Such a fun way to see the city! We did the kayaking on the Cumberland tour and they made it so easy. You get great views and they even send you pictures of yourself. I would highly recommend them or do another of their tours. read more

Big Willie's Nashville - Paddleboarding Near Me - Nashville, Tennessee

Sunset kayak tour is where it's at! Beautiful views... cooler temps... and an awesome tour guide. Highly recommend for anyone looking to see the city from a different perspective. read more

Big Willie's Nashville - Beautiful evening sky - Paddleboarding Near Me - Nashville, Tennessee

Our family of 5 LOVED our kayak adventure. Dan, our guide, provided A+ service. Ebro had a great time. Our only regret is we didn't have time to try paddle boarding! We highly recommend using this local small business. read more

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A fun 3 mile kayak in Nashville. Most of the river is very industrial which was an eye sore when kayaking. However the last 30 minutes were in front of the city skyline. We paid about $45 for this 90 minute experience. They guides were nice and offered to take pictures of our individual groups. read more

Big Willie's Nashville - Paddleboarding Near Me - Nashville, Tennessee

We had a great time on the river today with Dan and Melissa. They made everything easy and even took pictures of us in the middle of the river. Thank you! Highly recommend! read more

Big Willie's Nashville - End of the trip. - Paddleboarding Near Me - Nashville, Tennessee

Such a great experience!! Dan and Melissa were great. They shuttle you up to the spot, have sunscreen, dry bags and water for you. They make sure to get comfortable on the paddle board and even take great pictures for you! If you're looking for a fun adventure in Nashville Big Willie's is the place to go! read more

What a great Nashville adventure on the Cumberland River! We paddle boarded with Big Willie's but they also offer kayaking. Easy parking near the stadium. We met the guides at their shuttle and it was a quick drive up river to the entry spot. Great for beginners and for those who have paddled before. The guides were awesome - - friendly, helpful and they made the experience that much better. There were plenty of opportunities for pictures (river backdrop and city skyline backdrop). You end at the spot you parked your car (free parking when there is no event at the Nissan Stadium). We walked back over the bridge to grab a late lunch after the paddle in downtown. read more

Big Willie's Nashville - Paddling on the river - Paddleboarding Near Me - Nashville, Tennessee

Surprised my BFF for her birthday! I got a Groupon and we were off to try this new experience of stand up Paddle boarding. Lets just say it was amazing! You meet the group by the pier and then drive down the river to the point we begin to start paddling. Once we were loaded up in the van John and Derek our guides were super motivating. When we arrive they fit you with the proper life jackets and paddles and then your off. I would suggest standing up on the board before you get in the deep part of the water. LOL. Any way getting on the actual board is a breeze due to the help of our guides. This was an amazing experience because it staredt to rain and it was so peaceful and beautiful just cruising down the river. This was an AMAZING experience will be back and I would suggest this to anyone looking for something fun and different to do in Nashville!! read more

My fiancé and I both experienced paddle boarding for the first time late last summer at Big Willies and loved it! Derek took the time to explain about the boards, go through safety steps, and make sure the oars were properly fitted. As the journey began I was a little nervous to stand up but with some instruction from Derek and the fact my fiancé was already up got me up pretty quick. The trip was very relaxing and had some amazing views of Nashville! We both can't wait to do it again! read more

Love these guys! Great prices and awesome boards. Derek and Jon are very informative, and even offer a bit of Nashville History during the tours. They also do a great job making sure everyone's comfortable on their boards and having a blast. We paddled down the Cumberland with a group of friends during a concert this summer and it was truly unforgettable. I'll definitely be back when the weather warms up! read more

Big Willie's Nashville - Amazing sunset! - Paddleboarding Near Me - Nashville, Tennessee

BIG disappointment!!! We booked and paid a week in advanced.. we were supposed to kayak at 10am we were told to meet at a certain location at 945.. we were standing there with about 10 other people and no one showed up! We called and texted and no one answered!! Finally at 10:20 we left! BIG Willy ruined our entire morning. We are in from NY only for a few days! We hope to get a refund... We are very disappointed! Do not book with this complaint read more

Big Willies= big disappointment! Paid for kayaking a week in advance. Showed up at the location at 9:45 am as requested. We were met with about 10 other people. Nobody ever showed up or called. Everyone tried to get in touch, all calls went right to voicemail. We waited and waited. Now I hope we get a refund. Big Willie ruined our whole morning. We're only here for a few days & we could have done something different. Don't book with this company. read more

This is a great local company! The owners are clearly loving what they do and make sure that you have a great time on the river. Go with friends, or make new friends with other paddlers. This was my first time on a paddle board and I loved it. The views and scenery were great, even during a pop-up shower. A few other things to mention: the equipment and transportation were all in excellent condition, dry bags were provided to keep your stuff safe, and the owners were helpful and encouraging. Book your trip, then pack a picnic lunch to enjoy on the riverfront! Just don't say there's nothing fun to do around here! read more

We went kayaking at Percy priest lake. Such a blast! It was a beautiful day for a picnic. We loved doing an outdoor activity out of the hustle and bustle! I would highly recommend this company if friends were visiting Nashville! read more

What a great way to spend an afternoon in Nashville with a great group of people! Melissa and the crew truly are fantastic and so much fun! Whether you're a local or visitor, check out BIG WILLIE'S!!! You will not be disappointed. read more

Amazing paddle board tour down the Cumberland river! Had an amazing experience with this company and will definitely will be booking again in the future. I think it would make a fun activity for team building, bachelorette parties , and the like! read more

Our original Friday plan to paddle down the Cumberland was postponed due to muck in the river due to the damn opening/big scary floating debris/some environmental jargon so we were given the option to either be refunded or join the group the following morning. I really appreciated the flexibility & being given the option to decide myself rather than by a company policy. We were super excited for our very first paddling adventure so we happily decided to join the group in the morning. We were greeted by two friendly enough guys, Willy (not THE Willie) & the guy with the long groovy hair who's name I never caught. Willy & groovy haired guy corralled our large group & drove us up the river where we launched from. I was pretty nervous about my ability to stand on the paddle board being a complete newb but it was a total piece of cake. We glided down the river, Willy did a great job paddling between our group & the stragglers behind us to ensure we all felt comfortable, making suggestions to our paddle board technique & taking advantage of photo-ops. We easily maneuvered to the landing spot, were met by the Big Willie van & departed with not much acknowledgement. We really enjoyed the experience, the length of the paddle was just right & I can imagine what an unbelievable experience it could be with people out on the grassy riverfront for an event. My *only* suggestion to make this a FIVE star Nashville experience is that we didn't experience much hospitality from our guides as could have been possible. We were never offered dry bags (which are offered on the Willie website), we were only directed to the bottled waters from the cooler after asking about it at the end of the paddle (again, because we saw it on the Willie website) and it was a HOT 95 degree day in Nashville & groovy guy just sort of stood there watching me awkwardly straddle my paddle just waiting for me to crash my paddle board into the landing area without so much of a peep of direction or suggestion (remember, I'm a complete paddle board newb with no sea legs). He brought the van around, we retrieved our items, tipped the guy with the groovy hair, thirstily sucked down a water from the cooler & just sort of moseyed away with so much of a thank you/have a good day/Big Willie Rules!/see 'ya. If you're visiting the Nashville area- do it! You'll love it & it's a nice reprieve from the endless rows of bars & Honky Tonk. read more

My best friend and I had a wonderful time today with Hilary as our guide!!! From the moment we arrived, she greeted us with a smile. We had been boarding before, so we easily got started, but Hilary made sure all the new people got out to the water and helped anyone who needed it. We felt like she let us do our own thing without feeling like our tour was too constricted. They let you get in the water as well, which was lovely and refreshing. And the bottle of water waiting for us at the end was perfect. Thank you for a great experience Big Willie's!! read more

Went paddle boarding with a group of friends Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend when Big Willie's wasn't even running any tours that day but they were so nice and made an exception since it was the only day we were able to do it! Derek was awesome and the whole experience was a lot of fun! I would definitely recommend Big Willie's for anyone looking to do something cool in Nashville read more

Great prices and an even better time! Derek and Jon do an amazing job leading the tour, especially with their vast knowledge of Nashville history. Even though it was clear Derek and Jon both had a lot of experience with paddle boarding, they were great to make sure everyone felt comfortable and answered every questions before the tour kicked off. After they gave the run down, it was honestly one of the easiest and most fun things I have ever experienced! A+++++ to Big Willie's Action Sports! I'll definitely be going as soon as I can! read more

Best paddle boarding. Best value. BEST GUIDES! Great for locals who want to take advantage of a beautiful Nashville day or for tourists/out of town friends who want to experience Nashville in a way only Big Willies can show you. Love this. read more

A friend of mine in Nashville's boyfriend owns this company and was nice enough to take us out on the river last sunday! What a fun experience and a neat alternative view of downtown. They did an awesome job teaching everyone what they needed to know and were very patient with the slow paddlers. Don't let the fact that you've never paddled stop you from going on this adventure. Its a great alternative to going to the gym! read more

Big Willies paddle boarding is the best. We went over Memorial Day weekend and had a blast. Both the guys running it are awesome; very informative and accommodating. My friend had never paddle boarded and I had only gone a few times years ago, but they tell you how to get on and off ( or how to jump into the river and back on the board if you want). You pick it up really fast, and it is cool to glide down the river towards the skyline. I would highly recommend this to literally anyone! It was one of the biggest highlights of our trip to Nashville! read more

We signed up for the stand up paddle board tour and were fairly disappointed by our afternoon. Pros: Big Willies was great with communication. We were concerned about the weather, but they stayed in contact and were quick to respond (better to text than call). Thy provided water and snacks at the end which was nice. Also, the view at the end of our tour was beautiful, with a great view of Broadway. Cons: the description on their website is misleading. The title of what we signed up for is a paddle board TOUR, so we assumed there would be some tour aspect to it, like pointing out some buildings along the river, history of the river, or something. Our "tour guide" was more of a glorified camp counselor who just paddled along with us and didn't speak much. He was fine, but it wasn't what I was expecting from a tour. There also wasn't much to see at all, except for the last 20 minutes of the trip. Also according to the description, the tour guide was supposed to be taking pictures during the trip. We got 2-3 pictures at the end of the trip, but that was it. I can't write negatively about the weather, because they can't control that. It was a super windy day, which obviously made paddle boarding much more difficult. However, the description online made it seem that our tour would be going with the current (which makes the most sense, right??). Instead, we had an upstream 3 mile trek against the current and the wind. I got a great workout, but it was hardly an easy, low-key paddle board session that we were expecting. Overall, I would not come back and wouldn't recommend to others. We looked at other companies and specifically chose this one because of the photos, the tour, and location, but ultimately left disappointed. read more

Our huge group of 21 high school students and advisors were in town for a national competition and chose to paddle board and kayak on our free day in Nashville. Jon and Derek were so friendly and easy to work with through the entire process (from planning, to waiver checks, to getting everyone in the water). I highly recommend Big Willie's Action Sports to anyone wanting to have fun while enjoying the awesome cityscape via the Cumberland River. We will definitely repeat our trip next time we are back in Nashville! read more

We had a great time paddling down the river with these folks. They met us in the spot by the boat ramp in the park, their van was clearly recognizable. They were very friendly, just as if we were already acquaintedThey helped us get the boards into the river, and off we went with our guy John. The river is pretty quiet, and John made sure we knew which side to stay on to stay out of the way of any motor boats. There were a few sets of small waves from other craft, but for the most part the other boats were courteous and slowed. down so as not to leave too much of awake. The whole trip is just lovely, and there's some great wildlife to watch on the riverbank. There were also some kayakers out that day and the whole river just felt like another fun place to hang out. The most dramatic part of this float is when you turn a bend in the river and suddenly see downtown Nashville framed by the bridges. We are local, and this was still a dramatic sight. This is just a lovely enjoyable trip and I highly recommend going with these people read more

We went paddle boarding yesterday for the first time with this group, and it was awesome! Don't get me wrong, it was definitely a work out, but it was very relaxing at the same time. Our guide and driver made sure everyone was having fun, and able to get up on their board. Their tutorial was brief, but it was informative, and it turns out there really isn't that much to it. We had a great time, and I can't wait to go again! read more

Went out on the paddle board tour this morning. Both of the guys (John and Derek) were fantastic, from making reservations to safety instructions to be encouraging to a first timer! Would highly recommend Big Willies!!! read more

We are from Nashville and included a paddle tour in our annual end of summer fun day before kids head back to college. We had a full day planned based on the tour times advertised. We had a great time paddle boarding but the tour was billed as 2-3 hours. We departed at 10 am and were back in our car pulling away at 11:30. When I expressed disappointment that the tour length was not as billed, the tour guides then stated that some groups paddle upriver first or spend more time at the dock. This comment was offered after we had hauled all the gear back up to the van from the dock. The guides were friendly but did nothing extra to earn a tip. read more

We had so much fun paddleboarding! The majority of our group were beginners, and it was super easy to get up and enjoy the paddleboarding experience. We all loved it! Thanks Derek and Jon! read more