Super friendly staff, outdoor space, and affordable drinks. Sometimes if you're lucky, there's even live music. Oh, and water. But honestly it's the French broad so that's a little questionable. Have not tried their actual guided tours or equipment rental. I can't believe I've been to hominy creek so many times and had no idea this place existed. What an oasis. Especially for summer months. On the weekends, it gets pretty busy with happy dogs and kids. They have their own food truck and they had some live music on Saturday. The food truck people were super nice, and they had a ton of vegetarian and vegan options. The bar has a lot of options for beer. Non-beer drinkers too. Surprising number for a small little shack. Lots of picnic tables to sit at and enjoy the weather. Little beach area and all within walking distance. Parking can get a little rough so be mindful. read more

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Great people here that will take care of your outdoor needs and where rental equipment is available for outdoor activities. Asheville is a fave of mine for food, beer and outdoorsy fun. French Broad Outfitters has you covered whether its hiking, tubing, or kayaking. Super helpful staff too! My family rented kayaks for the day and set out for the French Broad River. Staff took us by bus to our site to begin our roughly two hour adventure. You finish where you start. That's easier said than done if the river is running fast. Again staff is there to help all the way. I would do this again and highly recommend. read more

The river is very contaminated. It is a gross tubing trip. The staff is not helpful. The site is gross and has contaminated water and it smells terribly. You are in your bathing suit and then it ends in the town of Asheville and you are trapped there until this school bus picks you up. You are trapped in an hour and a half gross activity and you cannot escape. Find tubing in a clear body of water! read more

Our family was vacationing in nearby Black Mountain and called up to schedule a same day Biltmore (6 mile) trip. The staff was flexible and courteous. Malachi gave us very clear instructions as he launched us upstream. We could NOT have had a prettier day nor a better family outing. Views were great, especially Biltmore. I would highly recommend it. Definitely would do it again!!! read more

French Broad Outfitters - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

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I love this place. I've been 3 times in the last week and now that summer is here, I plan on continuing my regular visits. Even if you don't want to get in the water there's plenty to do. Yard games, live music, people watching... and the staff is great. So friendly and helpful if you need anything. My pup and I have our own SUP but the guys here take great care of us everytime we stop by. The beach is always happening in the afternoons. It's one of the only places I'll swim on the french broad and there's always other dogs for Lucy to play with. And the beer shack has my favorite kombucha on tap + a great selection of beers for my boo. On our most recent visit they even had some delicious CBD gummies for sale. It was everything my body needed after a few days of paddling around. read more

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A huge THANK YOU to Andrea!!! We were down in Asheville for our bff's bachelorette and of course we needed to do some peaceful outdoor yoga. Andrea was helpful from the second we emailed initially to saying our goodbyes on the beach area. The river is perfect. The transition from land to water was smooth and safe. We were lead by a wonderful yoga instructor who focused on intention and recognizing our true potential. This was for ALL YOGI STAGES from beginner to advanced - perspective: our bride did a headstand on the paddle board while some of us stayed on their knees. I have never felt so at one with nature or so secure in an unfamiliar setting !! Huge, huge thank you to Andrea, her dog Lily, and our two Yoga instructors for an UNFORGETTABLE DAY - thankfully they took photos for us and a drone video so we didn't have to worry about photos or electronics:) I can't wait to continue practicing paddle board and yoga in general - do yourself a favor and just BOOK! You will not be disappointed. Our party of 10 was happily impressed and refreshed after our yoga session. Thank you SUP yoga for the beautiful memories !!! read more

French Broad Outfitters - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

SO much fun tubing down the French Broad River!!! Wonderful service, super friendly team & a well dialed in operation! Our group of 3 adults & 5 kids had a blast! Definitely get a cooler tube & load it with snacks & drinks....great selection of beer for sale on site too! I really enjoyed the mini tour of AVL on the ride up stream & the guys helping load & exit the river were super helpful & friendly! Highly recommend...we will be back! read more

French Broad Outfitters - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

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Spent part of Mothers Day on the river and had a blast. The staff was so friendly and the resident dog Sadie i think that was her name was great to have as part of the crew. Would highly recommend them for a great couple of hours on the river. Thanks for being part of my wife's Mothers Day. Steve & Saya from California maybe Asheville also read more

French Broad Outfitters - Where you take off to head down the largest lazy river - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

Great place, great people, great vibes always!! Everyone is always so helpful and I love how close this little slice of heaven is to town ^_^ read more

WoW! This experience from my initial phone call to learn about tubing opportunities for my family of four to the trip itself was absolutely stellar! The staff were friendly, knowledgeable and accommodating. We enjoyed a relaxing 3 hour tubing adventure down the Broad River. It is good to pack sunscreen and drinks to keep hydrated while there are sporadic shady spots the majority of the tubing is in direct sun. We saw someone with a shade umbrella in their tube. The cooler tube that the company extends made all the difference for us; relaxing and lots of room for snacks and drinks. Amazing adventure and great family memories! read more

We were in Asheville on vacation and wanted to paddle board the river. I personally have never paddle boarded but I've always wanted to and my boyfriend has been several times on the ocean. Before I go further I want to say that we did paddle board the river, it was a great time, the river was lovely, clean, and peaceful. We highly recommend this. - the four stars belong to the river and Ron or possibly Rob) who was actually there when we started/ended our trip and was cool as shit. However, I have to say that our experience with FBO got off to a rocky start, such that, if I had known we had options, I would have gone with a different outfitter, different river, whatever I needed to do to not have to deal with the condescending, pretentious asshole that sold us our trip... didn't catch his name but he will be referred to as "Randy" for the remainder. We stopped in at FBO to check it out and set up a paddle board outing. Randy acted like it was the worst idea in the world since I had never been on a paddle board and used lingo to talk down to me like I was some kind of moron for even thinking that I might be capable of "SUP"ing on moving water for the first time. He asked me the same question in four different ways, repeatedly told me that I should do something else or go somewhere else, suggested I should literally do anything but buy a paddle board trip from him. Then, he tried to sell me a trip that he thought would be easier because "I could get out of the water and on the Biltmore trip that's not an option." But I wanted the Biltmore trip because I don't want to be in a city. And can someone please tell me what the actual fuck I am going to do if I get out on the river and decide this isn't for me? Am I going to just grab my board and sit on the shore and pout??? walk into the city???? THAT'S an option?!?? No. I know there's a bunch of weirdos here, but for Christ's sake, if you can't manage to stand on your board then what you do is plop your ass down and sit the whole way, it's not rocket science. If you have decent balance, if you do yoga regularly, or if you work out with a bosu ball or any other tool to train with balance, then you can SUP (paddle board for you plebeians), no problem. So, I'm here to say that in spite of Randy's doubts, discouragements, protestations, and naysaying - I fucking nailed it. I only ate shit once, not because of the river, but because I tried to change my stance and ended up walking myself right off the back of the board. But the water was cool and refreshing and I was getting warm anyway, so it worked out. I popped up, swam for my board which only managed to run about 3' from me, and hopped right back on. Nothing to it. I loved it, I would do it again, but I'm buying my own goddamn board and I'll be damned if ever see Randy's mug again. P.S. And for all the dumbasses on here surprised that the bottom of a river is slippery or rocky, doesn't have WiFi, and too many dragonflies, and leaving bad reviews as if the river gives a single fuck - getoutta here with that shit. It's the same as floating literally any other river ever. read more

French Broad Outfitters - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

This place was great. All we wanted to do was enjoy and peaceful kayak trip while on vacation. These guys delivered. Quick safety brief. Hopped in a van to go to a drop off point up river. They provided all the gear. Helped with launch and away we went. Moved at our own pace. Very relaxing. Took a little over 2 hours. Just a lazy river kayak trip. Perfect. All the staff were friendly. Recommend giving them a try if you want to kayak, paddle board while in town. read more

These folks were awesome! They quickly set us up to kayak the French broad river, including my 9 year old. We had a fantastic experience. I would book online in advance if you can - they were able to get us in on a Tuesday morning but it was very busy! Such a fun experience kayaking and the guys that helped us made it easy, safe and fun. read more

We decided to raft the French broad river and chose this place due to proximity. They shuttle you up the river so you can float down on your own. The rafts were fine. There were ties to keep all four of us together. The reason for the negative review is because we almost missed the exit area and were almost left floating down to who knows where because their employee who was suppose to "catch us in" was no where to be found! As we got closer to the exit area, my husband had to jump out of the raft and literally pull us towards the land to get out. We saw other raft company "exits" sitting and waiting with multiple people to pull people towards the land so they don't float/drift away. So uncool read more

My Girlfriend and I decided to do a multi-night float trip and we used this company to rent the canoe, paddles, pfds and a shuttle service. They did a great job, Marissa who was our driver for the shuttle met us their early and got us put in the water with ease. The equipment was perfect and the advice we got was even better. This is a very fun river to paddle down, though the land adjourning the shores is all privately owned so it wasn't as remote as other river trips Ive been on before. It was however, the perfect trip to take my girlfriend down for her first river trip. We will definitely be back to enjoy the french broad river again and we will be using this outfitters for any of our future needs. Also they have some pretty awesome merchandise that we of course had to buy upon completion of our trip. read more

Lack of safety, lack of accountability, and lack of customer service. I called five times asking for a manager to discuss the horrific experience my family encountered while tubing with the company. Each and every call, Carrie informed me that the owner, Brennan would be contacting me. Five days later, still no call. My gut tells me that Brennan never received the messages from Carrie since she was one of the reasons for my complaint. They were understaffed, which transpired directly to a lack of safety. They put my safety, as well as my child's safety at risk. We ended up with a lost cell phone, bruises, cuts, and no apology, let alone a refund. The worker who led the safety talk at the beginning of the trip failed to tell us where exactly to depart, didn't walk us to the departure point, and did not tell us where our departure point was. Thus, when it came time for us to disembark, there were no signs or staff telling us to not get out of our tube. Thus, when we got out of the tube and stood in the water, the current took over, we slipped on the rocks and lost our phone. The one staff member who was there did not try to assist nor did he ask if we were okay. Come to find out that there were supposed to be two or three assisting in the departure area. Due to lack of staff, only one was there. A complete and utter lack of safety. When we went to report it to the office, the staff member immediately asked, "You didn't stand did you?" Bingo---Why aren't there any signs or any staff telling us not to do so? Please heed my advice and do not use this company. There are many other companies in the area. read more

we had a great time on our kayak trip down the French Broad River. the staff was friendly and patient. it was a mellow, low-key situation.

French Broad Outfitters offers kayak and paddle board trips on the French Broad River. My husband I did a kayak trip with them one afternoon on a recent vacation. There are two kayaking options: the River Arts District or the Biltmore Estate area. The River arts district is a smoother portion of the river and tandem kayaks are an option. We chose the Biltmore estate route, which includes a float along 6 miles of undeveloped forest and a chance to see the Biltmore house from the river. This route is a little more challenging, as parts of the river have rocks and rapids. The only part that might seem a little harrowing is under a bridge overpass that is near a construction area -- you'll need to keep to the left of a certain pillar in the rapids portion and will get shaken about a bit (but don't worry, it's nothing too bad -- just keep your kayak pointed straight and in the designated area the guide will tell you about prior to departing). Because the river has current, it doesn't actually require much in the way of paddling. If you choose not to paddle much, the duration of your journey will be about 2.5 hours. It's a very relaxing trip and the forest scenery is beautiful. If you keep an eye out through the openings of the forest, you can see the Biltmore stables and the topmost features of the house peeking over the trees. The French Broad Outfitters trip was easy to book online and waivers can also be completed electronically. For the Biltmore float, you'll take a short trip via van to the departure point, then return directly to the outfitters after your float (there's a clear/easy spot where you turn left on the river to pilot your kayak back to home base). If you are not familiar with how to steer a kayak, you may need to watch a short video online prior to doing the Biltmore route -- the place you depart from has some small rapids and there isn't much of an opportunity to practice prior to traversing them. I greatly enjoyed this experience and would love to do it again! read more

French Broad Outfitters - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

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We used this company's shuttle service to get us and our kayaks up river. They made it extremely easy. They even offered to unload our kayaks from it truck to put on their trailer. They did all the hard work and were very friendly. Eclectic spot when you return you can have a drink or some food from the other vendors there and listen to good music. read more

The staff were very helpful and accommodating and did a great job preparing us for the river's obstacles. Very scenic route perfect for kayakers with limited experience. Will definitely use their services again on my next trip to Asheville. read more

Rentals were super easy! People are very friendly. Definitely will use them again! Whenever you're in Asheville. Look them up! They will take you on water tours also! read more

Fun time on the river! Book ahead to make sure you get a spot! Staff was helpful. Brought our own drinks & cooler and rented a cooler tube for $5. read more

Great service, good price, tons of fun. We went for a tube through river arts and will definitely be back for more tubing and kayaking. Make sure to bring a cooler and stock up on their great selection of beers for your river voyage! read more

Incredibly rude and unprofessional staff. Our party was ignored, told to show up 30 minutes before our tour which we did, and it took an hour and half to get on the paddle boards. We were not given a safety talk and then gaslit and told well EVERYONE gets a safety talk so I don't know what to tell you. They were understaffed which is understandable but the attitude and lack of communication was unnecessary given we were just asking basic questions. Several members of the party got injured and one broke a toe. No instructions. When we called to ask for directions of where to exit on the river, they just said oh too bad. we don't know what to tell you. Go with another company. read more

The most fun day of our entire trip was floating down the river in a canoe. The staff at French Broad Outfitters are incredibly kind and make the whole experience easy and fun! After our float down the river we listened to an awesome band & had some beer and pizza from a food truck! We will definitely be back again and will be wearing sunscreen next time...... read more

Freaking awesome experience floating the river! French Broad Outfitters made the experience easy and effortless and the staff went way out of their way to make sure you had a great time! If you're looking for some R&R you should definitely consider this float. We will definitely be back again and again! read more

We had the best time tubing down the French Broad. The staff here is super helpful & very friendly. The guy that drove us to the drop off spot pointed out a bunch of historical landmarks on the way, which was exciting to hear. I want to do this excursion again and again! read more

French Broad Outfitters - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

We brought our own Kayaks for the shuttle, and the staff was great about getting them loaded. As there was a pretty good crowd, and different shuttles going to different places, we were a little concerned about missing ours, but the staff knew who, where we were & made sure we got on the right bus. Very helpful in and out. We're 'senior citizens', and find it much easier to use the Outfitters rather than dealing with everything ourselves. Great choice. read more

TUBING review: This company provides more options than just tubing and we encountered kind and polite staff. It was easy to make a reservation and sign waivers online. You check-in at 704 Riverside Dr Asheville North Carolina. There is plenty of free parking in the gravel public parking lot behind the main building. At your departure time they shuttle you up to the starting point where you pick up tubes, cross the street, go down a set of stairs and jump in your tubes in the river. The large blue tubes for adults do not have a bottom piece (you are sitting in the water). My daughter had a smaller pink tube that did have a covered bottom. My pre-teen kids were not offered life jackets and I also saw much younger kids (6, 8 year maybe) getting in the river without life jackets. I asked if I needed a paddle and was told no. I WILL NEVER DO THIS AGAIN WITHOUT A PADDLE. Every other tuber on the river from other companies had paddles. We spent a lot of time hunched over the sides of our tubes paddling with our arms and were often stuck on the sides of the river. Sometimes the river is just not moving and you stay stuck in the center. I asked for my tubes to be tied to my children's tubes which was done with thin frayed ropes that fell apart while we were tubing and had to be re-tied multiple times. Next time I would choose Zen tubing as they only do tubing. All their tubes have covered bottoms and most of the tubers on the river were in their tubes. They also all had paddles. Take my advice and make sure you have at least one paddle for your group. It will make your trip a lot more relaxing and enjoyable. Zen tubing also seemed to some kind of thicker strap to attach the tubes and their exit point from the river was VERY well marked. Exiting for FBO is right after a grouping of rocks and you have to watch carefully for landmarks. read more

We group floated down the river and it was a great time! On the bus ride to the head of the float our bus driver gave a lot of great recommendations for local experiences! I wish we would have had at least 1 paddle to help maneuver a few obstacles. That being said I think the lack of a paddle made for a hilarious experience. We laughed until we cried and had a wonderful time! read more

They have no good cancellation policy due to weather. Water and lightning don't mix. They tell you to just get out of the river. There are not a lot of good spots to get out either. They will reschedule you, but if you are from out of town you are just out of luck. They keep 25%. This can amount to a lot when you have a large group. read more

I thought this place was pretty awesome. It seemed very laidback. We got there a bit early, and so did the other group, so they took us out right away in their bus. We had a tandem kayak. Easy put-in South of Asheville, and we coasted North back into the city. I thought it was a really fun river. We don't kayak often, at all. And certainly not through rocks. So we had a blast, navigating around rocks, getting caught a couple times and having to fight our way off, and seeing the wildlife. I will say, I was surprised by how little wildlife there was!!! I'm from Houston, and our swampy bayous have a lot more birds. You basically float/paddle 2-3 hours on the 6 mile stretch, hit a couple small rocky spots (fairly easy) and arrive back at the shop. You just drag your kayak up an embankment (this does require some arm strength), drop off the gear, and you're done. Time for lunch! Easy as that. I'd definitely do this once a month if I lived there (or buy my own kayak...). Was a pretty cool vacation experience and birthday experience for my wife. read more

We went white water rafting today with French Broad Outfitters. We had the best time! We are first timers and the rapids were perfect for us! Our guide was so funny and knowledgeable that he made the entire experience so much better! Cannot wait to come back! We also had a delicious lunch on the bank of the river! read more

Super friendly and such a great vibe. The Hominy Creek container bar is fantastic way to end a float trip. Discs, dogs, beers, kiddos and music on the river beach is so fun. No one in Asheville else has it. Way cool. read more

We loved our trip. Our shuttle driver gave a lot of great information about the area and other businesses. The ride is great and we (a group of mid 20's) had loads of fun. I would recommend a paddle, we had lots of fun maneuvering without one but I can understand someone wanting one. The thing I liked which would bring me back over zen tubing is your trip is a little longer with French Broad and after passing zen tubing is a fun area to go through. read more

Super knowledgeable and really friendly guys! We rented boats from them once and had a really great experience. They were really patient and helpful with all of our questions and we ended up buying an awesome 9.5 Roam from them today. I would definitely recommend them for their rental options and there is not a better place to buy a boat. PS They also have a great selection of disc golf discs! read more

My tubing experience began with a shuttle driver who didn't know what the heck he was doing nor did he care about starting our experience with 3 different shuttle rides. After paying for my family we were instructed to wait for the next shuttle. We boarded the next shuttle as instructed and reached a destination along with 6 other people. They unloaded and as we unloaded the driver asked us what we were doing and I told him a 3 hour tubing trip. He said we were on the wrong shuttle. So he took us back to the original location and unloaded us only to reload us with 2 other families. Now he takes us all to the Hominy River Park where we all unload just to be told we are all in the wrong location. Ok we all load again just to be taken to the first location he had dropped us off at. Ok now we get our and listen to him having a personal conversation with another young man all the time leaving all of us standing there not knowing what to do. My family picked up 4 tubes, walked across the street and proceeded to tube the French Broad without safety instructions or directions. This shuttle driver ruined an otherwise pleasant day and if I was the owner both those young men would be fired. They are both ruining your business. read more

This rafting trip was amazing it was so great to do all these fun rapids with a nice and funny guide and he taught as a lot about the river and it's history, thanks will. read more

We rented two Deuter child carriers from FBO. It was easy to book, easy to find, and easy pickup. The carriers were user-friendly and came in handy during our trip to Pisgah. We returned them the next morning. We will be back when the kids are older! read more

These guys are great. We accidentally started right in the middle of a thunderstorm and didn't want to risk getting in the water, so they gave us a ride back and a full refund. Super nice throughout the whole process, so will absolutely give it another shot next time we're in town. read more