E. Second); WET Deck at the W (200 Lavaca), with DJ sets and specialty cocktails every Sunday for Soundwave; and Azul at Westin Aust­in Down­town (310 E. Fifth), which owns bragging rights as the highest rooftop lounge in town.

7) Climb to new heights at Austin Bouldering Project (979 Spring­dale). The center – 23,000 square feet of space dedicated to climbing, with no ropes and no harnesses – also includes a full gym, yoga studio, and social lounge where you can kick back and congratulate yourself on returning to earth in one piece.