The Michele Garner Sip-n-Cycle Pedal Cruise was amazing…read more Boat ride was amazing to us. I just wish we could have smoked a cigar. I'm not I

It was a great experience! Highly recommended. The captain…read moreand first mate are awesome. If you're looking for a fun outing this will be great for you and a group of friends. We did the mixed cruise , and the group that joined our group was great together. Danced the entire cruise and music is great. They ask what you would like to hear and it's done. Give the a 5 Starr plus .

I called to make sure there was space to camp before riding 5 hours on a motorcycle with my son who…read morewas excited to see the goats and movie set. The gentleman that answered the phone said there was space and told us to try to be there before dark. We arrived at 6:30pm, which was after dark, and were told we couldn't camp because he had locked the gate. It would have been helpful if he had told me on the phone not to bother coming if we were going to be there 30 minutes after dark instead of saying "try to be here before dark". We are now in a hotel in Montgomery. Thanks a lot.

Jackson Lake Island is amazing, especially if you are a fan of Tim Burton's Big Fish…read more You enter through a gate, and there is an entire process for paying and then obtaining the gate code. Luckily, we paid, and were then calling the phone number to get the code, when someone who was camping pulled up behind us and put the code in for us. The small road bridge leading from the main land to the island was a little scary for me. Good thing there wasn't a car coming the other way, or I would have freaked out even more. This land is wonderful. I could see the appeal to kayak, fish, or have a picnic here, or even camp here. We stopped at the bathrooms first, and they are clean and provide running water. On our drive to the town of Spectre, we ran into the goats. We were driving down the road and all of the goats were coming at us. We put the car in park and enjoyed the goats. One goat even jumped up on my door to say hello. They are fabulous and very friendly. When we exited the vehicle at the Spectre movie set, a super friendly goat was charging at me, I immediately went into the car and the goat approached my boyfriend. All the goat wanted was some pets. And that's what he got. They are like large dogs. There are swing benches around the lake and it is nice to sit and enjoy the scenery. Watch out for goat poop. That is the only bad thing. The goats keep the island well manicured and provide the best entertainment and are adorable.

Friendly staff. Calm and relaxing float trip, with some rapids, but nothing to crazy. Fun family…read moretrip.

So I must have been to this place a couple of dozen times over the years and for good reason…read more Actually, for a variety of good reasons. Sometimes in life you say to yourself, "I should be paddling down a river in a kayak", and then you realize the logistical issues of actually doing that. You can't predict the Cahaba which runs through Birmingham. Is it moving too fast today? Is the water so low that my boat will just scrape the rocks at the bottom? Unless you're a seasoned kayaker it's best not to risk being out in unpredictable waters and so you need a place to go where you can know what to expect. Coosa River Adventures is that place. Good, clean family run business. Wide variety of sit-on-top kayaks that won't sink. Rent everything you need for 29 bucks, take a bus ride down to Jordan dam and paddle your way back to your car. The section of river that you're on starts at the bottom of Jordan dam, and so since they know on a daily basis what the flow rate of the dam is, they know the conditions of the river as well. Predictable water is critical for someone who wants to enjoy the day without having anxiety about whether they might encounter dangerous conditions. You can give them a call and they'll have information about the flow rate which can help you plan your trip. 2000cfm is slow, low and easy. 4000cfm is still nothing to worry about. 6000cfm is a little more adventurous. 8000 is about the higgest flow rate you'll see and it can get a little choppy in places. Once a year or so they run 10000cfm for a whitewater festival which can be a blast, but expect to fall out of your boat at least once. Over the 7 to 8 mile stretch there are a variety of small islands, rock formations etc where you can stop for a break, have a picnic, take a nap in the blistering sun or open up your dry box and take a few pics. The main rapid, known as "moccasin gap" can be categorized as class 3 depending on the flow of the river. The other small rapids are generally just little bits of choppy water that liven up the trip. An important thing to note is that the river is very wide, and so if you have no interest in paddling through any rapids, you can easily bypass them and just float peacefully along. Fun for everyone. A few tips....don't litter, don't take off your life jacket and then fall out of your boat. Don't lose your boat or paddle. Don't get so intoxicated that you fall down on a slippery rock and crack your skull. Do bring a dry box, pelican case or whatever to keep your stuff dry. Do tie that to your boat. Do pack some bottles of water and some snacks for the trip. Do call ahead and make a reservation to help them plan for how many boats they're going to need to ferry down to the starting point. The shuttles run at 9am, 11am and 1pm and it takes between 3 to 6 hours to finish the trip depending on the flow rate of the river and how fast you decide to paddle. Get there early. There's a brief sign in/safety meeting and then you're on the bus and on your way. So all in all this place is pretty amazing. Really friendly and down to Earth people, a safe, predictable section of river which has rapids for those who want them and byways for those who don't. They'll rent you everything you need and they have a small shop for picking up extras that you might want. The facilities are a bit rustic, but more than adequate and the prices are good especially if you consider that they may be the only people around really offering what they're offering. Definitely worth the trip if you decide that paddling down a river is something you want to do.