We had a large group of more than20. We made reservations all for the tubes with a back and bottom weeks ago. Many were not available, the staff who took us to the site said, Well that's normal on Saturday we run out, I said we had a reservation for the correct number, and again he said, "well we try to work on that but it's not very well run" Agreed The tubing was fun the staff need some people skills and a lesson in reservations. read more

This was a great trip for our family of young and old. It was a great adventure with the right amount of excitement and relaxation in one of the most beautiful national forests in the country. The guides are skilled, attentive, and funny (most of the time). Absolutely worth the time and money! read more

Enjoyed tubing on a crazy hot Saturday, and the river was full of people from several outfitters. The place was well organized, but our short van trip was a bit crammed and only the front windows open. This wouldn't have been a problem, but the woman in front of us and the bus driver had their masks pulled under their noses. I know it's a nutty pandemic summer and businesses are trying hard. This is a busy river, so going during the week might be best if possible. Overall, fun. read more

Brooke was an awesome guide! She made the trip fun. We had a good time! It felt more like a float than a white water raft. The rapids were very mild and towards the beginning of the trip. read more

The staff here is exceptional. We visited during all the pandemic craziness. It was a VERY busy day when we were there and staff did their best to create distance at check in and create a comfortable and accommodating atmosphere. On the short van ride to the drop off our van had a family that wasn't happy that they needed to be in a van with others even though all were wearing masks. The van was full but not packed full. The staff remained patient offered two other options including a private ride for their family to the drop location. There is no way to socially distance in a van but the ride is very short all windows are open and everyone is required to wear masks. We assumed going to a commercially run tubing company that we might have to be around other people at some point. Had it been a deal breaker I would have bought my kids tubes and gone to the river on my own, which is what this family probably should have done. They were extremely stressed. Made comments the whole way to our drop off. Once there jumped out and started asking guides how they could cancel all other activities for the week. The guide stayed calm and positive and respectful the entire time. Offered suggestions. Reminded that he couldn't make any changes nor could he make changes for other expeditions later in the week. The entire time the guide kept unloading other participants tubes, kayaks, and offering them as much attention and instruction as he could so they didn't have to wait to start their time down the river. When we got back we mentioned to Chris how professional and positive he remained and she was happy to hear and just as nice as he was. I don't think I could have kept up such a positive attitude it was beyond stressful during a stressful time in society. I'm sure the family involved was just scared and reacting to that but it was amazing to see extra safety measures offered, and the level of patience and understanding from the employees at Wahoo when they were not being treated with any level of respect for the work or solutions they were offering. Thank you for a fun day with the family! read more

Wahoo's Adventures - Canoe trip down New River. - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Todd, North Carolina

We weren't incredibly impressed with Wahoo's. The river experience itself was nice, but the customer service, booking, and arrival experience was rather disappointing. I've driven by this place on other trips to Boone so when I was planning this year's Boone trip and saw that they had a groupon for tubing, I figured we'd go for it. I called two weeks ago to see what availability was like for this past weekend as going tubing was a major part of our intended trip. The lady I spoke to was really nice and said this past Saturday was a good time; we discussed optimal times for us to arrive outside of more crowded bookings. I told her I'd call back the next day to confirm. The guy the next day was rather grouchy and almost rejected me. Told me we were coming out of town and had just spoken to someone nice the day before. He ended up booking us though and even kindly offered anyone who joined us the groupon rate. So a mixed feeling call experience. This past Saturday, it was quite chilly and there was a strong chance of rain showers rather than just passing through. Plus, some of our friends got delayed, traveling day of. So, I called and spoke to Jim. Very nice fellow! He agreed we were making the right call and said it was fine to call back later and see about Sunday. Later on, we decided Sunday it was and called to rebook. That guy was like, "well, you should have come today; it was beautiful." I appreciate that sentiment, but his tone was rather condescending. Thankfully, he moved our reservation. Upon arrival, there was no clear sign about where to check in. It was just very confusing and disorganized with little guidance as we wandered through the parking lot. Turns out the front of the building faces away from the parking lot and the guy at some table near the garage wasn't checkin. When we got upstairs, the line was quite long and the lady checking people in was clearly overloaded. She should have had some assistance. We tried to use the bathroom while we waited, but the two bathrooms had lines, as well, and were both out of toilet paper. We were relieved she encouraged us to upgrade to "premium tubes" with bottoms rather than donuts since the water was a bit chilly, but $5 for a different tube seemed a bit silly to us. We finally got to check in and get downstairs to be taken off down the road in a shuttle with Ben in a very short time. Great guide! Very helpful. The website advertises for a 3 hour tube ride down the New River. He told us it would be an hour and half. Our groupons were also for a day rate, but since we had to rebook, we no longer had time for that. It was a slow drift and rather uneventful. I've tubed on the New River before and it was much more rhythmic with a nice current, and a longer ride. Maybe it's just where Wahoo's is set up and they had less rainfall this summer. Some of the staff was very nice, but the overall professionalism was not good. Personally, I'd go with River Girl again next time. read more

DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME OR YOUR MONEY! We signed up for the rafting trip down the Watauga River but never made it past signing our waivers. I had the extreme displeasure of meeting one of the guides that went by the name Jed (not to be confused with the owner Jeff Stanley). As my friend and I were walking to the bathroom Jed asked us where we were from and when we told him North Carolina he told us we looked like a couple of terrorists! To my surprise, and as the words slurred from Jed's lips, the two employees that were sitting next to Jed had zero reaction to his statement. They just sat there and let the whole incident occur without saying a word to stop it. After telling Jed that wasn't cool I finished my trip to the bathroom and walked back toward the front to finish checking in. On my way Jed said he was only kidding about the terrorist comment, and in the same sentence asked again if we were! I just shook my head, disengaged, and continued on my way. Once all the waivers were signed our party made its way to the rear of the property where Jed and the other employees were gathered. Jed again tried to converse with me by asking question about where I was from, how we all knew each other, what schools we attended, etc. This wasn't just a "friendly, trying to get to know you" type of conversation. I felt like I was being screened for a background check. Jed's demeanor continued to remain antagonistic and hostile, and when he said he was just trying to get a sense of who was going to be on his boat, I told him not to worry as I wouldn't be getting on any boat with him. Jed concurred and told me he was going to put me in a boat with one of the "retarded guides" (his words, not mine). At that point, already having been told we look like terrorists, and now Jed telling me he's going to put me in a boat with a "retarded guide", I told him we were cancelling our appointment and wanted a refund. The driver of the bus, on his way out to the trip we were booked on, attempted to apologize to our group by informing us that was just the way they do things around there in good ole Elizabethton, TN. He said not to take it personally, that they just joke around by calling each other derogatory name like "hillbilly", "retard", or "terrorist". He concluded his apology by pointing his fingers directly at me and telling me I take things too seriously. WOW!! The kicker to this whole incident is that when my friend called the main office to get a refund, the owner told him that he's not responsible for the actions of another employee and since we were attempting to cancel within 24 hrs of our trip that he couldn't give us a refund! Wow, 10 people at $50 a head . . .so basically, we paid them to ridicule and demean us. As I write this review my friend is waiting to hear back from the credit card company to see what recourse he may have, since he put the whole trip on his card. read more

Went with a group of 24 people and had an absolute blast! Patti-cakes was a phenomenal guide and had us in stitches the entire time. Definitely a gentleman's delight The other guides were great too. We had a raft full of kids (ages 10-17) and their guide was patient and perfect for them. I would highly recommend and would definitely use Wahoo Adventures again. read more

We had a terrific time on the Nolichucky river. CJ was a terrific guide and got us safely from shore to shore. It was great to meet Nick and Sven and to travel the river with those guys. The river was very cool and not too choppy on a hot summers day. It was a terrific rafting experience! read more

Such a fun day spent with our guide, Luke. He went above and beyond to make sure we had a fun and interactive trip on the river. All the staff were courteous and the pick up location was clean. The only reason I didn't give wit 5 stars was that the rapids were pretty small but nonetheless we had a blast and would recommend this group to anyone looking for fun day white water rafting. read more

My wife and I did the tubing trip down the New River and the water level was literally 4 inches deep. We were constantly being struck by rocks and submerged trees. Had to get out of the tube, which wasn't easy, and carry it part way.The surrounding scenery was unbelievably beautiful. Had the water level been normal, this would have been an amazing trip. Called the manager, Cristina, and she could care less. It's all a numbers game for them. Horrible customer service. read more

It was okay. I wasn't really that impressed by the service or the organization. If you're looking for tubing adventures, you can probably find something much better. I went with a group and we found Wahoo's via Groupon. Once we had the Groupon and called to plan our trip, the customer service we received every time was terrible. The team wasn't that nice, not friendly with my friends in their communication and even the cashier was quickly flustered when we showed up as if she had only been working on the job for a week. If it's your only choice, it's an okay one, but i'm sure you can find better choices than Wahoo's. read more

Wasted half a day at Wahoo's Adventures in Boone over Memorial Day weekend. HORRIBLE customer service, understaffed, let others that were rude cut ahead of people with reservations, waited TWO AND A HALF HOURS from checkin to dropoff. When I called for refund, they had the nerve to offer a discount on future visit. NOT! Spend your valuable time and hard earned dollars elsewhere, this company doesn't deserve it! If there was a negative star rating, I would have chosen that. Please share with anyone you think might consider giving business to this hole in the earth. read more

Rude phone call over the phone. I called to ask the price and ask if it was busy and then I asked if walk ins are welcomed and the man laughed and said they're busy and wanted to explain to me that I was calling to make a reservation (which I wasn't) and give attitude. Then when I said I'll call back he was super nice and respectful. I'm not booking here read more

Brian, the owner was so helpful and responsive when inquiring about a family rafting trip! He was reassuring when describing the level of rafting as we were bringing our 5 and 7 year old grandkids for their first float! He kept in touch the day before as to the conditions and explained nothing to worry about with the kids. So we we're so pleased with our guide, Harvey! His enthusiasm and dialogue with our grandkids and our family was so appreciated. His experience was obvious as He explained the River and all the history associated with all landmarks and nature as we passed ! . Our grands were intrigued and excited! He kept it fun and his expertise was so comforting as kept the trip super interesting! . His "tea cup- ride" portion of the trip was super fun! Harvey was the best! So as a first raft trip, we were so glad we went and actually look forward to a "step up " rafting trip , now that we had a positive time giving us an idea of what the "family-run" was like! Just to note-Emma, the other raft guide was also very good with her group. Kudos to them both and to Brian who runs the whole thing. Wonderful people all together. Brian and Harvey went so far as to give us good tips fi the area. Afterwards we visited "Blue Hole" - a short hike to a beautiful waterfall and swimming hole nearby! A bonus!! Thanks to all for a special day! read more

Wahoo's Adventures - Beautiful scenery on Watauga River. - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Todd, North Carolina

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Great day on the Nolichucky- we are repeat customers and recommenders of Wahoo. We've always had great experiences and today did not disappoint. The guides are knowledgeable, skilled and very serious about making sure everyone stays safe. Cheers to Bert (hope I spelled it correctly) for taking our party of 6 safely down the rapids and for providing great stories along the way! read more

Did the tubing deal on Sunday, Aug 9 and give it three-thumbs up. Check in was a little busy, but that's only because there were many people there. Went well, waited a bit for our van and up the river we went. Once we finally all got tied up the way we wanted for a group of 10 and four cooler tubes, off we went. Great relaxing time and way to spend the afternoon. If you've never done it, just do it...I waited 20 years to do this, going again in two weeks. :) read more

Sam took the 5 of us down the river and we had a great time! We enjoyed the peaceful river and surrounding area, the rapids were fun and we liked getting to know our guide, and each other, better! It was a wonderful trip and I highly recommend a trip down the Watauga River with them. read more

The staff and equipment are great . However the river is lame very light white water a lot of long boring floating . More like a tubing swimming outing I have rafted many rivers never one as boring as this one . My shoes didn't even get wet . I wouldn't do it again. read more

We called and made reservations several days ahead of time. We waited 1.5 hours past our reservation, had to change our reservation because we ended up not having enough time to do both kayaking and tubing like the nice gentleman suggested we do when we called. We were told that we were next to go, but by the time I had walked to the car to lock up our clothing, they had given away our seats on the bus. My family enjoyed our time on the river, but next time we will use a different (and hopefully more organized) company. read more

The owner is a complete jerk. If searching for "tubing" in the tri-cities area, the phone number for the blowing rock location comes up and the address is Elizabethton. When we arrived after putting down a reservation for 5 people, no one knew what we were talking about and we were given his number. After explaining and just asking for the refund repeatedly, he kept offering us more expensive packages with shorter trips that we didn't want and was pressuring us to drive the hour and a half to the blowing rock location. He finally yelled at us on the phone and hung up on us. Seriously go anywhere else. Loafer's Glory is great and the people are nice for the same price. read more

I was sitting in the car before our canoe trip and was set on giving Wahoo's one star. Why were we sitting in our car? We were waiting for the someone to show up and unlock the gate. The trip started off bad. We were told to meet them at their headquarters. We got a call an hour prior to our trip that we would have to meet them at the river. We were given lengthy (but good) directions which were hard to follow since we were in a rental car and had no pen and paper. Once at that spot, the guide did not arrive until 15 minutes after our designated time slot. We placed several calls to the number on the website who insured us that he would arrive shortly. I was ready to demand a refund and find another canoe company. Now for the second star. The guide was so nice. He was the only one running the business and the person who did the scheduling had told him to show up to the headquarters where we had originally been. He was there early, but then was told we were at the river and had to drive all the way over to the river. He was very nice and told us about the best spots in the river. He quickly got us a canoe, life jackets, paddles and let us on our way. On the ride back he was very fun to talk with. The canoe trip was relaxing and the scenery were beautiful. Between that and the nice guide, it redeemed Wahoo's a bit in my mind. The manager or scheduler just need to get organized and work on their communication skills. read more

We love coming to Wahoo's Adventures. The New River tubing is a nice, lazy float. They are priced VERY fair and always courteous! You are allowed to bring food/drink and you can even rent a tube for your cooler. How great is that!! read more

Wahoo's Adventures - Tubin' down the New River- ahhh! What a great time and such a great deal for the $! Thanks Wahoo's!! - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Todd, North Carolina

Was told that the excursion would last a minimum of two hours. We arrived at 9:45, finally got on the river around 10:30-10:45, and was done with everything before 12 so it lasted maybe an hour. We paid $50 (for two) for a regular tube for less than an hour on the river which was very very slow so the journey was a short one. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone, try River & Earth up the road or a different one along the same road. We have been on many tubing excursions and this one was by far the worst. I honestly feel cheated out of money and am very sad because this was supposed to be for mine and my girlfriends anniversary. Such a wasted trip. read more

We had a very pleasant time doing the full day white water rafting trip. There was 6 of us; my dad, sister, my boyfriend, his nephew, and his mom. Our guide was Wick and he was amazing! Most of us had been WWR before up in Colorado and PA, so when we got down to the mostly twos, it got a little boring, he made it a lot of fun by putting the boat through areas you think it wouldn't fit. He was informative about the Rapids. The sad part was the area that looked like a lot of fun was too low for a boat to run through with more than one person, so we took a small hike. Thank you for a great day on the river with family! read more

Our family made reservations through Wahoo. upon arriving, there was not enough parking so we had to park down the road. It was confusing at checking in because so many people were checking in. It was difficult to change clothes because they only had 2 restrooms for all these people. When we went downstairs to meet our guide, we had to wait with lots of people. Finally, a guide said they had overbooked and did not have enough tubs because people who bought an all day pass were still using the tubes. We finally got to get on the van to go up the river about 1 1/2 hour after our reservation The ride was nice. Good floats. When we got out, we could not use the restroom or change clothes because the lines were too long. They need more facilities and changing rooms. It seemed disorganized. Could be fun if it went more smoothly. read more

We went today on the New River. We already had 3 kayaks, but needed transportation & 2 tubes, they got us fixed up quickly & the van drivers / guides were awesome! They made the place have personality & character. We would have loved to hear the stories they must have!?!? My only suggestion to the owners... get your liquor license & hire the friends of your guides! They are what sets your place apart from others! My entire family of 5 recommend Wahoo & we will visit again tomorrow for another type of adventure! Thanks for the great memories! read more

We did the river tubing and watauga rafting trips. When we booked we specifically asked if they were taking any safety measures for Covid 19. They told us all buses were running at 50% capacity. When we showed up for our first trip river tubing we were pied into a van at over 100% capacity. There were more people than seat belts in the van. I was told to sit in a seat with my children and disregard seat belts. I chose to sit on the floor of the bus so my children could have seat belts. After this trip we had serious concerns about returning for a rafting trip. I called the office and spoke with a representative who assured me this was unacceptable and would not happen on our rafting trip. For the rafting trip they loaded us into a school bus and every seat was filled and the guides stood for the ride in the lane between seats. One guide decided to pull down his mask and attempted to entertain the bus, asking everyone to clap and cheer. Some could care less and pulled down there mask to cheer while others looked on in horror. I instantly regretted getting on the bus. The activity itself was fun but the transportation is not safe during a pandemic. As for the blue hole it is not a part of the trip. It is not part of Wahoo. It is a blue hole that is about a minute drive from the Wahoo outpost. When we asked our guide if we would stop he let us know a lot of people ask this and are disappointed to find out its not a part of the rafting trip. He said his job would be much easier if Wahoo advertising was a little clearer. read more

This is my first adventure doing kayak & tubing it's was fun and the service was good they all nice people, specially lilly she help all my needed Highly recommended for u guys read more

A group of us went Tubing on the New River with Wahoo's over the weekend. Despite not having a reservation and them being SLAMMED, they worked us in (we had to wait but that was our fault for not booking prior!!!). We killed time at the river outpost by playing corn hole and Frisbee golf! Once the shuttle was available, Ben drove us to a spot up river and we got in! It was great to end where our cars were parked and not have to ride anywhere wet!! We certainly appreciated the clean restrooms with flushing toilets and indoor showers!! If you want a stress free fun tubing trip- these guys are by far the best I have ever experienced in this area! My only recommendation is BOOK IN ADVANCE!!! read more

Great time - great service!! River was beautiful!! Our girls enjoyed their first tubing experience and are ready to again! Thanks for everything - even got us on the river last minute!!! read more

Wahoo's Adventures - First tubing experience for these girls and they are hooked and ready to go again!!! - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Todd, North Carolina

My family and I had a great rafting trip down the Nolichucky for Father's Day. We were split into two smaller boats of three plus a guide, which made our trip down the lowish river more fun. Patrick and Wiik were skilled guides and also knew how to make the trip fun. As advertised, the bus trips to the pull-out and at pick-up are quick. The first-time rafters in our group were disappointed that the rapids weren't more wild, but no one can fix the river, and it was a beautiful and fun float regardless of water level. Due to some confusing conversations with office staff and the owner about prices and the best trip for our group, docked one star. Once we showed up, it was a blast! read more

When my honey & I snagged a groupon for River Tubing, I was even more excited for our Blowing Rock vacay. Wahoo's definitely didn't disappoint. We arrived at their headquarters in the morning, and although they made it seem like we should have made a reservation, they didn't hesitate to hand us a map and go through the turn by turn directions to their river site. Although we still ended up getting lost, we finally made it there. Seems like the may have a lot of college kids working there as summer staff. Although not the most professional company, they seemed to really enjoy what they do. We were driven out the the drop off point in a van that has holes in the floor, but that sketch factor didn't stop me from oohing and ahhing at the beautiful day and mountain views around us. They dropped us off without much ado and a few instructions. The best part was definitely the beautiful day, the amazing views of mountains and the lazy pace we floated on the river. We got an extra tube for a cooler and brought some sandwiches to dine on as we floated along. The tubing lasts around an hour to an hour and a half and they'll let you take the shuttle back to the drop off point as many times as you'd like. So much fun and totally worth your money for the groupon deal. We'll definitely come back to Wahoo's again--maybe next time for a kayak trip or waterfall hike! read more

My family and I took on the Nolichucky River yesterday with Wahoo and everyone had a great time. My family of 12 goes white water rafting once a year and this has been one of the best and exciting trips to date! Jesse was our guide and he had so much knowledge about the river and was an excellent guide (the best we've ever had!!) This river was so great if you love crazy rapids. read more

I'll start by saying that we had an AWESOME tubing trip down the New River. We laughed and squealed and just had a blast. The water was chilly but, not uncomfortable. Now, the reason why I gave it a 3 instead of a 5. When we arrived we were shocked to find a line wrapped out the door and around the building. Once we got inside the door to checkin, we saw the problem...there was ONE person checking everyone in. Because of this we spent an HOUR standing in line waiting to check in. I cannot even begin to fathom why no one was helping the ONE woman behind the desk. It was absolutely ridiculous. Another small but irritating issue was the bathroom situation. There were two toilets in the checkin building (which we saw people having to come out and ask for toilet paper for), and there were two of the most disgusting Porto John's that I have ever seen in my life. I have been to many BMW motorcycle rallies with thousands of attendees and never in my life have I seen any Porto John's in such a disgraceful state. Once we were handed. Off to our van driver, the day was GREAT! She was super friendly and drove us to our starting point on the river. The guy who helped us get our tubes was also very nice. Overall we felt like they really needed more staff. While we had an awesome day, I'm not sure if we would use Wahoo's again... read more

We had an amazing time. So accommodating. Wil (our guide) was great. The scenery was beautiful. We will be back!

We are usually happy with Wahoo's but this time we were on the river for approximately 15 minutes when a huge storm hit. We had to get out of the river. No refund. $60 down the drain. read more

While they post that everyone should wear a mask while inside the building or in transportation, it was not enforced. We were in the back of a Packed van with 9 people who came from a hotspot state (where a family member not in attendance had had covid) and the adults were not wearing masks. If you can get by this rule not being enforced...the float was wonderful and we would do it again. The river float is a BIG 5 star; the rule enforcement is the only thing that dropped the score. read more

If you're thinking about using Wahoo's for tubing, I highly recommend you look somewhere else. We purchased all day premium tubes for Sunday of Memorial Day weekend. When we arrived at 10:30am, the first thing we noticed was how slow/dead the outpost was that day. This place is usually slammed, especially on holiday weekends. With it being so slow, I had figured we'd be in the water in no time and would probably have time to take at least two if not three trips down the river (since we purchased all day tubes). WRONG! They didn't get us loaded up and on the river until 3:00pm. We heard excuse after excuse. Not enough staff, not enough tubes, not enough vans. I've used Wahoo's for years and had brought a group of friends with me on this day that had never been before. I set their expectations so high just for the whole day to be a huge let down. I E-mailed the business as well as sent a message on FB pleading with them to please make this right since we had to wait for almost four hours to get on the river and only had time to go down once, but no one responded. There are plenty of tubing businesses in the area, I would absolutely choose one of them over Wahoo's! read more

Our family with children ranging in age from 10 - 16 went on the Watauga River trip and had a great time! Our guide, Sam, probably could have handled the raft by himself which made us all feel very safe, but he let us all help out with paddling on the rapids and had us do some fun things (like making the raft spin) in calmer parts of the river as well. It was a great introduction to whitewater rafting! We plan to go back for the more intense trip on another vacation. read more