Up to 700 people a day used to jump out of planes over the same stretch of Zephyrhills that’s still doing it today. Skydive City — known locally as Z-Hills — is one of the busiest drop zones in the country, logging around 70,000 jumps a year from skydivers who come from more than 80 countries and every US state.
The facility sits right off Zephyrhills Municipal Airport at 4241 Sky Dive Lane, and most of what it does is tandem skydiving for first-timers: about 20 minutes of ground training, then a flight up to 13,500 feet, a freefall of roughly 60 seconds at speeds near 120 mph, and a few minutes floating down under canopy. A standard tandem jump runs $249, dropping to $199 on Tuesdays; anyone who’s already done a tandem can buy repeat jumps at $99 each, with video packages running $95 on top.
Nobody has to jump to see any of it. An observation deck lets friends and family watch the whole thing from the ground, which is as close as most visitors get — and on a clear weekend, watching a loaded plane climb out and a string of canopies open up overhead is its own kind of show.
Z-Hills has been a fixture of the skydiving world for decades, long enough that former operator Jerry Bird ran as many as ten planeloads a day out of it during its busiest stretches. That history is part of why skydivers from outside the US specifically plan trips here instead of jumping somewhere closer to home.
One real caveat: tandem pricing and hours can shift with season and weather, so call ahead before driving out for a same-day jump.
Good to know: Skydive City, 4241 Sky Dive Lane, Zephyrhills, FL 33542. Open Sun, Tue, Sat 8am-5pm; Mon, Wed-Fri 9am-5pm. (813) 783-9399.
For more things to do nearby, see our guide to Pasco County’s outdoor parks.
Photo courtesy Skydive City.