I couldn't have asked for a better first white water rafting experience than with whitewater express! My boyfriend booked us a trip on Saturday, it was both our first time and Jackson was an absolute champ. He was so knowledgeable about the river, its history (very rich history here), and we had such a fun experience doing the classic trip. He made sure we were suited up right, checked on us, we felt safe the entire time. We've definitely unlocked a new hobby! The day was super nice, we even got to surf and float down part of the lazy river. Jackson also literally carried our group- he was very mindful of us and made sure we were safe and not over-exert as well. Will 100% be back for the challenger trip next time when I come to visit :) also zip-lining! Whitewater Express also has a lot of equipment at their store- so check it out before and after your excursion! Definitely very useful and practical (like water shoes, chacos, sunglasses, fishing gear, and a lot of outdoor gear), in addition to great merch. read more

Whitewater Express - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Columbus, Georgia

They are very friendly and lots of choices in their store if you need outdoorsy outfit and gears. The tour guide was friendly and the tour was very educational historical about the city. Make sure to arrive early to get enough parking spot specially during the weekend due to Farmers Market. All in all it was a great experience. If you want an adventure do their extreme option. read more

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We fled from Hurricane Milton and wanted something fun to do. Whitewater Express was so kind and accommodating. Our guide was Man Hole. He gave us so much education on the area as we went down the river. I loved that he gave us river rock paint for our faces. We ended up flipping on the class 5 rapids but we survived. It was a great experience and will make the best story to tell everyone. It was fun riding the bull at the end and i loved how he showed us how the water echos under the bridge near the end. Will definitely come back and recommend to our friends. We have used Whitewater Express at the Natahala and the Ooacoe (probably spelled that wrong). By far the Chatahoochee was the best experience we have had! Thanks Man Hole for the challenging but fun white water rafting experience read more

Whitewater Express - Man Hole (guide) and rafting crew - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Columbus, Georgia

Have been rafting a few times, and enjoyed this course. You spend about 1.5 hours on the water (which seemed like perhaps less time than I recall spending on courses in North GA/TN but cannot be sure). Beautiful scenery. Shoutout to "Crash," who was our fun, skilled guide. If you're frightened of trying white water rafting, we had two children in our raft, both of whom were very vocal about what a great time they had, so no need to fear. Great overall experience, and we hope to go again sometime. read more

First time going zip lining and white water rafting ever. This place provided that awesome experience for both excursions. The service provided from both events was awesome. I will definitely do this experience again read more

Whitewater Express - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Columbus, Georgia

So we'll have a list of things we want to do or try and this was on my list. I had found a Groupon and decided today is a good day to try this out. I was visiting and I called everyone I knew in the area trying to find someone to go with me however I got "sorry I have to work" or "have you lost your mind?" So needless to say, I went by myself. I arrived at the location and I was greeted and told that they could hold my keys for me. They also offer GoPro rentals (as I left mine at home) and they have someone who takes pictures that you can purchase (I was told depending on weather but on this trip, they were available). As a fist timer, I did the Classic trip and Beans was my guide. She was hyped as It was her birthday and she told great stories which made the trip even more eventful. The beginning was a little confusing. I walked to the equipment room and got NO direction. Another guest told me what to do as far as getting my equipment and what to expect. The guides gave their safety talk and we went outside and boarded a bus. Then it started to rain, however we were told we was still going down the river. The instructions that Beans have were easy to follow and we made our way down the river with much ease. I wish that we were able to get into position for the really cool pictures but that didn't take away from the experience. Beans also let us float down the lazy river which was a special added treat! We got to the end and was told to walk up the ramp but no one said around the corner, down the side walk back to the shop. So if walking is an issue, this will be an issue. I had a blast and was ready to go again! They offer a season pass which I recommend if you are in the area and want to go more than twice. All pictures taken by their photographer. read more

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First time water rafting ever, was super nervous but all the guides were all easy going and reassuring. The bus ride over to the lake was filled with jokes and history. The launch off was a bit disorganized but still went off without a hitch. Our guide, Hoffman did a great job with instructions and fun facts. Would definitely recommend this experience to everyone. read more

This place is awesome, my 15 old son and 8 year old son and I went rafting yesterday , our guide was Straps he was awesome a great guy led us threw the river we had a great fun enjoyable time. If you want the best adventure just go too whitewater express and tell them you want straps . Thank you guys so much my family will never for get our adventure . My 15 year old said it's the funnest thing he's done in his life!!!!!!! read more

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I can't rate the actual rafting because we left before getting on the boat. My fiancé and I were super pumped to do this trip but it was a total cluster. Service at check-in was barely polite; there were no lockers for stuff (just a giant bin filled with keys); but the worst part is the "waiting area" which is this warehouse-like space behind the store with zero ventilation, and literally over 100 people crowded in waiting for mildewed life vests. During a covid surge this was super concerning...there was zero consideration for people's health and safety. Everyone then piled onto big unventilated buses. We had thought doing something outdoors would be a relatively safer way to enjoy Columbus, but this was really bad. I've been on multiple rafting trips before and those typically number fewer than 20 people. There were easily over 100 people on a single trip here. There seemed to be little care about customer experience and safety, it felt like a money factory--we were so uncomfortable we ate the $135 we spent and left on the spot. read more

While practically stuck in Columbus Georgia on a shoot - we had to figure out what to do. Unfortunately this isn't a local to do thing but I have been whitewater rafting in the past and had great experiences. First of all I do recommend this to anyone who wants to experience a natural way of enjoying the outdoors in Columbus. We did the CLASSIC where we only hit one class 3 rapid and the rest were pretty tame. Great for the whole family! The staff is great - all very knowledgeable, courteous, and make the experience memorable and fun. Our "Captain" - Jackson, or Captain Jack as I wanted to call him knew the river well and was very aware of safety and a local of Columbus. He was amazing. The thing I want to chime in and say is that they could really make the experience more efficient - I'm sure the boat captains get pretty sick of having to give the same old safety training prior to the experience but honestly it's sometimes hard to hear and not the most comprehensible set of instructions. Why not let your captains save their voice and let a video inside the warehouse tell all visually and is audible thru captioning tell all the safety concerns before getting on a boat. It would be easier since I believe that you have a lot of guests everyday. It's a great business with a beautiful a store if you want to pick a keepsake or outfit your wardrobe for more water sports, hiking, or camping. I do recommend. We'll be back again soon to take in the class 5 rapids in the Challenge course once they let out more water from the dam. Should be radical!! read more

Wow! Such an amazing experience. We mastered the challenge trip with an amazing group of 6. Elijah was a great tour guide and great story teller especially about history. . I recommend trying the category 5. Definitely a rush of water hitting you back to back under water. My friend and I really enjoyed this experience and we hope you do to. read more

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I went inside to get information on the zip lining experience. The girl behind the counter says there are two different packages. The smaller one is about $45 for 3 different zip lines. The bigger one was 7 zip lines and obstacle courses for about $65. My son just graduated basic training and wanted to do the bigger package because of the obstacle courses. He and my brother went together, so, for two of the big packages it was about $130. We weren't thinking anything of it when the lady asked if we wanted a receipt and my brother said no. Once they are done with the zip lining, they explain to me that they only went on 3 zip lines. So I said when they return the equipment to let someone know so that we can be refunded our $40. There is now a guy behind the counter who says we were charged correctly and the only way we could've booked the obstacle zip lining package was with a Groupon. Which makes no sense at all. Needless to say we didn't get our money back. What we hoped to be great family time, turned out to be a gimmick. It's just disappointing. Especially when we asked all of the questions upfront before purchasing the packages. My brother also mentioned that the woman who was in charge of their guided tour was rude for no reason at all. So not only did they rob us blind and lie about the packages but they are rude too. No thank you! read more

We had such a great trip with Ringo! He was confident and fun! My kids thought he was the coolest guy ever. We did the classic trip and the rapids were great. We got tossed out on the class 4 but we all loved it and Ringo made sure we were all safe and back in the boat in a flash. Very skilled river guide! read more

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We did the "classic" (in the morning on calmer water, with our 11yo and 14yo) and had a blast. "Fonz" was our guide and was fun and knowledgeable. A good mix of calm water and big rapids. My only complaint is the equipment (helmet and life vest) smelled awful (mildewy?), and we had a hard time getting a comfortable/fitting helmet for the 11yo. read more

We have been here twice now and absolutely love it! We will be back. The guides are so knowledgeable and funny. The natural lazy river is one of our favorite parts. We did the classic trip the first time and the challenge trip this time. The challenge trip was definitely more fun for us and we will be doing the carnage trip next time! Thanks for such an amazing experience every time read more

I've been wanting to give whitewater rafting a try for a lotta years. Decided to put aside the excuses & go for it this year. Richard R from ATL had given it a good review & that sealed the deal. I booked the trip using a Groupon. I'm not a fan - but in this case, it worked like a charm & the trip was very affordable. I spoke with a very helpful rep on the phone that helped me thru the process. It was extremely easy. We got to WWE a little early & checked out their gear for sale. It's a well stocked store & all the reps were knowledgeable and good area guides as well. We chose the Classic Trip (2 hours thru moderate rapids), but due to some interesting circumstances - greater than usual water flow at that time of day & rescuing a couple kayakers in our boat - we ended up getting an upgrade to the Challenge (high water) Tour! This meant that we got to shoot a rapid (class 5) that the other boats at our time didn't - what a rush! Great experience - good guides that were focused on safety while making sure we had a fantastic trip! Already making plans to return! read more

Last year we decided to try something different and Whitewater Express was just the remedy to our summertime boredom! We chose the Classic Tour, which is anything before 6pm when the dam water is released upriver. So this year we decided to come back for the "Challenge Tour", which begin at 5pm and lasts 3 hours. I love family pictures, so much that I've made a yearbook of our families activities each of the past 10 years. As I get older, pictures are even more important. My wife and I are in those stages where we realize our kids are transitioning to adults... and she is truly nesting and wanting to experience everything she can with them now as they show signs of wanting to take flight soon! The children that I introduced to yelp 10 years ago through reviews and pics are now a towering 6'2" (oldest), have facial hair and driving! Where did the time go? Last year I purchased the WWE tour photo disc, but I was a little disappointed with the amount of photos of my family. The disc includes everyone from your particular tour time with no guarantees as to quality or quantity. So this year I decided I would stand on the river shores and take my own pictures... to my wife's dismay. But after I explained the pictures are more valuable to me than the experience (since I already did it last year), she understood! PLUS Whitewater Express does not have a photographer present at the lazy river portion of the tour and I REALLY wanted those pics. I'm so very pleased that I made that decision. I have over 250 amazing pics not just of my family, but many of the other rafters. NOTE: Please read my previous review for the rafting experience. FINAL THOUGHTS So if you find yourself wanting to have a fun and exciting different sort of experience, find your way to the Chattahoochee River in Columbus, GA for an amazing and unforgettable adventure! The Classic Tour is great, but the Challenge Tour is not only 1 hour longer, it's guaranteed to be super memorable. But I must admit my wife thought it was very discombobulating to flip out of the raft and be pulled under the water and dragged by the current for a short time. However, from the safety of the shore I had a blast watching them wipe out TWICE! AND I've got the pictures to prove it ;-) TIP - If you have someone in your group that is just too unwilling to brave the rough waters, be sure to position them on Waveshaper Island for excellent photo opportunities for your group. Ask the guides as your crew boards the buses for an approximate time the rafts will arrive at waveshaper rapid (which is about 2 hours after the buses depart WWE on the Classic Tour or 3 hours on the Challenge Tour). 2019/97 read more

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Had an amazing time, our guide, Manhole, was a hoot. We went on the beginners trip, so fun and the lazy river was alot of fun. Would return if ever in the area. read more

What an awesome time we had! Waffles was our guide and so knowledgeable on local history, fun and kept us feeling safe on our adventure! We had a blast and we're lucky to have beautiful weather for the day! Highly recommend! read more

Whitewater Express - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Columbus, Georgia

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We had a group of 12 from Atlanta,Ga today . My group which was a total of 6 of us rode with Elijah who was super awesome at his job. He made all of us feel comfortable and safe as well as entertaining. We had an amazing time and he was a HUGE part on why it was an amazing experience ! I hope everyone gets a chance to experience rafting with him . Will definitely be back read more

This was an awesome adventure for me. It was a beautiful day. The weather and scenery were perfect. However, if you have never tried this before... take note; you will get wet. You will be given the opportunity to exit the raft and drift down a stream. There are bugs. The raft will get rocky, and it may flip. In my case, the raft flipped on top of my head. I was submerged for a little bit, only to come out tossed onto rocks before resurfacing and being pulled onto a neighboring raft. One person lost a go pro and another lost shoes. This was the challenge course. read more

Customer service was alright. When we finally got out on the water harris sucked!! Jk lol "straps" was awesome. Loved our tour guide. He made it fun and was very friendly. We did the more relaxed rapid. Was honestly hoping for more. There is a lot of the rapid where you're barely moving. Overall it was a cool experience and would do it again on vacation. Just may try the more intense one next time read more

Whitewater Express - This is the more relaxed rapid. This is the most intense part - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Columbus, Georgia

We had an amazing trip down the river. Our guide, Big John, was FANTASTIC! He was polite, funny, accommodation, professional and a lot of fun. I highly recommend asking for him when you book your trip! It is a great trip for beginners. There is even a section they call their lazy river where you get out of the boat and float. I plan on coming back and bringing more newbie rafters with me since I know it will be a great first time experience. read more

Whitewater Express - Big John is the best guide! Make sure to ask for him when you book your trip! - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Columbus, Georgia

I loveeeee love love the service and communication this location provides to all Thor customers. We're from Miami Florida my husband brought us on a weekend getaway and this was going to be my first time water rafting and man I can't express to you all how happy and comfortable I felt riding and our tour guide Dom was friendly, funny and very sweet. I HIGHLY recommend anyone to come here. You won't regret it ! read more

Whitewater Express - That's us, that's Dom flying up haha - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Columbus, Georgia

Booked the classic experience The staff was very friendly & told us exactly where to go & what to do. It was our first time rafting, Our guide "J Bar" did a great job explaining everything & made the kids comfortable with his jokes.He was very attentive & knowledgeable about the native wild life and he showed us some cool spider lilies. I definitely recommend it & we are already planning our next trip. read more

Whitewater Express - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Columbus, Georgia

Went on the afternoon trip it was less than I expected. Guides were marginal compared to what I have experienced on other rivers. Recently I have seen their guides harassing fishermen along the Riverwalk by pulling or removing lines which is illegal. I guess they feel they own the river. Very sad and unprofessional conduct by a business. read more

We had a BLAST yesterday with Private!!! He was so personable, and fun to be around! Our youngest daughter wasn't all that comfortable rafting, he was so encouraging and made her feel safe!!! We can't wait to come back, even if it means another trip from Cali! Thanks again Private!! read more

Whitewater Express - On the River with Private! - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Columbus, Georgia

DO IT!!!!!!! Myself and three friends came to Columbus specifically for this. We did not reserve prior to, which I'm glad we didn't because we could not get it together as far as time. We arrived a few minutes too late for the 1:00pm Whitewater Classic trip and they offered to wait for us. In the end, we had to wait for the 3:00pm trip. No big deal.Also, we paid about $45 or something like that per person. They have groupons but you cannot use them on weekends. They do have lockers to rent which are $3.00. Don't take your stuff out and come back though, because they resell any lockers that are empty. We got our gear, I had huge jumbo braids and the helmet fit ok, not perfect though. You also will receive 1 paddle, and a PFD (Personal flotation device). The raft guides are hilarious, some of them anyway. They're all really tan and really chill LOL. They let us know a little back story on the river before going out there which was cool. Such as a Native American couple who leaped to their deaths into the river because they weren't allowed to love each other. Now I don't know how true that story was but it sounds interesting. Also, the guy who invented the serum for Coca-Cola apparently was in the Civil War and was wounded, came up with this serum and healed himself. He remixed it years later and ta-da Coca Cola. I'm just telling yall what they told me. So after all of that you get on a white school bus and ride 10 minutes down the road. I hated the ride. The anticipation was too much. Afterwards, you get sorted by number of people in your party and set up with a guide. Our guide was really cool and a sweet guy. It took about 15-20 minutes to get off the bus, get sorted, get down to the boats and push off. BE WARNED!!! Your shoes matter. If you have swim shoes, WEAR THEM!!!! I wore sandals and it was torture. The trip was 2 hours of rowing and rapids. The guide steers the boat pretty much the entire time. We even played a little bumper boat and had a mini water fight down the river. I won't get into too much detail so that you'll be surprised. The lazy river was my favorite point of the trip. I will say, if you cannot swim or are terrified of water, I probably wouldn't go. Just being honest. And NO our boat did not flip but apparently after 5pm, the rapids are super crazy and 50% of the boats flip. We weren't about that life at this time. Loved it, will go again!!!!!!! read more

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It's was a good time and the zip lining course was quite fun. However, during a hot summer day with back to back groups, staff did not clean or disinfect helmets or harnesses. When we put on our helmets they were soaked with the previous wearer's sweat. When asked for a new helmet, they said they only had these. Either wear them or forfeit your ride. I know they were busy but a little bit of time for gear turnover would do wonders. Now dealing with one person in our group with some type of skin reaction where the chin strap touched her face. We won't be returning unfortunately unless they change this practice. read more

We did both the zip line Blueheron run and the rafting classic trip. The rafting was amazing and our guide Jordan was a lot of fun. We felt safe the entire time. I want to just give you a heads up about the zip lining. We booked the Blueheron run and I wasn't aware of the obstacle courses in between each zip line run. It was a lot of fun and a good workout. Just keep in mind, if you're not very strong or able-bodied you might find the obstacle course physically challenging. I grew up here in Columbus Georgia and this was never here when I was a teenager in the 80s. I live in Tampa Bay now and found a lot of people from Tampa coming up here for the experience. I'm so glad Columbus has this to offer. Keep up the good work. read more

Whitewater Express - Rafting - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Columbus, Georgia

This was a fantastic way to spend a few hours on the river !! The trip was exciting and the staff was great .. My river guide was Private. He was excellent .. funny, informative, and most importantly he was very focused on our safety and keeping us safe while we had the time of our lives ... would do it again if it wasn't over 5 hrs from home !!! May do it again anyway !!! read more

This was an excellent way to start a summer morning with family. It was pretty easy to find and had a reasonable price. The instructors were fun and safety conscious. The equipment was in good condition, although the vests were a little musty. However, the whitewaters were Category 1-3, so a little mild for those who are adventurous, and although he did a nice job, our guide was new. I plan to do this again and recommend it to others. read more

Super fun despite the circumstances being that it was raining and super cold considering that we are from Florida. Our guide was spectacular (sunshine, very friendly everything entertaining) read more

Whitewater Express - Fun - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Columbus, Georgia

We love taking out of town guests and our kids rafting with Whitewater Express. We've only ever done the Classic Trip which includes some nice relaxing parts in between mostly moderate rapids. It's a great outdoor activity on a hot day and a short walk to lots of great restaurants when you're done. read more

Kyler was a great guide and the trip was fun. You will definitely get wet, but it depends on your guide as to just HOW WET!!! Heres a few tips: 1)It's important to make sure you are paired with others that can paddle their part if you are mixing groups to make a full raft. Address that before you depart. 2) Lockers are provided or a min. $, so DO NOT TAKE YOUR CELL PHONE as you will most likely lose it and that is NOT the fault of the guides. 3) Enjoy the trip :) read more

OMG...what a great experience!!!! We booked the classic because this was our first time to try white water rafting and wasn't sure what to expect. Well it was a blast. Our guide was Harris. He was amazing. We quickly realized how experienced and talented he is and made our first experience out of this world. Thanks Harris. We are already planning out next visit for the next level of white water rafting and will request Harris to be our guide. He not only taught us the basics but also shared a lot of the river's local history. The store is well stocked with all the related gear including some very cool tee shirts, hats, sun glasses, and hoodies. Truly a 1st class establishment. We would also like to give a shout out to Ivey and Natalie. They were so helpful, knowledgeable, and personable. Because of them and their fun interaction with us we all bought several hundred dollars of gear the first day and bought more on day two for the zip liner excursion. Bottom line: we recommend this to everyone seeking an adrenaline rush an overall great time outdoors! We loved it from start to finish and we are already planning our next visit. Ben, Roy, and Angie. read more

The actual rafting trip was a lot of fun! However the customer service was incredibly disheartening. No one welcomed us walking into the venue, when we asked where to go to check in the girl behind the counter didn't bother to look up from her phone but simply asked if we had an appointment. When we asked if they could hold our keys they were literally tossed into a drawer with random other things. After the trip we wanted to purchase our photos and another girl who worked there literally sighed at us and was incredibly annoyed that we asked her to help. Our guide was great on the tour, but anything in the store seemed very cold and unwelcoming from all parties. Our photos were blurry and we were sent the wrong ones initially. I enjoyed the adventure once in the raft. read more

Such a fun trip. Our guide, Mad Dog, was amazing. He was able to let us surf the rapids. we also have the option of jumping out and floating down the little lazy river part. He was very knowledgeable and safety conscientious. read more

Whitewater Express - Chattahoochee River - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Columbus, Georgia

This was our first whitewater rafting experience and we had a such a great time! Our guide was Monday and he was fantastic! He told dad jokes, gave us a history lesson about Columbus, and kept us safe during our trip. I would highly recommend checking this out if you're in the area and up for something adventurous! read more

Whitewater Express - This is our family and Monday is in the back. PC: Whitewater Express - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Columbus, Georgia

Great way to spend a hot summer afternoon floating down a few rapids of the 'Hooch in downtown Columbus! Different experience from rafting up in N GA, NC, or TN ... but a fun vibe and a little closer to home. Our guide Zeb was a hoot and kept us laughing. Highly recommend - especially for those on the south side of ATL. read more