Matt and I went up to visit my mom and dad for a long weekend over the summer and wanted to plan out a few activities. We have been tubing in the past, but through a google search of “things to do in Asheville” we found a company we had not used before, Asheville Adventure Company. Read on to find out about the booking process, the facility, and the tubing to decide if this might be something you and your family would enjoy.

Booking Your Adventure

We found the company we utilized this trip by doing a google search for “things to do in Asheville”. You can book through the company we used a few ways:

• Online through their website: https://ashevilleadventurecompany.com

• Calling them at 828-417-7109

Aside from tubing, they offer a ton of other fun things to do like:

• E-bike sunset tour

• Whitewater rafting

• Party bus brewery crawl

• Party bus rental

• Asheville E-bike brewery crawl

• Self guided kayaking by The Biltmore

• Self guided E-bike rental

Things To Know/Bring

• Tubing is for ages 4+.

• Takes about 2 hours.

• All the tubes have cup holders.

• Anyone under 14 will be required to wear a personal flotation device.

• You can rent a cooler tube for an extra $10. It fits a cooler up to 50 qt.

• $29 per person (children or adult).

• They operate every day May through September with start times at: 10:30am, 11:30am, 12:30pm, 1:30pm, and 2:30pm.

• Customers will receive a full refund or credit with 48 hours notice of cancellation. Customers will also receive a full refund or credit in case of operator cancellation due to weather or other unforeseen circumstances. Contact us by phone to cancel or inquire about a cancellation. No-shows will be charged the full price.

• Bring water! They sell it at their outpost if you forget but make sure you stay hydrated.

• You will be most comfortable if you wear a bathing suit or quick dry clothing. The river is not the cleanest and there was a lot of mud at the loading dock so maybe don’t wear your favorite.

• Bring a towel for after. We actually didn’t get wet except for our feet dangling in and when we got out of the float.

• Sun hat/sunglasses.

• Cash to tip your bus driver.

• Sunscreen is a must. We also layered on some bug spray.

• Shoes (old sneakers, sandals flip flops or water shoes).

• We wanted to have our phones and car keys so we brought one of those clear lanyard pouches you can zip your phones into for safekeeping. They do offer a clear bin that sits on their countertop that you can leave your keys in if you want to leave them behind.

• There is a bathroom but it is not the best and if you are in a hurry beware-there was always a line because people were using it to change clothes.

• Absolutely NO GLASS is allowed on the river.

• No Liquor or fortified spirits (but people had beer).

• No pets.

• Anything you take with you on the river can get wet or lost so just be aware of that you are bringing.

The Facility

Once we booked our adventure online we immediately received a confirmation email. Within the email is a link for each attendee to fill out their waver. You will also see contact information and information about what to bring and where to go the day of your adventure.

The email suggests arriving 30 minutes prior to your tubing time. The meeting place for the tubing check in is 521 Amboy Rd Asheville, NC 28806. We used our GPS and it took us right up to the property and someone in an Asheville Adventure Company T-shirt was waiting at the entrance (which was also signed) to tell us where to park.

Parking was tough. There was a field with maybe four rows where people could park and by 10am they were already full. The space is also a concert venue and they were preparing for a show, so when we got there because all of the other parking was full, we had to park alongside the gravel road.

Once we parked, we spotted the gentlemen in the Asheville Adventure Company T-Shirt company again and asked him where to go for check in. He pointed us along the road to a building with a green roof. There were places to sit outside and there was a place to fill up water bottles which I thought was considerate. There was also a hand sanitizing station.

We went inside the office to check in. There were two separate desks to utilize and several staff members available to help. They also had some merchandise for sale inside as well as some snacks and beverages. They asked for our party’s name and confirmed that we had filled out our safety wavers. They then instructed us on where to go to collect our tubes and to begin our adventure. They also told us where the bathrooms were in case we needed to go before our trip down the river.

The bathroom was an experience. Let me first say that I have been tubing at other places where they only offered port-a potties so this was definitely a step up from that. The women’s room had two toilets with shower curtains as doors that didn’t quite cover the whole area. They were also utilized as changing areas so there was often a very slow moving line.

Once our needs were taken care of, we wandered over to the pink tubes to get our safety briefing and begin our adventure. I had to take a moment to enjoy the surroundings and take in a few photos.

The employee confirmed our names and told us that we would spend about two hours floating down the river because of how high the water level was. She told us that we would go under two bridges and that after the second bridge we would need to get over to the right so that we could exit at the dock. She even showed us a photo of what the dock looked like so we would be prepared. We then got to choose our tubes and the employee got us our cooler tube and we followed her down to the stairs that they used to cast us off into the river.

Tubing Down The French Broad River

This was one of the smoothest entries into a river I have ever experienced. There was a staircase leading straight into the river. An employee was shoveling mud/sand off the bottom few steps for safety so no one would slip while another employee was lining us up and tying our floats together (this is optional).

They would put our floats in the water and tie them together, then help us down the steps and into the floats. The staircase was wide enough so that all four of us and our cooler float could fit lined up. It was so easy to get in! You literally just turned with your bottom to the tube and sat right down into it. Only my feet that had touched the bottom step even got wet!!

Once we were all in our tubes, the employee handed Matt, Dad, and me each a paddle and we pushed off the deck and began our trip down the river.

The current had us moving at a pretty steady pace and we really only used the paddles if we ventured too far over to one side of the river. We wanted to make sure we were avoiding the debris that tended to collect near the shoreline.

As you float you will see some activity along the river bank. You actually pass Carrier Park and the River Arts District.

According to the Asheville Adventure Company website: “The French Broad River is one of the oldest rivers in the world, spanning 218 miles from Rosman, North Carolina, through Asheville, and toward the state of Tennessee. It runs through the Pisgah National Forest and the Cherokee National Forest. The French Broad River flows north from south Asheville through Buncombe County and goes past West Asheville, Midtown, the River Arts District, and is close to Beer City breweries like New Belgium and Sierra Nevada.”

The Asheville Adventure Company website encourages you to “Stop at any of the shady calm spots along the way and relax, take a refreshing plunge as you float along, or just kick back and soak up some sun and good times”. We chose to just float and enjoy the sights as we went along. We even had some ducks join us!

The adventure finishes at the River Arts District by the Asheville Adventure Company bike shop directly across the river from New Belgium Brewery.

You will start to see some restaurants with outside seating to the left and the exit dock is very visible. There was an employee waiting for us to arrive. As soon as we were close enough, she greeted us and handed my dad a paddle to hold onto as she pulled him around the dock over to the ramp.

One by one the employee helped each of us out of our tubes. They would pull us over as close as possible to the ramp so that as we stood up only our feet up to our ankles got wet. Then she would continue helping people get out while the other associate would help the people already on dry land get their tubes up the hill to the bus.

We waited just a few minutes for the other people with the same start time as us to get out of the water so that they could shuttle us back all together. The employees confirmed each party’s name and that we had the correct number of people so that no one got left behind.

After less than 10 minutes we were all back together and we loaded up into the bus to head back. It was about a 5-6 minute drive back to the outpost. The driver dropped us off right next to the building where we checked in. We gave him a tip, went to the restroom, and then set off on our next adventure. That being said, because you end your tubing adventure right in the heart of the brewery district, in the future we are thinking we may skip the complementary bus back to the outpost and instead walk over and enjoy a brewery!! You could very easily Uber or Lyft back to the outpost when you are done enjoying a local brew. Just keep in mind you will be fresh out of the river.

All in all we had a lovely time enjoying the cool water and relaxing in the sunshine while floating down the river. This would be a great activity for families, groups of any kind (we even saw a bachelorette party), team building, or anyone who just wants to relax and have a nice time. The company was well organized and experts at what they do. Have you ever been tubing? What was your experience like? Tell us about it in the comments!