This was an amazing experience for our family with two teenagers. My daughter has learning delays…read moreso we wanted something that would be suitable for all of us so chose the upper river with class 1-2 rapids. The trip was perfect with several fun rapid dips and splashes but also calm moments to enjoy the beautiful scenery. Other raft riders even got out to float for a bit. Our guide, Moss, was awesome at accommodating our family and made it lots of fun and very knowledgeable with maneuvering the river. Highly recommend!

We visited Gatlinburg TN in late June and didn't decide to book whitewater rafting until a few days…read moreprior our reservation. We had no issues finding a date available, but some scheduled times were already booked out, so make sure to reserve ahead of time! There are SEVERAL whitewater rafting companies and I cannot speak for the other companies, but I had a very pleasant time with Rafting In the Smokies! Our rafting guide was incredibly knowledgeable with the nearby area and was competent in keeping us safely down Class III and Class IV rapids across ~5.5 miles down the river! Very family-friendly and a fun experience, even for people who have never whitewater rafted! TYPE OF RAFTING: Upper Pigeon River Rafting - Class III/IV (note: Lower Pigeon rafting is apparently more like a "lazy river" - type of experience!) PARKING: Plentiful Scheduling: Easy to schedule online, they called the day prior to confirm our trip and advised us to arrive 45 mins before our scheduled rafting trip! PRICE: Affordable and there was a promo code on their website! They also do coupon books too (you'll find them everywhere in Gatlinburg lol) Location: Technically in meet-up at their HQ in Hartford TN, so make sure you account for driving time! They bus us to the TN-NC border. FAMILY-FRIENDLY? Yes! I saw plenty of teens and parents on the rafts, especially families that have never white-water rafting! DIFFICULTY: I didn't have any trouble staying in the boat and only saw one person (out of probably 50 people) fall out, but was safely pulled back into a raft! RECOMMEND? Absolutely. It was a great outdoor activity to do with family and I really enjoyed the views of the Smoky Mountains while rafting! Make sure to wear sunscreen since the rafting isn't very shady!

Upper pigeon forge trip was awesome! Our guide Max was super friendly and made the trip even more…read moreenjoyable. Definitely recommend!

What a terrific afternoon…read more Well run operation. Friendly people. Efficient and clean. Well outfitted. Great guide (Chicay ---- spelling?) Had a blast. Didn't take phone on boat... Sorry no pics. But trust me, it's worth the go.

Talk about a fun rafting experience!! My husband and I brought our 10 year old sons and my parents…read moreon the whitewater rafting adventure yesterday. It was mine and the kids first time. The class II and III rapids were the perfect size for us. It was slightly challenging in a few places but nothing terribly difficult. It was absolutely exhilarating! Our guide Eric was incredible! He was super knowledgeable and really seemed to know the river very well. We all felt really lucky to have him as a guide. After watching a few other color rafts/companies get stuck continuously, we knew we chose the right people for this adventure. 10/10 will definitely be back again. Things we were glad to have... glasses chords.

We had so much fun ebiking in Banff last summer that i thought it would be fun to do in Asheville…read moretoo. I booked the easy ebike ride which was a 12 mile bike ride into Tennessee. We had a 2pm start (1:30pm arrival) and were the only people registered so private ebike tour for us. TJ was our guide and he was training someone so we ended up with 2 guides, which was great. Both of them were very knowledgable about Asheville, nature (i learned what poison ivy looks like) and biking. It took me a few minutes to get my ebike bearings, but then were off. The first part of the ride was on gravel, which was a little tricky, but it was all good when we hit the road. It also started raining and we got pretty wet...i couldn't decide if the rain made the ride miserable or more fun. Maybe both! The biking itself wasn't too hard and honestly we probably could have done it on regular bikes and gotten a workout, but i do find ebiking super fun. We stopped a few times, which helped with our sore butts and learned about the area. A few hours later we said goodbye to our new friends and headed back to Asheville (about an hour away). They also offer many other activities like white water rafting so recommended if you're looking for a little adventure.

The Extreme Upper Pigeon trip was tons of fun. If you have no experience but are athletic you will…read morebe ok on the extreme. Guides are great, Ava and Ciera guided my family of four successfully through the trip. I was the only one with experience and I was the only one who fell in, my fault though.

Yes, yes and YES!! we had a total of 8 in our group so we were split (you can only have 7 plus the…read moreguide). My group had Tia and she was amazing. We did the upper pigeon river and due to a lot of flooding in don't think we were able to go the normal route but again, not a big deal. We had a great time with our other riders and it was a really cool experience. We've done rafting that was a bit more extreme as this was supposed to be but again, due to the floods. We still had an amazing time and it was so thanks to Tia! Great personality and kept us very entertained.

Emma was an incredible guide that handled the entire trip with grace and expertise. Her…read moreknowledgeable approach and lively candor kept our family well informed and entertained the entire trip. I've never been on a River Rat rafting trip before, but I know that I'll use them again in the future! 5 A+ well done.

We had the BEST experience with River Rat whitewater rafting! From start to finish, everything was…read morerun so well--extremely organized, clean facilities, and perfectly on time. Every staff member we met was funny, friendly, and incredibly knowledgeable, which made the whole day even more enjoyable. Our guide, Ocean, was AMAZING! She knew it was our first time and went out of her way to explain what to expect, making us feel confident and excited. She turned our first rafting trip into an unforgettable adventure--full of laughs, thrills, and a few "core memories" we'll be talking about for years. If you're thinking about going rafting, do it--and go with this company. You won't regret it! We did try other rafting companies after and that was a mistake. We will always come back to Ocean & River Rats.

We had the blessing of having Yanni as our guide. She was so fun, and made sure everyone was safe…read moreand having a good time. Such a bright personality I would recommend this place to anyone looking to white water raft in the area. The prices are affordable and well worth it.

Yallllll!!!!…read more Y'all!!!!! HANDS DOWN the best experience I have had white water rafting!!!!!!! I guess i should say head down!!!! SlimJim (Jake) but his Georgia given name is now 'woodpecker'. I'm horrible with names so that's what he was named for the day. He is an expert at what he does. We had 5 adults and a set of 13 year old triplets (that were basically level expert, already). We worked as a team. We laughed. There was no child, woman or man left behind. Just my dignity. I got pulled in the "swimming portion" by my girlfriend and just knew peanut butter ball (woodpecker) wasn't gonna be able to get me back in that raft and boy was I wrong. That man picked me up so effortlessly and efficiently that I accidentally turned into the human scorpion (Rob Dyrdek's show 'ridiculousness' for reference). We were all laughing so hard because I was left stuck upside down which was even funnier. Helmet stuck. Life jacket conformed into a turtle shell and I was just stuck and laughing along with everyone else. Now--- No. Im not a big back woman partaking in bigbacktivities that I shouldn't be. . Just a little thickum, if you will. The entire day truly made this vacation one for the books. Jake lead with precise guidance, was very professional and an all around genuinely great human being that ensures your safety as well as makes you laugh like he's known you for ages. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this adventure with your friends, your family, strangers--- or-- heck even just with ol SlimJim, himself!!! Thank you so much for such an absolutely incredible experience. You were made to interact with others to pass on your joy! - GA Jen Ray and Skye Ledford. #shedidnotDDTme

Loved this company! Everyone is very nice, the process went very smoothly, and the ride was very…read moreenjoyable! 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!

I would recommend this place ALL DAY LONG!!! The staff keeps you laughing, makes you feel safe, and…read moremost 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!