Good Family Fun or a great Sunday Funday. River tubing along the Cherohala Skyway in the Tellico…read moreRiver. Rental prices are for the day and you go tubing as much as you want within their operating hours. Prices vary by the type of tube you choose and any accessories you rent (oars and push off sticks). I opted with the premium tube with a cup holder and head/back rest accompanied by an oar. The oar really helped to keep you in the strongest current and out of low lying places in the river. They do require you to have a life vest and will provide them free of charge. If you personally decide to wear it or not - it is at your risk but you have to have one in your possession while tubing. Once checked in, you load up on to a small bus and up the river they take you. Your drop off location is "Iron Works Grille" parking lot. Iron Works is also a great location frequented by motorcycle riders traversing the Cherohala Skyway. They have food, cocktails, and occasional live band inside and on their patio. Upon arrival at the drop off location, the staff provides with your tube to float. We entered the river right at the edge of Iron Works property. We set sailing down the river at a leisurely pace. The overall trip is only .8 miles back to the starting point of Big Bears parking lot. Upon end of float, you exit the river and the staff retrieve your tube. You keep your life jacket and accessories. If you decide to take another trip you load up on the next available bus and repeat your trip. They have portable restrooms on site and a small shop to purchase t-shirts and tubing accessories. The staff was friendly and well organized. I will give them a high recommendation for being the New Kids on the Block.

Had so much fun! Family event for us. Everyone working there was courteous and friendlyread more

This is a nice tubing outfitter in Townsend. They focus on the upper part of Little River. Once…read moreyou sign up and get your tubes, it is a 3-4 minute ride from their facility (they take you in a van) to the "put in." This course is around an hour float down the river with a few class II rapid sections. For most adults, it should be easy going as long as you know how to maneuver a tube or raft. For young kids, I'd probably tether the child's tube to yours. Our two kids, 7 and 9, did fine. But, we had to make sure they rode the tubes correctly. Cowboy Tubin's prices are less than competitors by $5/pp and the run is slightly longer. They have very clean indoor changing rooms and bathrooms. Much nicer than some other places. Also, very friendly staff.

Great place all around. Great staff, great location and overall great experience. For a cheaper…read moreprice than the closest competitor we had a wonderful experience on the same river doing the same thing. The restrooms and changing rooms were spotless which is always a major plus in my book. Sometimes it's the simple thing and this one thing sold me on this company. The lady that we signed in with gave us a rundown of the river, what to expect, what to wear and what not to. She mentioned my hat and suggested not wearing it (which I agreed) then our sunglasses. What set her apart was the fact that she pointed out they sell sunglass retainers but if we didn't want to buy them they could tie some twine on them so we wouldn't lose them. That's rare, she had an opportunity to upsell us but didn't. Simply offered them then gave us a free option as well. As simple as it was, it was appreciated.

Best tubing- cool, clean waters, great food, wonderful environment (peaceful, clean, and so much…read morefun).

We called ahead to see if River was floatable. Unfortunately they told us we would have to push a…read morelittle. We had to WALK @ least HALF of the trip. We found 3 retired ladies struggling & our family helped them complete the HIKE back in the mud & very slipper rocks. The owners very unempathetic response was " You Signed a WAIVER "

I saw this place on TikTok and decided to try the river float. If you go, definitely bring a water…read morebottle that you can clip to your tube with a carabiner and a small waterproof bag for your phone and other stuff. They do sell waterproof bags there, but they're about $25. They normally have two different float routes. You're supposed to do the first one and then drive to the second. Unfortunately, we couldn't do the second float because there was an accident that had the road completely blocked for hours. The first float took us about 2 hours, which felt like a pretty good amount of time on the water. Depending on the water level, you may have to hop out of your tube in a few spots and walk it over some rocks because parts of the river can get pretty shallow. It all depends on how high or low the water is that day. Also, make sure you use the bathroom before you start and don't forget sunscreen. There are a lot of beautiful houses along the river, but remember to stay off private property. Overall, it was a fun time and I'd definitely come back again.

My friends and I had the best time tubing down the Little River, in Townsend, with Smokey Mountain…read moreRiver Rat...Great location, kind & helpful staff, loads of fun! Highly recommend for people of all ages looking for an enjoyable activity with friends or family. Thank you, River Rat crew, for providing a great experience for me and my friends.

Our trip to Wild Bear Tubing was definitely one of the highlights of our Smoky Mountains visit. We…read morearrived just a few minutes prior to our scheduled departure and checked in. The shop has a lot to offer in regard to things that you may want/need for your trip such as necklaces to attach your shades to, dry bags, sunglasses, etc. They employ a lot of young people/teenagers, and those individuals helped us to get our life jackets, tubes, safety training and launching us into the river. It's a self-guided tour. No staff members accompany you, but they tell you to stay left at the fork and if you go under the overpass, you've gone too far. With this being our first tubing experience, we were a bit nervous. We ordered the XL tubes (unnecessary) as well as the cooler tube (also unnecessary). The majority of the route is shaded from the sun, and I believe I would've been okay taking one full reusable water bottle. We rarely accessed our cooler and after floating in the river, we didn't really want to snack...even with the use of hand sanitizer. We saw horses, a beaver and a turtle during our float. The water level seemed to be a bit low, with us needing to lift our bottoms to avoid contact with rocks. It was slow-moving and relaxing, but I'd love to return and experience it when the water level is a bit higher. At the end, we loaded onto a waiting shuttle bus and went back to base. Their changing rooms and bathrooms were clean and very convenient. The only thing that could've made them better were showers! We changed out of our wet swimsuits/trunks and freshened up as best as we could. We spoke with the owner briefly, who told us how her sons (the best in the world, she says) built that place for her. Upstairs are 3 apartment units. She was really nice. I also overheard her praising her team for the good work they'd been doing this season, and her hopes that the weather and crowds continues as they have for the remainder (I was in the restroom). I would definitely suggest this as a reprieve from the Summer heat if visiting the area any time soon!

We had a great time floating down the river this week. The staff was so friendly and helpful. The…read morewater was a little low but I can imagine that when it is higher it would be even more fun. I would definitely recommend it.

Five stars all around for our experience with OAR. My husband wanted to go whitewater rafting on…read morethe Ocoee for his birthday this year, and after a quick search through Yelp and beyond, OAR is one of the best rated rafting companies in the area. We booked the Middle River trip, which totals about 3 hours and includes 1.5 hours on the river itself. I booked our trip a couple of weeks in advance online, and I'm glad I did, because they sold out for the day! It was $65 per person, which feels like a fair price for the experience. They recommend arriving 30 minutes early, which will give you plenty of time to get checked in and get your party situated. Definitely bring sunscreen and a plastic water bottle, along with the proper water shoes and attire. You're instructed to leave everything in your car, and then drop your keys off with the front desk staff for pick-up after your rafting trip. The safety briefing started right on time, and basically consists of what to do if you end up going overboard. It's not meant to be scary, and most of it is self-intuitive. There were about 60 people in our group, and the majority of rafts held 6 people. After the safety talk was over, everyone gets their own lifejacket, oar, and helmet. Then you and the rest of your crew hops on a school bus, which will take you to the drop-off site about 20 minutes away. This is where we met our rafting guide, Cleveland, and after a quick demo on paddling and how to sit in the raft, we were off on our adventure! Our time on the water was so much fun, and I want to shout out how incredible Cleveland was from the beginning to the end. He was an awesome mix of friendly, engaging, and informative, which made our trip all the more memorable! As a group of two, we were paired with two other random couples to fill out our raft, which was a great way to meet some new people. Overall this was an amazing experience, and we can't wait to do it again soon. We'll definitely be booking the full river trip next time!

My friends and I came from out of state, this was most of our group's first time rafting and it was…read morean incredible introduction. Everyone was friendly and informative, the guides made sure you had fun but stayed safe. I would absolutely go again anytime, such a great time and shout out to our guide Hugh, he was great fun and is clearly passionate about rafting and outdoor adventure. Thanks for an awesome time!!

I had a wonderful time kayaking. It was my first time on this river. Everyone was super great,…read morefantastic staff and celebrating my birthday.

Great vacation spot to start white water training. We are first timers so they where easy on us,…read morelots of pointers and they watch for body parts to float by. Short drive to the power station below the dam and in we went. Stopped on on of the many islands for lunch. Back at Webb Brother s and our new neighbor was watching to pull us out. We did tip once and lost one paddler momentarily. It is fun and challenging for beginners.

Just had our 4th adventure with Rolling Thunder and once again, they demonstrated why we keep…read morecoming back. Amazing guides, great safety, and an overall phenomenal time.

Thank you very much for the experience! We had a great time so much fun. The service was excellent…read moreand we will be back for an other adventure.

Perfect day on the water! Storm was personal and professional giving us places to go on the lake…read moreand details of the pontoon. We had the best afternoon celebrating our anniversary! ​

We had a family reunion and family members rented about 5 boats. We had an 8 hr rental which was…read moreperfect so we could return it almost 2 hours before the deadline. We recommend that they put large trash bags in each boat. We had requested one while we were getting ready to take off in the river. Our other family members had nothing for garbage. So we were able to get off boat quicker to go find a restaurant. We wish there was a bar/restaurant tied to this marina for convenience of being able to get off the boat for lunch or hang around while waiting for others on the boat.

Want to Raft the Natahala River? Come here…read more Want to cross the Appalachian Trail? You can step on here. Need something you might not have brought, like sunscreen, batteries and snaxks? Stop in. It's a lovely location. If you like outdoor experiences, come here.

Today we visited the Nantahala Outdoor Center for whitewater rafting and zip lining, and it was one…read moreof the highlights of our trip! Our rafting guide, Carter, was phenomenal. His customer service was amazing. He made the entire experience fun from start to finish. We laughed the whole way down the river, learned so many interesting facts about the area, and always felt safe. If you're visiting with young kids, this is an amazing family adventure, and Carter made it even more memorable. After rafting, we went zip-lining, and the experience was just as enjoyable. Cole and his crew were fantastic--patient, professional, encouraging, and accommodating. They made everyone feel comfortable, whether it was their first time or not. We 100% recommend Nantahala Outdoor Center for families, couples, or anyone looking for a fun day outdoors. The staff truly made the experience exceptional. Our only suggestion would be to make tipping easier. Currently, guides can only be tipped with cash, and many people don't carry cash anymore. It would be great if the guides had a Cash App, Venmo, or QR code so guests could tip digitally using their phones. They absolutely deserve it! Overall, an unforgettable experience that we'll be recommending to everyone. Thank you, Carter, Cole, and the entire team for making our day so special!