My husband and I always love coming here for our weekend getaway... the river is so peaceful, water is clear and the kayaks provided are the good spacious kind. Their campsites are nice and right along the river by the ending of the kayaking trip. I love the fire things they provided. They are great for cooking on!! Bathrooms were a quick walk and I love the random decorations they have set out. I was unimpressed with the showers that they provide. I guess it is considered off-season right now because only one of the doors out of four was unlocked and there was poop smeared on the walls and on the floor... I understand not wanting to have to clean four separate showers but leaving one shower for everyone to have to use considering their isn't someone cleaning it daily is unprofessional and inconsiderate. Also, we asked for firewood and saw a pallet of it behind the building but wasn't allowed to purchase any. The hours on the store are flaky and I'm never coming in late April again. We wanted to avoid the crowds but that wasn't a good choice I guess. Also, tent camping left us hearing the neighboring tent guests sounding like hound dogs from midnight until 3 am. I went to sleep about 10 and woke up to sex sounds louder than anything I've ever heard. I was about to go offer them a pair of socks to shove in their mouths. Maybe I'm not meant for this lifestyle if there are no standards read more

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fantastic kayaking afternoon for our family of 5! great workout! glad we did the half day - we have 3 boys! ages: 10,8 and 4! we got out multiple times and swam and found crawdads, went fishing, and played. highly recommend!!! read more

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Excellent family ran business! Kind and helpful. truly appreciated all of their help during our recent class trip. Thank you Thank you Thank you read more

Honest Review, please read before you go! We LOVED this place! Every year, for YEARS, our very large family would book most of the riverfront campsites for Memorial Day and Labor Day. This is where my husband proposed to me and we planned on returning for a lifetime, just because of that! HOWEVER, this year and new owners changed our opinions, severely. We always book a site or two more than what we need so that we have parking space and space for our kayaks. Upon arriving, the team at Cave Country allowed my son to check in our group. Apparently the "new rules" are in the paperwork that is signed upon checking in (I didn't know). Now you're only allowed ONE vehicle per site. Even if it were just my family and ONE site, we would still need two vehicles for our supplies and our kayaks. On Saturday, the new owner (lady) came through and was very rude about enforcing the rules even though their sign out front still plainly stated "2 vehicles per site". She spoke very rudely saying "I'll tear that sign down right now if that's what I have to do" and also got an attitude when I tried, very politely, explaining that I respected the change but that because of all the confusion and the sign, this particular trips rules should be overlooked because we we're already there. She wanted to enforce rules, stating "we're now patrolling daily" but only came out to cause issues with EVERYONE on Saturday (the busiest day). We were there Friday without issue. I posted a review on facebook and she responded and then deleted it and blocked me (so the pages reviews aren't honest). Ultimately we ended up packing up early and leaving because we were made to feel very uncomfortable and unwelcome. The truth is, we were not the problem, others were, we just caught the brunt of her attitude, for whatever reason. We had 8 sites and 10 vehicles due to trucks carrying kayaks. We even SUGGESTED paying for extra parking passes so she could make her money that she was very concerned about. Ultimately, your customers make you! Be kind, the attitude wasn't warranted by our group, nor was it necessary. I'm not saying NOT to visit, I'm just saying, be aware! A simple apology could have avoided my reviews, but she obviously STILL doesn't think she was wrong in any way. read more

Cave Country Canoes - Sign out front of Campground WHEN we were there! - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Milltown, Indiana

I love cave country canoes. I've always had the best experience canoeing and kayaking on the Blue River! The staff is kind and helpfu. I would definitely recommend this company and the ex with nature and being on the water. read more

Hubby and I love Cave Country Canoe!! We've been coming here for the past 4 or 5 seasons. We choose to come here over the other outfits in the area because: 1. Blue River is awesome for a relaxed float trip. As long as you do your part by checking on their website's USGS water level and flow rate. We find that the perfect condition for an easy trip is between 100-400 cubic ft/sec and depth of 3-4ft. There are no quick twists or turns on the river. Only a couple a places where you will need to pay attention when water level is less than 3ft. You will be able to relax most of the way. Plenty of ppl stop to swim, fish, or picnic on one of the many sandbars. 2. CCC is a very organized, experienced outfit. I have never had an issue w online reservations. Picking up rental gear and getting on bus is a breeze. The parking lot is large. The bathroom is clean. There are always someone at the takeout point. I know there are a couple of reviews mentioning the chaos during these COVID times. I am sure the crowd size was not expected by anyone. But I promise they are an efficient and friendly operation. 3. And did I mention their service is at awesome level? We arrived on the last 10 minutes of the last hour on the last day they are open...they still cheerfully helped us get situated. Hubby and I look forward to coming back next year!! I hope you will, too! read more

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My wife and I went and met up with a good buddy of mine and his family and we all went kayaking on Sunday afternoon. We got the to the Cave County canoes that I've never been to before but my buddy has and he said it's really good. We go and we register we wait for our bus and then we all load up on this bus about 30 people and they drive is about 78 miles down the road and drop us off to get our kayaks. I'll get my kayak the people were really nice they helped us get into our kayaks I'm going down the river. We did about 7 1/2 miles I want to say in about four hours and that's with stopping and eating lunch and things like that but the water was clear we have some beer and music we had A lot of good fun for sure it was a good memory that we will have to go back and do again read more

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The other reviews must have been during an odd time for this company because we did not experience any of the same issues. They have HUNDREDS of kayaks and canoes (we saw huge rows and stacks of them in 3 separate areas of the campgrounds) and at least a few dozen employees (to the point of overkill lol). From the moment we got there, everyone was friendly and helpful. Our shuttle left promptly at our 12:30 apt time and took us on a scenic ride to the drop in. There were at least 6-8 (maybe more) employees there to help load the kayaks into the water. They have a "slide" type thing to run their rental kayaks down, but carried our personal ones down the stairs and put them into the water for us. Then held them steady for us each to get in. We did the half day float and it was longer than the 2-4 hours, but was a very pretty and easy float. Even without stopping, it took right around 4.5 hours. We did a lot of dilly-dallying though on the way so that factors in. The float was beautiful with tons of turtles, ducks and other wildlife and a handful of "beaches" to stop on for lunch. When we finished, we ended right at the campsite and they had another 8-10 employees there to promptly pull us out of the water. They even offered to haul our personal kayaks up to the top of the boat ramp. Bathrooms were clean and well stocked. The campground is beautiful with lots of grassy areas and very scenic with it being right on the river. We also got free coffee coupons for staying there. The store is well stocked with snacks, camping gear, kayaking essentials, etc. This is going to be our new go-to place!! We loved every minute. read more

GREAT TIME! First time kayaking/canoeing so I just had a blast! Staff was super friendly, helpful and polite so that was much appreciated! Pretty good rates, although it's a little much to up-charge a extra 12 for a kayak as most places don't do this. I think that's a little much. The half day trip took us 3-4 hours with about 4 stops and taking our time enjoying nature which was great, lots of turtle friends!! The water was a little dirty and I wouldn't recommend doing A lot of swimming here. A couple fun fast rapids, although I wish we did have more! I was pleased that when we were done we came out by the car and didn't have to bus ride back! This set the stones for my new outdoor addiction and we definitely will be back! read more

The day prior to fathers day must be one of the busiest days of the year for this company. Plus, pair the holiday weekend with great weather and good water levels and you have the recipe for a fun time. On this day Cave Country Canoes had over 500 reservations and I would call this organized chaos, but that's meant in a good way. They offer both canoe & kayak rentals, you can even bring your own vessel. Life jackets and paddles were provided, even a mesh trash bag.  Several trips are offered, we went with the half-day trip which starts 7 miles upstream from the Milltown base and showcases the upper area of Blue River. The canoe rental for my friends was $28 per person and I went with the single kayak rental for $38. This trip averages between 2-4 hours and our trip lasted three hours. read more

Cave Country Canoes - A kayak for two - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Milltown, Indiana

They were the most unprofessional and rude business I have ever dealt with! Do NOT go there! Their prices are not competitive and their staff is beyond unhelpful and unfriendly read more

I visited once in the late summer of 2008. Big tip: visit in the spring as the river water is usually higher. In the fall, everyone in my party were grounded a few times and had to drag the canoes. If you are a city slicker as myself and want a taste of "roughing it," then this is perfect. The facility provides everything you'll need on your trip which is basically a canoe or kayak, life jacket, and oars. Everyone in my party brought a backpack with his/her own lunch or snacks. On my first and only visit, the water was low and slow, plus the weather was extremely hot and humid. We all opted for the "full day trip" and were extremely exhausted by the end of the journey. The "half day trip" (about four hours) would have been enough. Honestly, you can pull ashore anytime, so the half day trip can be made to last longer if desired. I think this would be much more fun in the spring the the temps are cooler and the water is a little more rapid. I hope to have the opportunity to try it in the spring. I suspect I would be raising my rating up to 4 stars. read more

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I have been canoeing on the Blue River in Milltown, IN for over 40 years. Just went this past week with my childhood friend for the day. We took the 7 mile trip which takes between 2-4 hours. It took us 7 hours as we just lounged on the river in our canoe, stopped and swam, stopped and ate (bring a cooler, drinks, music, etc.) stopped and drank, talked to others along the way and floated the majority of the 7 hours. If you were paddling you could easily do the trip in 2 hours. Once you arrive at the office in Milltown and pay for your trip ($28 per person in the canoe, a little more to rent a kayak, choose your paddle and life preserver) for the 7 mile trip they load you and all your equipment into the van and drive you to the put-in location. The staff does all that for you so it is an easy process. Once in the river you are on your own and paddle at your own leisure. There are plenty of "beachy" areas along the route to dock your canoe or kayak and chill. Be sure and have waterproof containers for your phone, music, whatever you don't want wet and a secure place for your car key (store in a floating container). Depending on the weather, you will need sunscreen as there is ample sun along the route. There is also shade but we got a lot of sun on the day we went. On the day we went the water was up and we were able to paddle the entire trip. We have been on occasions when the water is low and you have to carry your canoe, so be sure and check before you go on the water levels. The staff are friendly, mostly kids who assist with getting you in and out of the water. Once we got to the take out point again the staff were there to pull your canoe out of the water and were patient while we unloaded our stuff. They have a bath house there at the take out with showers so you don't have to drive home in a wet suit/clothes. Great way to spend a lazy day or get some exercise if you choose that. read more

Cave Country Canoes - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Milltown, Indiana

This place practices the WORST business method! You make a reservation 2 days in advance and then you get there to find out you have to wait for 2 hours to get what you reserved. Didn't know that's how reservations worked? The best part was the staffs excuses. "People were in the parking lot making reservations this morning. We could stop them" OR "There were so many walk-in we just ran out " Bottom line, reservation to matter to these people. Might want to think twice about going. Thankful we got a refund. read more

So I don't typically leave reviews unless I'm thoroughly impressed, but in this case, it's the opposite. This place looked very promising when we pulled up, lots of people were lined up. The thing is that we made a reservation online on Friday and paid for the kayaks for 11:30 on Sunday. We stood in line and several groups in front of us were talking to the employees about a refund because they were told they had to wait 1-2 hours for the kayaks they reserved. The employee seemed to be unsure about a refund and said there were no kayaks left and it was uncertain when the kayaks would return back. We finally get to the other employee and the very young girl also tells us she is unsure about a refund but she could check. We told her we made the reservation on Friday and the employee told us that there were other people making reservations in the parking lot and it was out of their control. This place does a piss poor job of honoring pre-paid transactions and reservations. We ended up waiting in line again for a refund. We ended up getting a full refund, but we had planned our weekend around this trip. This place was incredibly disappointing to us. We were one of at least 5 groups that I heard of while standing in line that would have to wait 2 hours to actually go out on the water for a reservation that they also made days prior. I drove from Cincinnati for the day just to come here. Cave country canoe, if you read this, please reconsider your management skills because this is a disastrous way to run a successful business. read more

Cave Country Canoes - The refund line - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Milltown, Indiana

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It is always a joy to be out on a river, paddling through wilderness and enjoying the natural sights and sounds. Cave Country Canoes is one of the few rental spots in Southern Indiana. They have a very nice setup in Milltown that efficiently runs everyone through, getting paid up, fitted for a life preserver vest and then outfitted with a paddle to board the bus and head off to the launching ramps. The operation needs to run efficiently, because there are a lot of people on the river. It can become fairly crowded at times and a little uncomfortable. Most of the sandy banks will be staked out by others who have shown up before you to stop and grab a sandwich and a beer. With all those people, though, you can also count on help if there is trouble. If your canoe or kayak tips over, is filled with water and your paddles go floating down the river and get caught under a downed tree, there is typically someone who is willing to traipse back up the river and bring them back to you. Couple of tips: 1. Go in early summer or spring since the water is still nice and high. You're much less likely to be out pulling your craft across gravel than you would be in the fall. 2. If you're not a seasoned paddler, opt for the half day trip rather than the longer route. The Blue River is calm and pleasant, but it doesn't have much of a current, so you're going to get quite a workout. read more

We had a blast on Blue River! We brought our own kayaks, paid $20 apiece to have them hauled to the access point, and we were off! Every staff member, from gift shop and ticket sales to the teenage boys helping us put in and take out, was incredibly polite, helpful, and engaging. Restrooms were readily available and clean, and the gift shop was reasonable on its prices. The actual river paddle was peaceful, had a few little rapids that spun our kayaks and cracked us up, and boasted at least 60 turtles stunning themselves on exposed driftwood. We will return! read more

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I'm writing this review after my 6th time visiting this business. I really really enjoy coming here to kayak in the summer. The staff here is great...Larry is the best bus driver!! My only criticism is that it is a little pricey but it's a great escape away from reality. Pack a cooler and get floating! read more

Cave Country Canoes - Super excited to ride in this pretty kayak!! - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Milltown, Indiana

Beautiful kayak trip but 7miles-seems longer than that. Took about 3 hours. Very rocky, so best to make sure the water is high enough or it's a lot of bumps. There are several stop offs to relax or get into the water. They are cleaning all paddles, and life vests but no social distancing on buses so definitely best to bring a mask. read more

We went early in the summer, which I highly recommend. Do check weather conditions and the water level or you will be spending the majority of your time pushing canoes as opposed to canoe-ing. The people were friendly but mostly straight and to the point, say what you want, pay your cash, they point you in the right direction and that's it. We did the 7 mile canoeing trip and very glad we did as it was our first time and through out the trip encountered kayakers that were not very happy. So if it your first time stick to the canoe. I loved that there were places along the river where you can stop for a picnic or to rest. So be sure to bring your cooler! Of course be careful to not tip over the canoe before you get a chance to enjoy your food. The river is not very shallow at first but as you reach the end it does get really deep. Overall a very good experience. read more

Cave Country Canoes - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Milltown, Indiana

I made a reservation to camp and canoe...drove 3 hours to find out I can't because of water levels. No one called and I literally booked the trip the night before. Drive three hours to find out they just now started calling people to inform them. Told them I would be here early morning. 12:30pm and still never called to inform me. Don't waste your money or time. People that work here could care less and it shows! read more

I'll try to keep this brief as possible. I am an avid kayaker and decided to do the half day trip on Saturday with my family. The kayak themselves are older and have taken some abuse no one had the peddles on the inside for added control/stability. Some ores are damaged as in the case of my sister her ore was bent. Life jackets are aged, still functional, just older than me. The bad issue with Cave Country was the large amount of people in the water. A rental operation is face with two options being quality over quantity of boats in a day or quality over quantity. Cave country has decided that quantity of people is better for them than providing a quality experience. The river was so crowded at times that literally we had to stop in the water delaying the total trip up to an hour of essentially sitting in the water. The other issue was the rampant alcohol abuse. There were several groups of adults drinking heavily in the water on that Saturday. One guy was consistently yelling at people and even paddled quickly through a group of people. He also did not look where he was going and t-boned my sister with his kayak. The boat caused brushing and swelling on her arm preventing her from being able to paddle for 30 and essentially limping home the rest of the way. Please keep in mind your waiver means that Cave Country doesn't care. Again a symptom of quantity over quality. Customer service isn't poor as well. Not one single person asked how the trip went, what went good, what went bad, or how can they improve. Again you signed the waiver and paid so as far as they are concerned at that point their business with you is complete. I have been to several kayak/canoe locations in the Kentucky and Indiana area and this was like the Wal-Mart of operations. I would not recommend this location for renting. My hope is that you use this review in conjunction with other research when spending your hard earned money for family fun. read more

A great location for canoeing if you're looking to spend a LOT of time floating (literally) down the river. When I say float, I mean there is no current, so you spend the entire time paddling, which after 2-5 hours, depending on the length of your trip, can become completely exhausting. We also got stuck on several occasions because the water levels were too low. Now I realize this is mother nature and not the fault of the owner of this fine establishment but we were given no warning at all so it would have been nice to know so that we knew we were in for a workout. Having said that, we still enjoyed it and will come back again but will be more proactive in finding out river levels, etc. prior to coming. read more

I went once this year and once last year for the half day trip. There is certainly some beautiful scenery, and as long as you don't bring along a loud party you get to see lots of turtles. There are plenty of spots along the river to stop and relax for a bit on land so I always make sure to bring a little cooler for a lunch break/chance to stretch my legs. Remember to look up the weather ahead of time though, this is definitely one of those trips where you want to plan for sunny but not too hot or humid since there isn't much of a current and you'll be doing most of the work read more

Do not come here! They've monopolized the river (apparently it's privately owned?!!) and have the most ridiculous rules. You cannot put your yak or canoe in without spending $20 to get shuttled to the 14-mile or 7-mile put ins. By being stuck using a shuttle service, you're also stuck navigating the river with a large group of people. On top of it all, the staff has no sense on what they're all telling customers. I got three different sets of information from three people who all worked for this company and to top it all off, they were extremely rude in relaying any information to me despite driving 45 minutes to get to this place. If anyone suggests calling ahead to get more information, don't. Tried it TWICE and they use an automated system that is absolutely useless and sticks you in a constant loop of pressing buttons to try and get ahold of an actual living, breathing human being. Plus, their website is non-informative and another useless tool. read more

The owner of this establishment assured us we could park across the river from Totten Ford and take out at their ramp. We took his word on it and left our shuttle vehicle there for take out after the trip. When we arrived after 8 hours on the river we found locked gates to the put in/take out and steep unaccessible banks to both sides. The owner then showed up at the bridge while we were trying to figure out how to get our boat out, was extremely rude and declined to open the gates for us, leaving us to haul our canoe up a nearly vertical 10ft mud bank with a rope. Some locals showed up as we were finishing loading and said this was par for the course and that the owner and his establishment are held in low regard by many in the area. We recommend Old Mill Livery in Fredericksburg, the owner and staff there were down to earth and friendly. read more

We took our family (including 2 dogs) to Cave Contry Canoes for the half day adventure. We had a fantastic time! The staff was very helpful. The river was beautiful. The equipment was in great shape. Great value! We will definately be going back. Well worth the trip south. So far this has been our favorite canoeing/kayaking trip. read more

We visit Cave Country on August 31st 2013. We called ahead to ask about the river conditions because the website said it was low, and they were only running the 7 mile trip. We were told the river was low and we "might" have to portage (get out of the boat)3 or 4 times over the course of 7 miles. That was a lie. The WHOLE 7 MILE TRIP was one extended "portage". We spent 75% of our time getting stuck on rocks and trying to heave ourselves out of stuck spots. You become completely exhausted lifting and dragging yourself off the rocks 30 or 40 times.... There were no traditional "portages" were you'd get out, carry the canoe or kayak, and then put it back in deeper water. There WAS NOT ENOUGH water. Most ALL of the river was one long portage. It really was beyond rediculous...and there's no way out. The trip is supposed to take 2-4 hours...it took us 7 hours of dragging the boats across rocks. It was like a grueling marathon. We had to complete the trip to get to the "take out site . If we could have abandoned our boats and walked out on a road somehow, we would have. It was that bad. If I could give this less than one star, I would. Cave country should NOT operate when the river is this low. GREED. As a patron I trusted them. Never again. And, in the low water conditions, as we drug ourselves through 7 miles of inches deep water, we were able to notice the bottom of the river littered with beer cans and garbage, and even baby diapers...the entire length of the trip. Shameful operation. In essence we paid over $100 to spend 7 hours in hell. read more

I booked a Friday morning 8:45a.m. kayak trip. The bus left on time even though I was the only customer. I really enjoyed being on the river by myself. The date was August 11 and we haven't had rain for awhile so I did get stuck on the rocks many times. There is very little current so there is lots of paddling which is why a half day trip is plenty. I saw about eight otter, many turtles, Canadian geese and other animals. read more

Cave Country Canoes provided my girlfriends and I with all the essentials for a beautiful day on the water. The weather was great and the staff assisting us getting in and out of the water were professional and helpful. However, during the last 30 minutes of our canoeing trip, we were approached by a man who walked down from up in the woods to the bank of the river. He quickly pulled his pants down and took off his shirt and exposed and stroked his genitalia at us. We did not give him the attention that he was looking for and quickly paddled by him. When we got back from our trip on the river, we decided to let management know what happened. The manager was well aware of the flasher and told us he was there every weekend waiting for a group of women to expose himself to. He said the man lives on the property and the police know about this. He basically threw up his hands and shrugged his shoulders in an "I can't do anything about it" sort of way. He said the problem is not easy to solve and said the man gets "irate" when confronted by police. What happened to us was sexual harassment and very disturbing. This is a warning to all women to visit the Blue River: expect to be sexually assaulted and then the management of Cave Country Canoes not wanting to do anything about this issue except to dismiss you as soon as possible so that the other visitors don't hear. Very disappointing. read more