Foxwoods signs deal with zipline operator
Mashantucket — A West Coast operator of outdoor adventure and resort facilities is designing a zipline attraction that Foxwoods Resort Casino now hopes to have up and running by next spring.
“It definitely will be built in the next few months,” Felix Rappaport, Foxwoods’ president and chief executive officer, said in an interview last week. “We could have a soft opening in November and some ridership over the winter, depending on the weather. It’s going to be a breathtaking ride.”
Rappaport first revealed in March that a zipline was being planned.
He said Foxwoods has signed a deal with Redwood Parks Co., of Redding, Calif., to develop the zipline, which is to extend from the 350-foot Fox Tower, one of Foxwoods’ two hotel towers, down to the nearby Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center.
Riders — suspended from the line in a harness — will “zip” along a 3,700-foot “run” at high speeds.
Redwood Parks’ president, Brian Stewart, founded the company in 2015.
In late June, Virgin Islands National Park officials announced that Redwood Parks had been chosen to provide commercial services at Cinnamon Bay Resort and Trunk Bay Beach in St. John. A 15-year concessions contract, effective Oct. 1, calls for Redwood Parks to provide lodging, camping, food-and-beverage and retail services as well as equipment rentals.
Redwood Park’s website lists the “HighFlyer Zipline” on its “Destinations” page, along with the description “Coming Soon.” A panoramic view of Foxwoods appears in the background.
Stewart did not respond Tuesday to phone and email messages seeking comment on the HighFlyer project.
According to its website, Redwood Parks operates “outdoor adventure and resort destinations for municipalities, state parks, national parks and tribal nations.”
Stewart previously worked for more than a decade for two of the largest park hospitality companies in America, Xanterra Parks & Resorts and Hornblower Cruises & Events, the website says.
“Our management team and investors are all experienced business operators with a strong belief in the importance of environmental and cultural stewardship,” the site says. “We are well funded, nimble and actively looking to expand our operations …”
Rappaport has said the zipline project fits with Foxwoods' master plan, which seeks to broaden the resort casino’s appeal with millennials and families.
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