This was the very best part of my entire trip. The business itself was super accommodating when we got brave enough to switch to the upper river from lower river. (Do the upper! It was such a blast) The girl in the office was so kind, and offered us so much information. Our guide, Emily, was so kind and absolutely hilarious. They kept us laughing, drenched, well informed of the history and nature surrounding us, and above all, they kept us safe. I loved having them as a guide, but honestly, every single guide around us was equally as thrilling and hilarious, (I'm talking about you, Dan) So if you don't get randomly selected for Emily's tour, I know that every one of those guides loves their jobs, and would take you on the greatest trip. read more

Rip Roaring Adventures - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Hartford, Tennessee

Loved this company! Everyone is very nice, the process went very smoothly, and the ride was very enjoyable! We went with a group of 6 and they accommodated us all into the same raft. Our guide Johnny was on his first ride and did a super job, Tristan was supervising. They both were funny, kind, and provided an all around great experience. Only wish the trip could have been longer than 1.5 hours! read more

Rip Roaring Adventures - Photo packages available for $40 - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Hartford, Tennessee

I would recommend this place ALL DAY LONG!!! The staff keeps you laughing, makes you feel safe, and most importantly, provides you with an AMAZING experience! They aren't as commercial as the other boats, so we experienced a more chill ride in my opinion. I heard some of the other guides hollering at their rafters, "paddle, paddle, paddle!"! I'm so glad this place doesn't employ drill sergeants lol This was my first time water rafting and I chose the level 3/4 route. I'm so glad I did because we were able to experience some amazing splashes! Yes, you will be drenched on this route, and I loved every second of it! You have to paddle, and I was paired up with an amazing group of 5 other people who I immediately meshed well with! If you're thinking about white water rafting, do it! I will say, I'm not the most adventurous when it comes to water, but there were 2 places where the water was level and calm that my guide let us jump out and swim. Again, I am usually not one to do something like this, but it was my birthday so I allowed myself to totally embrace the moment. The water felt amazing, and I had the time of my life! read more

Rip Roaring Adventures - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Hartford, Tennessee

Zero improvements needed here - Rip Roaring Adventures is hands down the best experience I've had in a long time beginning to end. Everyone here is incredibly friendly and laid back, but professional and clearly know what they're doing. They may not be as big as their competitors, but that makes the experience that much better in a smaller group. No contest there. You meet at the address listed and drive a little ways along the river to the drop off point, and raft back to where you landed - in case you're a first timer and are confused like we were. Dressing rooms are at this address as well so you can change in and out of your swimwear. Our guide Garrett was the BEST, but everyone seemed great so you're in good hands no matter what. You get a really good mix of easy and not so easy rapids, and explanations and "on the job training" as needed. Honestly I would have done it again the next day, no question, if we had the time. Absolutely the best time of my vacation was on the water with Rip Roaring Adventures. read more

We had Tristian as our guide, he was amazing. I'd recommend this place to all. Great experience

This was such a blast for us and our kiddos. We had rafted before (Nu River in WV and in Costa Rica) but our kids hadn't. Our oldest was cautious, but our guide, Joey, was so chill and explained everything thoroughly to our family before we hit the water. Our kids (8 & 11) had only ever canoed and they really loved this. Our youngest cackled and laughed the whole time. We did the Upper Pigeon River trip. They had Class III, Class III+, and Class IV rapids, all of which were perfectly appropriate for our kids. They provide life vests and helmets for everyone. You can rent wetsuits if it's too cold. We went at the end of May 2023 and the water was cold but not unbearable. The first rapid is where they take photos--there's a big blue tent. You can buy all the pix (we got 17) for $40 and have them emailed to you. Or you can buy one photo for $20 and download it online. I would HIGHLY recommend taking your own phone/camera (in a waterproof case!) as there are plenty of places with calm water between rapids to take pix and vids. I *really* regret not taking mine but will take it next time. They sell waterproof cases and straps for sunglasses for a very reasonable price. They also have a gift shop with shirts, hats, etc. There are only two places to eat in town (we didn't try either bc we had to get back) so check those out ahead of time or pack a meal. read more

Rip Roaring Adventures - The first rapid is where they take photos. - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Hartford, Tennessee

Earlier in the summer we took the kids on their first rafting trip with the larger rafting company just outside of Hartford. Even though the trip lasted about 45 minutes, the kids loved it and were dying to go back. When the kids completed their reading goals this summer (1,000 pages each, great job!), they chose to go whitewater rafting as their reward. We initially booked our trip with the larger rafting company that is just outside of Hartford since we had a good experience with them previously. A day prior to the trip at 8:15 PM, we received a call from them saying they had to cancel our trip. With hotel plans already made, we were in a panic trying to figure out what to do. My wife called Rip Roaring Adventures around 8:45 PM in hopes of hearing a recording regarding times and availability but was pleasantly surprised when she actually spoke to Crystal, one of the owners of the company. Crystal was great and was able to squeeze us into their 1:00 PM trip. We arrived about 15 minutes prior to our rafting time, changed in the dressing rooms and met up with our guide Dirty Mike. After a quick loadout with our gear, we walked over to the river and began the float down the Lower Pigeon River. Dirty Mike was great. As an original local, he shared stories of his childhood along the river and built up the excitement for the three kids with us. We are DEFINITELY returning to Rip Roaring Adventures next season. Due to their location on the Pigeon River, you are able to raft longer than most of the other rafting companies. Our trip lasted about an hour and a half and we passed the other rafting company about 30 minutes into our trip. If you're looking to do rafting, DEFINITELY GO WITH RIP ROARING ADVENTURES. read more

Rip Roaring Adventures - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Hartford, Tennessee

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All the tour guides were amazing, especially with kids. All were motivated to have a good time! Highly suggest!!!

We went rafting here for the 4th of July! Cody was amazing! He had tricks up his sleeves that made the experience amazing! We had our 2 teenage children with us and he made sure to make their experience one of a kind! We are ready to go back! read more

Excellent experience! Charlie was awesome!! When we come back we will definitely book with Rip Roaring again.

Took my family of 4 white water rafting here a few days ago. Kids, ages 8 and 13. I loved that it wasn't an overly crowded area. There were parking spots available and an easy open space for check in. Nice shady covered area with picnic tables for us to sign the wavers and wait. There were also bathrooms and changing rooms. We got the little safety speech and directions, were put in groups with a particular guide. And then got on the bus to head to the dropoff point. It was just a 10 minute drive. Everything was super efficient, like a well oiled machine. No time wasted. We helped bring the raft to the water and got right in. Joe was our guide. We really enjoyed him. He was a very down to earth guy. Very personable and kind. And he knew what he was doing. He encouraged us and gave clear directions. He helped to pull several of us out of the water when we went in for a swim, which isn't an easy thing. I highly recommend this group. It was an amazing trip and experience. I would do it again! read more

Our family is on a long 2 week road trip through many states and I am quite confident this water rafting trip will be our most talked about adventure from our vacation! Our kids are little, 4 and 5, and they LOVED going water rafting! The scenery is unmatched and our tour guide Joey was amazing! He was full of nature facts and so sweet to our children. We will be telling all our friends about it for sure! read more

Rip Roaring Adventures - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Hartford, Tennessee

Our group of ten had a great experience with our guide Zeb. Would definitely recommend. He was very knowledgeable about the river and made us feel comfortable and safe. We will be back. Such a great time! read more

Rip roaring adventures was fantastic! This company cares about their work and make this experience so much fun! Our guide was Mike and he was so informative! We went in the off-season and that was a really cool experience as we got to see/experience the river a little differently! I would highly recommend this company AND paying the $15 to rent the wet suit. This was a life saver as the water in March is brisk. Check these guys out. You won't regret it. read more

Rip Roaring Adventures - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Hartford, Tennessee

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Fantastic river guides!!! Dan and Scooty P were fanfreakingtastic! The lower river is a nice and easy ride for beginners, before deciding to move up to the Upper Pigeon. Had a ton of fun with these guide! 10/10 recommend! read more

This was a wonderful first experience for my 7 year old! Our guide, Nolan, made her feel so cool and special. She loved it so much that she reminded me to "leave a good review for Nolan"! This is definitely a must-do for your family vacation. read more

FANTASTIC!! Joshton was our guide and we had a blast! Great run:) Easy to sign up online. We had 5 total in our boat and went over class 2,3, &4 rapids! read more

Decided to go rafting and tried this place due to the high reviews. We weren't disappointed. They are well organized and have really good guides. We felt safe the whole trip and would come again. read more

I absolutely would recommend this place! We did the lower pigeon tower (for the kids) and they were very hospitable. We had Lance. He was on his second year with them and he was super cool. He took his time and explained how the rapids worked. It was worth the money and time. Other rafting companies along the river started after us and ended before us. It seemed they were just trying to finish their tour quickly to take someone else. Rip roaring cares about their customers and they took their time down the river. 10/10 experience !!!! read more

My family went on the Upper Adventure with Danaconda. He was an awesome guide and we had a blast. Very friendly staff and I 100% will come back! The food truck was also delicious. I would've taken a picture of my nachos but they were so good I ate them before I could take one :P read more

What. A. Blast. I don't think I could've pictured a better way to spend the 4th of July than to be white water rafting! It was so much fun. Everyone is chill and laid back. DJ was our guide and he was fun and informative. We went on the Upper Level Rapids which was fun. I even wanted more! We got to the Swimming Hole and though our guide pushed me out of the raft in good fun, it ended up being much more enjoyable than I thought (swimming in the river, that is.) Long story short, just do it. It's adventurous and it'll make you want more! read more

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This was awesome! We had a super fun time out on the water. Our guide Emily was great! They make sure you have all of your instructions and really watch out for you while on the water. Everyone had a great sense of humor and knew how to make you feel welcome and comfortable. The water felt great, especially on a hot day and it was over all just a fantastic experience. 10/10 would recommend. read more

Had an awesome guide and for being one of the smaller rafting spots I recommend it for people with young kids very interactive and funny guide. I'll remember his name and I will post. read more

Our group of 7 had the absolute most fun! Our guide, Trey, was super fun and helpful. We definitely recommend coming and doing the upper adventure if possible. We wish it was longer! read more

We had an AWESOME time!!! Wow, what an amazing group of people! If you want to go have fun rafting in Gatlinburg check this place out. Our group reserved a few months in advance of our August trip to the area since we were a total of 18 (before 3 chickened our that is) and wanted to make sure we could all go and this company was just amazingly friendly and engaging with everyone. read more

Everything about this place is amazing! The staff are incredible and funny. I have never seen so much team work and passion within a company. While rafting not only were they helping each other but also others out there in the river. Klark was are tour guide and he truly made us feel safe while having an unforgettable time! Soooo much fun! Plus, amazing photos and videos for purchase! read more

Rip Roaring Adventures - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Hartford, Tennessee

Had such a great time with Dirty Mike and the entire team at Rip Roaring Adventures. Dirty Mike was such a friendly guide. He was eager to ensure we had an exciting (but safe) experience, and took the time to inform us about everything we did/passed through on the river. Thanks so much to everyone for such an incredible experience. I could not imagine a more beautiful and fun activity to do outdoors! read more

This was probably the most fun I've had in ages! We were a group of 6 and had come for a long weekend get away and decided last minute to try to get in somewhere to do white waiter rafting. We chose this bunch based on their reviews and didn't hurt that there was a coupon! We knew from the minute that we met their staff that we were at the right place! Our guide was Trey (aka Johnny Depp ....if you ask for Johnny Depo, he'll know who sent you - lol!!) of course we think he's their best! But honestly all of the guides seemed awesome! If you're looking for a white water adventure, I highly recommend these guys over the others. They take their time and let you enjoy your time. Thanks some much for a great time! read more

I definitely recommend this place if your are looking to go water rafting. We were a group of 6 and did the Upper Pigeon. Booking was really easy and you had the options of doing the waiver in person or online to save time. There is free parking once you get to the place. Check in was really easy and not a long wait. The staff was really nice. Joe was our guide & he was the best! He explained to us the how water rafting is and the gear. My group and I had so much fun with him and he made our experience unforgettable. We felt super comfortable with Joe and he was super open about his experience with rafting. He was very knowledgeable about the area. Also, in the beginning of the rapids they take pictures of your group and the pictures are available for purchase once you get back. Great option to keep memories of the trip. Rip Roaring Adventures cares for their customers to have fun on this tour while being safe unlike other companies they looked like they just wanted to get over with the tour. Overall the experience was phenomenal. If you go, ask for Joe, he was amazing. Worth the time and money. 10/10 read more

Rip Roaring Adventures - The bus we rode to get to the spot. - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Hartford, Tennessee

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I really can't begin to tell you how impressed I was with this group of individuals at a business as much as the RIP Roaring adventures guides. From A-Z I was impressed. We started by meeting Cody at the front stand who was VERY accommodating, respectful, funny and amazing. Then our AWESOME guide Mikey, AKA Dirty Mike was the best they come. He really made me and my girls feel very comfortable. He spoke to us the whole time about history, facts, lessons, life and of course white water rafting techniques! (Make sure you request him). We where not scared too much, even though the tides where strong. We felt like we where pros before we even started (thanks to Mikey. It was a thrill an we felt like we where In the best hands to experience that. This place by far beats every other company out there. DO NOT BOOK WITH THE "BIG COMPANIES". BOOK WITH THIS SMALL AND HUMBLE COMPANY IF YOU WANT TO GET YOUR MONIES WORTH. Thanks for the Amazing experience read more

We took the Upper Pigeon River trip and absolutely loved it! It was hard to believe we were on the water for 90 minutes because we were having so much fun. The staff is incredibly friendly and knowledgeable. Garrett was our guide and he was loads of fun and laughs! 10/10 recommend! read more

Saturday - July 7th, 2018 our group had a fantastic time. The double upper pigeon with lunch @ $70/person was probably the best deal on the river. Our guide (Victoria) was very knowledgeable, and well trained. Our little group of three shared a raft with another group, 8 people per raft including the guide. It rained real hard the day before we went, and the river was high and fast. Class 3s rapids are bit bumpy, but the class 4s will soak ya. You'll get an opportunity or two to swim, but getting back in the boat is a challenge. Keep yer feet up, and be prepared to get up close and friendly! We look forward to relocating to the area to enjoy this more often. The owner, Joe, is running a class operation, real pros, and funny too! read more

Great time!! These guys are the BEST!! We had a blast and these guides were fun and knowledgeable! We felt safe and knew these guys were experts! I will be back and highly recommend this outfit over the others! read more

Great day today on the river with our guide Daniel. Very efficient and safe operation. We hit some class 2, 3 and 4 rapids as a family of 6 with our 8-year old daughter and had a blast. All guides work as a team, all very nice and polite - appreciated all the COVID precautions with the gear. Th read more

First time to the Smokies in TN and white water rafting. I must say Rich and Jaison were the best guides we could ask for for rafting experience. They were very experienced, friendly and knowledgeable. The class 4 rapids were amazing!!! We can't wait to go again!!! We went through several class 4 rapids and wanted more. Rafting is addictive and Rip Roaring Adventures is the best choice out there in TN!!! read more

Had an awesome trip today! Great company. They are a smaller mom and pop type operation and were very professional. Our guide Charles was the best! read more

We had a blast! Mike was our person and so knowledgeable and funny! The team was amazing and playful! Our only regret was not being in the front of the raft. We have been rafting a few times in the past and teamwork and being in sync is key in the front and is definitely crucial! So we feel we missed out on what could have been an amazing last rapid but because the people in the front where kind of clueless (not trying to be rude) we missed out on an amazing rapid! Next time we will be more aggressive lol read more

They advertise that they are the cheapest rafting experience in the area and you get what you pay for. The trip was short and the facilities and pick up van were disgusting. (Come on guys it wouldn't kill you to clean toilets once in a blue moon) Our family group had 4 little kids- youngest 7 - and they really enjoyed the Class I 'float'. Probably about as much 'rapids' as the kids could tolerate first time out. For the actual river experience the review is two stars instead of one. Having been rafting several times before, I was not impressed and would skip this place and go somewhere else. I will say the staff was friendly and professional though. If you're going at least use the $12 off coupon found in some of the tourist books. read more

Great guides, thanks again to Cody who was our guide for the upper pigeon raft. We got to do some cool tricks and had an awesome time.

All of the staff we met were incredible. Megan guided our raft and she was amazing. She knows the river inside out and the history of the area. We learned a lot from her and on top of that, she is really funny. I'm a senior citizen, but I felt like a kid again. This is a Mom and Pop company and they went out of the way to make sure we had an amazing time. The price was great, the staff were professional and laid back, and they focused on the safety of their guests. They personalize your adventure and don't treat you as a number like the bigger companies do. I would definately recommend this company, you won't be disappointed. Their store had a great selection of gear for sale at reasonable prices. They also have wonderful photos of your trip you can purchase when your adventure is over. We can't wait to come back to raft again and make more memories! read more