Raeford, North Carolina - Landlubbers version of sky diving.  If you would like to escape the mundane pleasures of life such as walking over hot coles in your bare feet, I offer for your consideration a trip to Raeford, North Carolina.  “Why”, you may ask, “would I want to go to Raeford, North Carolina; especially if I had to drive more than a mile to do so?”.  Because, it is the home of (drum roll and clash of cymbals) Paraclete XP SkyVenture.  XP SkyVenture is a three story, 12,000 square foot facility that contains a specialized wind tunnel for indoor skydiving plus three recreation rooms and a snack area.  The idea of having a snack area in a facility like this is, in my opinion, like having a hot dog shack next to a roller coaster, but I digress.  So, if you would like to fly around like an astronaut without going into space or be a pseudo Golden Knight without bailing out the back end of a military transport this might be just what you are looking for.  It certainly won’t be the same old, same old.  I must admit that my calculations for what makes a good real estate investment fail me on this one but then again I don’t know the math of the business and the guy who built it has been financially successful in other businesses so - -.  The facility is reported to have cost a cool $10 million.  You will need to be certain your bank account is in good shape before dashing off to enjoy the simple pleasures of hurricane force winds in this pleasure dome.   A half hour will set you back $400 while a full hour can be had at the bargain rate of $700. To get to Xanadu, pardon me SkyVenture, from Raleigh take I-40 to I-95 south.  Follow business I-95/U.S. 301 into Fayetteville.  Take a right on Grove street, left at Bragg Boulevard to U.S. 401.  West on 401, right on Brock Road to Paraclete.  Paraclete to XP SkyVenture at 190 Paraclete Drive.  For more info. call 888-475-9386 and/or try www.paraclet-exp.com.  If you are flying in from the West Coast or from out of the country to try this out and would like more info about the area call me at the telephone number given below or send me an email at the below address.  Somehow I don’t think this is what Sinatra had in mind but what the hay - whatever makes your motor go. 

John Fish (919) 696-3474    Email: Marvmax@mindspring.com   Website: www.JohnFish.com