The Aquatarium at Tall Ships Landing on Brockville's waterfront has shot out of the starting gate.

The unique new discovery centre officially opened last Friday to great fanfare with officials already able to say the new attraction is drawing larger crowds than expected since its soft launch in early March.

"This project is a great example of the Government of Canada's committment in helping revitalize Canadian communities," Mark Gerretsen, MP for Kingston and the Islands, told the official opening crowd at the destination's entrance. He was speaking on behalf of the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario.

The $25-million, 27,000+ square foot Aquatarium is a discovery centre with interactive adventures and experiences to inspire critical thinking through storytelling and play while cultivating an appreciation of the history, culture and ecosystems of the 1000 Islands region.

"When people ask what this project does for us, we have an incredible building here that's an asset to this community for many, many years to come," said Brockville Mayor Dave Henderson. 

In honour of the opening, flags were raised outside the facility and the Fair Jeanne's cannons sounded. Guest speakers included local MP Gord Brown, MPP Steve Clark, Aquatarium Steering Committee Chairman Tony Barnes, and Tall Ships Landing developer Simon Fuller. Mayor Henderson read comments from Brad Duguid, Ontario Minister of Economic Development, Employment and Infrastructure, who was unable to attend.

Photo above: Treetop Trekking of Quebec specialists are designing and building the aerial Adventure Park and zip line course.

Skywood Eco Adventure Park is well underway in the former Brown's Bay provincial park campground on the 1000 Islands Parkway. The unique new destination will open in late June with a children's Treewalk Village following in August. Year 2 will see more expansion and on-site camping.

"Our plan is to make it the biggest in North America in the second year,"  Lou Seiler, Manager of Parks and Recreation Facilities for the St. Lawrence Parks Commission (SLPC), said during a tour of the park last week. 

"It's very exciting. Our hope is to inspire a whole new generation," he said, adding Skywood will be completely accessible and designed for hours of enjoyment and outdoor adventure for people of all ages.

Skywood will have three sections. A zip lining tour will include 8 zip lines of various lengths over Skywood's forest, limestone cliffs, Jones Creek and surrounding wetlands. Zip tours will be guided with ecological interpretation along the way lasting up to 3 hours. 

The Adventure Park section will feature five aerial courses each made up of a series of unique games with wooden bridges, Tarzan swings and zip lines high in the forest canopy. The third component, the children's Treewalk Village, will be a magical network of colourful tree houses connected by ramps, nets and slides. A mini aerial course just a few feet off the ground will provide training for youngsters.

Safety is paramount, said Susan LeClair, Manager of Customer Services and Corporate Communications. The Edelrid Smart Belay System is being used, a two-carabiner system considered one of the safest in the industry. All visiting groups will have guides and rangers assisting.

Advanced eco-friendly construction techniques mean trees are not being damaged. Specialized wooden "tree-hugger" savers mean there is no bark penetration. 

About 20 new jobs are being created for the first season of operation. Skywood will be managed and operated by the St. Lawrence Parks Commission. 

Learn more about this region's newest outdoor attraction by visiting the Parks of the St. Lawrence website and the Skywood page and follow Skywood on Facebook and Twitter for the newest developments.