just an incredible experience all the way around. kudos to Anna for making our visit memorable…read moreforever! we popped down here with no issues, mainly because our flat is about 5 minutes from the river entry. on our kayak excursion, we went with our rat terrier and ended up hanging with the UVA swim team, who were all just as nice as they could be. one of those afternoons I won't soon forget! highly, highly recommended and don't forget to ask for Anna!

Such a great place! Our driver was awesome. They have such a cute little gift store. The hour and…read morea half kayak ride was a perfect amount of time. People were waiting for us to get our kayaks out at the end of the trip. Highly recommend! They even emailed me a picture of us kayaking on the river, that a bystander took.

I love this park! My best friend who lives in NoVA and I like to come here as a middle meet-up…read morepoint and have picnics by the water. I'm not sure about the boating details, but if you're coming to enjoy the recreation area, it's a free place to visit. You just have to sign your name in at the hut so they know who visited. They have a few spots right at front, but if you don't feel like walking, you can drive closer to the water and find more parking spots there. They have a few picnic benches and sit down benches here. We set up our own picnic blanket this time. Our last visit was in June and it was HOT! We were sweating. We should've brought swimsuits to cool off in the water. It's a really lovely spot and it's nice for a picnic.

It makes a nice loop around the reservoir that includes some nice stream crossings BUT follow the…read moremap because there were not any trail blazes. Also there are some smaller shorter paths. Plan on meeting up with mountain bikers. It's a very popular trail. I like it but I don't love it. It's located in the FXBG area so worth a visit.

Me, wife, and 2 daughters (16 & 11) went the last week of July '25 and it was a great time. I never…read moreknew there was rafting in Richmond but will def be going back for a quick trip on the water that is quite fun. Tom was our guide, Hailey, was the other rafts guide, and both were awesome. Tom knew so much about the area history and is very experienced guiding. Such an easy trip to make with fun rapids (III's and sometimes IV's). I'm sure all the guides are great, but we will ask for Tom and Hailey first next trip. Pretty impressed with this outfit. (Wish they had more merch to purchase though, just imo).

The experience was super thrilling and entertaining. The rapids were amazing on our Lower Rapids…read moreride!! Ty, our guide, made it more enjoyable and interesting -- but don't plan on staying dry!

I never expect much when I come to a tubing spot but this place beat expectations. Staff was all…read moresuper friendly and accommodating. They have real toilets and hot showers for after the float. Store also sells water proof gear and snacks. Bus ride and instructions were nice and easy. Tubes seemed nice quality and their key system was awesome.

Good canoe outfitter. Our group camped too. Nice primitive camping along the river. Expect a train…read moreto wake you up at least 2-3 times a night, horn and all. But, that is common in riverside campgrounds. What was not common and the reason for two stars was the lack of porta potties for a camp area that had over 100 people. Absolutely unsanitary and smelly. I can't use a potty where the feces and paper is mounded so high it nearly touches me from the bottom. And the smell permeated the campground near the potties. We had flies too. We were all happy to go. Supposedly the 3rd potty didn't show-then rent one people. Or have the service switch out the ones there mid weekend. You should not put your guests through those conditions.

Convenient and easily accessible location - about a mile off the Potomac River near the 301/Harry…read moreNice Bridge in KG County. The folks who own the Machodoc Creek Marina are knowledgeable, professional, friendly, and helpful. Awesome place to rent a slip, get your boat serviced, or go kayaking, canoeing, or paddle boarding!

What a great place to launch a boat and enjoy the day. We went and rented kayaks, then enjoyed the…read moreviews and weather. It is clean, affordable, easy to access, beautiful and nature positive. A great place for friends and family.

I went to a 420 festival here and it wasn't what I was expecting. The people were nice and so were…read morethe vendors. I was expecting more companies trying to sell you things on how to grow your herbs. If the government would stay out of this everyone would benefit from each other. Whether from a economic standpoint and for the help it does for others. Now only the government is making the money because they are the only ones who are allowed to sell you the herb and then they have you in the system . The government allows these companies to functionson, so they get the profi. You can't buy seeds for your 4 plants you are allowed to grow. I didn't give it low stars because it really isn't their fault. Maybe next year the government with get off its heiney and get on with what was promised to the voters.

This place is a hidden gem! Our crew of 6 went tubing and it was a great time! The water level was…read morea little low so it was a little slow moving but it was beautiful weather and the float down the river was gorgeous! So don't let the water level keep you away! The owner was so kind and we will definitely be back!

Reviewing the tour of Mallows Bay, I would note that this is offered under the county government's…read morewebsite, that tours are in very finite numbers and tend to fill up well in advance. Obviously, if you have a boat and can get it to this remote location, you don't need the tour. But for me, I've had it on my to-do list for a long time, I traveled a long way to get to the tour, and it was worth it. There was a presentation before getting on the boats, which I thought was detailed and well-handled. The presence of a fleet of shipwrecks requires some explanation. Getting into the water didn't take all that long. The amount of time on the water was as long as or slightly longer than what we booked, and this gave enough time to pretty thoroughly round the bay. The tide was quite high when I visited so the wrecks were mostly underwater, but there were still plenty of sights to be seen. Having seen them from land and memorialized them in photographs, the experience from water is much better. And of course, the shipwrecks now are simply a place for wildlife to live, and the visit an excuse to get out on a part of the river where it turns estuarine. This trip is not a huge distance from DC, but it is a world away.

Four of us went out on the Mallows Bay Ghost Ships tour and had an amazing time! We lucked out with…read morepractically perfect weather and a beautiful sunset as we finished our paddle, which surely helped matters, but our guides were also well-prepared, knowledgeably, and had all the equipment we needed. The location is just so cool and can't be beat; it was an unforgettable experience to see the half-sunken ships. I had been hesitant, due to the high price tag, but I think we all thought it was worth it in the end. If I had any suggestions, it would be to more prominently display on the website that all kayaks are tandem kayaks. Thankfully, we came with an even number of people, but I would have hate to have been surprisingly paired up with a stranger. It also would have been great if one of the instructors could have given us more kayaking tips. We could not stop veering to the side no matter what we did, and they didn't seem to have any advice for us.

We headed to Huguenot Flatwater last night to do some kayaking with our group. It is very easy to…read morefind, and there is a small parking lot there. I can see it being frustrating to find a spot as it gets closer to boating season though. I was not a fan of the boat launch area, it's design was not very user friendly for easily getting into your kayak. You have to step off a ledge into your boat, or use the small muddy area to load and push off. The point it puts you into the river is great though, and you can go left for a nice paddle up to Bosher's Dam.

During this crazy time of Covid and politics, our priorities have shifted from dining out…read morefrequently, to attempt a more healthy lifestyle of cooking most meals at home, and seeking out alternative sources of entertainment, ones that permit us to breathe in fresh air, enjoy what nature has to offer, and maintain social distancing. So, after visiting a few terrific Virginia State parks, renting kayaks, we decided that this would be something we would like to do regularly, and purchased our own boats. How many times have you crossed Huguenot bridge and thought, oh neat, look at the people kayaking, what fun? Yea, that has been me for years. So we decided to check out the Huguenot Flatwater put-in area and while it is a challenge, it is doable. By this, I mean, it is CRAZY steep, there is a ramp that the "fit and brave" smaller and experienced kayaker can attempt. For us, we carried our kayaks down the steps and were able to launch from there with relative ease. The main issue we had, was that it got super busy, and it was really noisy with the constant sound of vehicles on the bridge. We paddled down river for a bit but decided to play it safe and head back up river so we could float back and were not fighting the current and didn't get too worn out. When we were about ready to head back in, there were so many people trying to put in, that people were having to wait to get out. And then a bus load from a tour company came and we decided to head over to where a trail end let out on the river, decided it was safe, and we carried our kayaks through the trail and back to our car. Not far. The "coolness" and novelty of urban kayaking wore off within 5 minutes of being in the river. It wasn't peaceful at all, but we did get a decent workout and enjoyed the views. We will definitely continue to seek out different places to kayak, and kudos to those who love the adrenaline of being in that environment. I personally just prefer more quiet and fewer people.

We decided to do a little kayaking at the last minute, and James River Runners was able to fit us…read morein for a 3-mile paddle. We showed up for our 12pm float, signed our waivers and loaded up into their van. They load and unload the kayaks and paddles while you pick out your life vest. The owner ( i believe) drove us to the starting point and explained the features of the river to us. He told us that at the halfway point there is a beach area that many lunch at and that there were rapids at the end of the ride. He told us it's a fun little rapid that was nothing major but if we wanted to avoid it, just veer to the left. I went through it of course, but when I turned around, my buddy was laid over on his side. Apparently, he missed the narrow passageway because of a preteen in a tube was in the way. I laughed so hard I almost peed myself. Anyway, you can canoe, tube or kayak with distances of 9 or 3 miles. The 3-mile float took us about 90 minutes if I had to guess. Honestly wasn't paying attention. We really didn't paddle, just steered from time-to-time and let the current do its thing. My only complaint is their snack selection was limited. We drove up from Appomattox Court House and there wasn't a lot of places to stop along the way. Not their fault but having some beef jerky would have been swell.

We pre booked a group of nine prior to arrival after calling directly to have a few questions…read moreanswered. I'm unsure who we spoke with over the phone but they were pleasant. First hiccup was check-in when the parking attendant couldn't find our reservations because she confused the first and last name of our reservation. We were frustrated trying to locate our reservation confirmation with spotty cell service and calling a similarly named company to confirm we were at the right location. She was apologetic after the mistake but didn't provide much direction after our waivers were signed. We walked to the building to confirm our reservation again and had to request life jackets for the children in our group. Life jackets are provided free of cost. We waited for other groups to gather for a brief instruction which included information on an island that can be stopped at, some points of reference for the tube float and instructions for exiting/ time to return by. The gentleman instructing was kind and personable. Transportation is provided upriver. The bus left after confirming everyone had a tube with no further instruction and no staff stationed at the entry point. We had no instruction that there was a basket with rope at the side to rope tubes together. This was pointed out to us by others tubers that were present. We spent the extra $10 for a 'cooler tube' which was a regular tube with two pieces of rope tied on to form an X in the center. We had to add ropes to our cooler tube to ensure our backpack cooler stayed in the tube. The entry point was nothing more than a step sandy path directly into the river. Shoes are required and a necessity as the depth varied and there were a lot of large rocks/ fallen trees that were difficult to see underwater. Once settled we joined many others on the river as it was a hot July day. The float was enjoyable for the most part although one of the ropes that I used to attach my son's tube to mine broke (not came untied) in the river which was frustrating. We opted not to stop at any islands and there was no signage for our float other than where to exit. The exit itself had some small rapids and I felt that the current picked up close to exiting. There were staff at the exit but they offered to cut ropes and take tubes to shore not to offer any assistance to those exiting. Again the depth fluctuated and there were large submerged rocks at the exit which were difficult to see/ navigate underwater. While this was my first time tubing, I have canoed and kayaked (in another state) before and was not as pleased with this experience as I have been with prior river rental experiences.