This was our first experience on the Cartecay River. We typically tube in Helen, but we liked that this was a lot closer! So here's the sitch... The set up is super weird! You park and pay at one site, then you are taken to another site by a super old bus. THEN, you are dropped at a site that you collect your tubes. THEN you have to be bussed back to your car when the ride is over. The Bad - We waited an hour and a half for the freakin tubes! The dude at the check in was not very child friendly due to his use of foul language during his speech to us. The tubes are old and worn out! After the 3 hour tubing experience was over (a bit too long) we had to WAIT AGAIN to get a driver to haul us back to where we parked! The first driver that came through was super rude when we asked which spot we were parked at, due to him yelling "UPPER OR LOWER"??? WTH is upper or lower? Well obviously we annoid him by asking this question because his response was just RUDE! The Good - The river is really beautiful. It is a lot larger than the Helen river and A LOT LESS ROCKS! Although they do have rocks that you have to deviate around it is a lot less than the other river. The tubes are $11.00 per person which is a great price for family fun. read more

I recently went tubing at Cartecay River Experience with a group of about 40 people. The place is fairly easy to find (although a few in our group were directionally challenged and arrived significantly later than the others). Once you get there, you park, pay your money, sign your life away and wait on a bus to pick you up to take you to the drop off location. The bus is a bit decrepit looking with all kinds of names sharpied on the inside. I made the mistake of leaning my arm against one of the walls and emerged from the bus with big blue sharpie streaks on my left arm. The river took care of it and washed it all away for me. I did add my initials and the date on the return trip. I've been tubing plenty of times and I have to say that this is probably the best tubing I've experienced water wise. The river was deep enough that you didn't get stuck too often. I never actually had to exit my tube to get myself unstuck. I've had to do that plenty of times on other rivers. There are tons of rocks hidden in shallow water, but you can usually navigate around them or life your body up high enough that you don't drag yourself over them. The current is fast enough that you are moving along nicely on the river. We sometimes ended up exiting the current and sitting near the edges of the river. This was easily fixed by pushing ourselves back towards the middle of the water. You can also easily use your hands and paddle/steer yourself in the direction you want to go. The river is a categorized as class 2 for rapids and bring a bit of excitement to your experience. I had a great time being swept through the rushing water and over rocks. There's even a tiny waterfall at the end that is loads of fun. Most people get out of the tubes and climb back up to go over it multiple times. It took about 2 and a half hours to get to the end of the tubing portion. They tell you about the bridge and that you hop out to the right just after the bridge. The bridge has signs that informed you that you must exit or you will be stuck in the water for another 6 hours. After hopping out, you wait for the bus to come pick you up. They call the phone about every 15 minutes to see if anyone is ready to be picked up. There was no need for them to call with us because we couldn't all fit on the bus and he knew he had to make multiple trips to grab us. The busing to and from the drop off location is a bit of a cluster. Ok maybe more than a bit of a cluster. Some groups had to wait over an hour just to get to the river and start their fun. Some groups had to wait almost as long to get picked up at the end of the journey. My advice is to arrive early in the morning before the crowds get there and enjoy yourself. read more

For the "Most Part" the tubing experience was go okay. With that said, it would have been great to know there was a Class 3 rapid/drop at the very end of the run. There were 5 people in my party and one was 7 years old. Of the 5, 2 made it over unscathed -- my daughter-in-law ended up flipping twice and hurt her side and leg. My Son and Grandson ended up on the far right of the fall and fortunately was able to grab hold to a large rock out cropping. I then went up river by foot and then across the river and down to rescue them. Had he and my grandson gone down the rapid/fall at that point they would have been severely hurt. The operator gave us literally NO instruction other than connect the lifevest "to" the tube (except grandson had to wear his) and take off down the river. Absolutely NO information on the large drop at the end! Also, when you finish you have to get out of the river "Immediately" after the fall or face a 4 to 6 hour trip down in unknown waters. Once you are out you are instructed to walk up to a pay phone and wait for them to call and then they will come get you. After the call was received it took 45 minutes for someone to show up. They came to pickup the group in a broken down rust bucket of a van--- a 9 passenger van where the rear seats were removed and replaced by two (one on each side) 2"x8" piece of wood. They crammed 15 people in the van with no seat belts and took off. If you plan on tubing "Do Not" use Cartecay River Tubing - it is a totally unprofessional operation. read more

We had so much fun! We had a group of 10, 4 adults and kids ranging from 6-14. Everyone loved it! Yes, you need an adventurous spirit, dont be a lame duck about flipping or just dont go tubing. A 4 foot stick will help you. The staff were great, the transportation was fun and the kids loved it. I was on the fence after reading some of the reviews, but after doing this with all the kids I have to say those who did not appreciate this experience probably just shouldn't go tubing. I definitely dont think the water at the end was so wicked crazy. Wicked fun, yes! My 6 year old who freaks about rides had his hands up every time the water got fast. I had to tell him to hold on for the last one. He wanted to go again! Again the staff was great helping us pull out of the river and we only waited about 5 minutes for a ride back. The pizza, you must try the pizza. Its amazing. read more

My family of 5 enjoyed tubing at the CRE this past weekend. We had a great time. It took us about 3 hours to get down the river. Next time we won't connect are tubes because it kept causing us to get hooked up on rocks. Also get a paddle to help maneuver around rocks if needed. Thankful we didn't bring our dog tubing. We all flipped over at one point and lost our GoPro. I can't imagine having to rescue my dog while trying to get our tubes back underneath us. There are a couple of rope swings on your way down the river too. read more

Great time. Enough for a first time novice and older kids, but challenging enough for experienced, enough not to be boring but relaxing. Nice and patient staff. read more

We had a great time kayaking the river for the first time! 3 adults, and 90 min of exhilarating moments. The guys that operate this venture are very laid back. They give you sound advice before launching, listen and take the advice, paddle in the water during the rapids! The rides to and fro are unique and not built for comfort but transportation, part of your experience!!! Thank you guys, Tanya, Fred & Pam read more

Great tubing experience! Very good prices, $13 for a 3 mile/3 hour trip. Easy, grab your tube and jump in, and then they shuttle you back at the end. Would highly recommend! read more

**GO IF YOU WANT AN ADVENTURE** The directions were tricky, and it took a while to prepare. The location is in the back of the main roads, and the roads wind through residential areas and farms. However, the area is gorgeous and lusciously green. The drive is also an experience. When our group of five finally arrived, the business was very simple and organized. We didn't know what to expect, but the owner already had the waivers out before we even arrived on the site. He gave us a safety briefing, warned us of the conditions of the river, and gave us plenty of time to prepare. After the purchase and safety briefing, we had to drive our vehicle to the drop off point so that our group would end our adventure by our vehicle, which was totally logical. Once that was done, we got a ride back from the owner to our starting location (our original meeting area). He allowed us to tie our tubes together in a group of three and a group of two, gave us life-vests, and bid us good luck. For the actual experience, we embarked on a three-mile, one direction river run that was complete with wildlife (spiders, geese, squirrels, and etc), small waterfalls, rocks, and cold water. This was indubitably an adventure for us since we had never experienced something so wild and untamed. However, the cunningly crafted log cabins, the beauty of the greenery, the majesty of the river, group hijinks, and a soothing picnic spot at the end of the adventure made the treacherous experience worthwhile. Important: You will get wet Leave all of your belongings that you don't want to lose in the car Kayaking might be safer (We went Tubing, and it was somewhat tough) There are rocks at the bottom of the river This is not Disney. This is a river. [I'm from Orlando, and I can make that comment. :P ] Wear your life-vests!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is worth the risk! read more

I saw a Groupon running and snatched it up. I paid 25 dollars for 2 people to kayak. The operation is simple. The owner, Woody, was helpful and friendly. Anyone that says there is a class III rapid at the end of the excursions is flat out lying (see previous review by someone named Don). The shuttle came and picked us up and it wasn't a big deal. Overall, for the price, it was a great experience. read more

We kayaked this river and had a great time! It is fast and not too challenging or boring. The sign in area is close to the river and it is a short ride back. We will be back. read more

Don't use this outfitter. The transportation and equipment are terrible. They don't give you helmets, going down class I rapids. Very dangerous. They literally drop you off at what looks like a junk yard and leaves. No direction or any communication. The tubes didn't have any sort of neck rest, imagine 4 hours on an over inflated tube with no neck support. Please don't let kids younger then 13 on this trip. Way too rough with terrible equipment. read more

I really enjoyed the experience. We went for my birthday and woody made it his business to make sure I enjoyed myself. Woody is an out spoken person who turn my questions out of fear into jokes and put me a little more at way about doing it. My friend turn around and when we arrived back from the river woody and the gang had took good care of him and showed him a great time!!! read more

We had a great experience! The water was cold and refreshing, the perfect place to spend our lazy summer day! So glad they were open so we could do the 2 hour float. read more

This was a great experience! It was myself, wife, 2 kids ( 9and 15) and Papa. We went down the river on tubes and had a blast, If you have just a bit of coordination and adventure than this is no problem. Don't let some of the reviews scare you off, there are a couple of rapid spots that are class 2 but are just plain fun. The last area by the bridge was a great finish and the kids and I must have gone down it a dozen times trying different routes, I guess this is the 10 foot drop that some were so frightened of but trust me it's more like a water park ride. We went on a Monday and it was perfect, I understand the weekend gets a bit crowded but I would say go do it! The staff was very nice and the transport is what it is, it's a way to get you back to your car not a limousine. read more

This experience was great for my boyfriend and I who have experience in the springs in Florida as far as rafting. The rapids were fun and challenging enough. We each fell out once but it was all in good fun. Glad we didn't take anything important with us because we definitely got soaked. The employees were fun and easy going. If we are in the area again, we'd definitely go back. read more

Great place to go with your family and friends!!!!! Jenny and Woody are the greatest when it comes to hospitality!

Okay seriously think before you go here. Upon arriving our $11/person was quickly taken and a van came to pick us up and take us to the river put in area. This van can only be described as the van you teach your children to steer clear of...it looked like it would break at any moment and was filthy. The van smelled like smoke because the driver drove away smoking inside of it. After arriving at the secondary location we were told we would have to wait for tubes. We waited approximately and hour and a half before tubes came for our group. A group a few before us said they had been waiting for more than 2 hours for their tubes. Never before our money was taken of our party of nine were we advised of a wait for tubes. When the tubes arrived they were deflated and ripped. We inflated them at the post and within minutes of going down the river the tube started to deflate. The river itself was very low this day. No one advised of this either, so the experience was horrible. Because the water was low there were many rocks that we continually hit and got stuck on. All in all it was not the experience we thought we were going to have. Several times throughout the trip we wished we could stop. We left the river with more bruises than one could imagine. If you choose to go here ask them about the wait for tubes and the level of the river, and good luck... read more

We had a great time the first time we went tubing on the river; however, the second time we ended up going to the emergency room. DO NOT TRUST THE ROPE SWINGS! A friend took a swing on the rope and landed skull first on a rock. 12 staples later we are out an entire evening of what should have been enjoyable tubing and significantly more money. The guys are pleasant enough and we do not hold them responsible; but the liability waiver is there for a reason. They send people down the river and don't claim much responsibility for what happens. Stick to your tube and you should be fine. Save the more exciting activities for a water park with insurance. read more

Cartecay River Experience is a blast! The owner, Woody, is a great guy that supports kayaking and the community. Whether you rent or bring your own everyone hear is friendly and laid back. You won't be disappointed. read more

Great deal on groupon. Took 6 people tubing for $37. Wear old shoes, check water levels before you go. Know you will probably get stuck on rocks. Dont take anything you dont want wet or lost. That includes glasses, phones, keys....just dont...trust me! You will get knocked into water at somepoint. Know you will come out with at least one scrape or bruise if not more. Listen to directions, follow rules. If you get flipped off tube in rapids do not try to stand up. Pick your feet and but up and just ride them till it gets back to normal flow. Fighting it will only make it worse. Rocks in water are slippery and you cannot get good footing in regular flow much less a rapid. read more

This really is 50/50. As for the actual float we enjoyed it. It was fun but don't expect it to be just a leisurely float but I liked the quick spots followed by some leisurely floating. And the big rock slide near the bottom be. It took 2 hours. Now the negative really takes away from what should be a fun experience. We had two cars and didn't know where were two locations so lost 45 minutes sorting that out. Make sure you know where you're going. Long slow wait in line. But post float was the worst, the wait was so bad. 1:15hr we waited after the tubing. They kept giving wrong line info. I swear the kid was 12 working. No signage for which lines went to which locations. The vans are awful. Not safe for transport. It felt 3rd world. They were even putting people packed full In the back of pick up trucks because the vans were so slow. Can't believe they don't have a school bus style bus. It was either a rough gross van or a nasty shuttle. Packed full including everyone standing in the aisle. I can't imagine it's legal. So loved the tubing portion. The rest is a disaster. read more

Excellent place to go kayaking. $25 for a nice kayak and 5 miles of fun class II river. Extremely friendly staff. No time limits on how long you can stay out. I highly recommend this place to any kayaker or tuber. read more

Cartecay River Experience - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Ellijay, Georgia

So the place looks a little shady when you first pull up , but don't let that fool you. We went 4th of July 2016 weekend expecting a huge crowd @9 in the morning to find only a few people there. The river was not crowded like Helen! The rapids were so much fun towards the end. But be careful they will flip you in a second. Overall nice experience and will be back with more friends. read more

My family of six adults and two children under twelve went tubing in June. The business was highly rated. I don't know why. Woody, the man in charge, was rude and condescending. His instructions were sketchy: go left at the fork; right at the bridge. He didn't explain how difficult this could be in the rapids. He said we could take life jackets if we wanted. We did. On the water, I discovered mine didn't have a buckle. One of our rafts was under inflated, something we couldn't tell until we were on the river. My husband, an experienced swimmer, was flipped from his raft and almost drowned. As he struggled to make it to the shore, he thought he wouldn't make it. He almost didn't. I couldn't get to him because I was holding onto the tube of our eight-year old granddaughter so she wouldn't get thrown onto the rocks. The water is much rougher than Woody told us. When my daughter tried to tell him that we had trouble, he was rude and dismissive. When my husband called, Woody was rude and dismissive. For people who didn't have problems, you were lucky. I almost never give one-star reviews, but people need to know about the careless lack of concern of this company. read more

Tubing was fun, probably get similar experience any other place. it was after we were picked up that it got interesting. Arrived back to the building and the lady that was there when we left was gone and she had locked up her building with a padlock, which happened to have everyone's car keys. The driver said he didn't have a key so he took off again in his little bus in quite a hurry so we thought he went to get the key. Instead he just came back with more people. We were waiting in the hot sun, stranded for a couple of hours i would guess. She had evidently gone to help someone on the river that injured her knee, great, but maybe the driver could have a key to the building so they don't hold people hostage. It's just a thought. I would not go back there again. read more

I love going down the river with this loving family business. Their daughter helped me get out of my tube when I was getting out of the river I hope she gets payed a lot and if she doesn't she need to be payed more. My experience was every amazing definitely coming back again some day!!! read more

We have done this several times with the kids and always have a great time! The pace is just right for all ages. Great staff, reasonably priced, and overall fun experience. Will do it again! read more

As mentioned on the groupon you are required to make a reservation for weekend tubing trips. I made my reservation 2 weeks in advance with no problem. My family of 4 packed up and drove over an hour from Cartersville to the location of the Cartecay River Experience to find an empty shack. We waited a while but the place was deserted so I decided to call. He told me that the river was low and that he was not sending people out because his tubes were popping. He did not call me to let me know. We drove all that way and didn't even get to tube. We weren't the only ones waiting there for him to show up either there were others. I think this groupon is a scam and that his place of business is a scam. How can it be "open daily from 9am-4pm" when no one was even there to help service customers? Please don't waste your time here, you will be disappointed. read more