ACE Adventure Resort | Whitewater Rafting West Virginia — Hotel in Oak Hill

Ace Adventure Resort is more than I had ever imagined it to be! More Fun, More Property, More Luxury, More Great Food - My expectations were exceeded!

CABIN We spent one night in Cozy Cabin 475. I went into this with my expectations properly set: we were staying at a CABIN, not the Ritz. The cabin size was perfect for our family of four. It was clean and had everything we needed - refrigerator, stove, microwave, coffee pot, TV (that we didn't turn on), internet, plenty of clean towels and extra linens - they even had a Neutrogena make-up wipe, which I thought was a nice touch. The kids loved the hot tub (and that also appeared to be very clean). There was a fire pit and picnic table (we brought wood but you can purchase it). We really liked that there was space between the cabins.

What would I do differently next time: I would bring camp chairs as that would have been more comfortable sitting around the fire.

OVERNIGHT RAFTING Wow, what can I say but ... AMAZING, we'd give it 10 stars if we could! Worth every penny (we felt it was great value for what we paid). Again here, I had my expectations appropriately set - I had envisioned pulling up alongside a riverbank in a bug-infested forest, pitching tents while scratching at bug bites and poison ivy, standing around a fire, and eating simple camping foods like hot dogs, and of course no bathrooms except the great outdoors. I anticipated being wet, cold, sore, aching, itching upon pulling up to the campsite. And all of that would have been fine with me - it was what I was mentally prepared for. But I was so wrong and my expectations were set way too low ... this Overnight Ace Adventure was incredible! They went to great lengths to make everything amazing.

Camp Site - this was not just a sandy bend in river where we pitched tents willy-nilly. This was a proper camping spot that Ace had created. There was a gorgeous covered structure that sheltered an outdoor kitchen and many picnic tables, plus games. There was a huge campfire area encircled with benches, and there were elevated wood platforms on which tents were already set up - and the tents included mattress pads. And let's not forget the bathrooms! Yes, indoor bathrooms (real toilets) and working warm water showers! We felt so spoiled! When we arrived the truck was there with all the stuff that we had packed to be at the overnight spot.

Food - Again, WOW. When you are expecting hot dogs and you get steak, salmon, potatoes, salads, pie, etc. it is easy to be impressed. All the meals during our entire trip were incredible. Again, I was expecting very simple things but Ace brought it each meal.

Rafting - What incredible memories our family will have! We rafted in Yellowstone and we figured that the water would be cold cold like that but it was instead very warm and pleasant. We went two to a ducky (duckie?) and had a fabulous time. It was honestly the perfect family adventure - there were some very adventurous spots that got the blood pumping but never anything that I felt truly concerned that our boys (ages 9 and 11) were in grave danger. The adrenaline pumping sections were followed by calm pools during which our guide invited us to get into the water to swim, float, relax, fish, etc. Our boys brought their fishing poles and our guide Greg acted like a personal fishing guide - helping the boys find those perfect fishing spots. Meanwhile, my husband and I floated lazily near our duckies.

OUR GUIDE GREG Greg deserves his own section here in this review because he really made the trip for us. He has such a great personality and was so personable - great to talk with for the adults but so patient and caring toward the kids. He took the time to teach and explain things to the kiddos - of which on our trip there were four little boys. He was a great communicator telling us what to expect, teaching us how to maneuver those duckies, and instructing us how to navigate the Surprise. He also served as our personal camera man. He went to great lengths to make sure each person on our trip...

We had the best time!!!! I went as my senior school trip with a group of 56 people including chaperones.

Rooms - getting the least luxurious thing out of the way first. Our group stayed in 5 separate cabins. They were not the most beautiful cabins with no AC (it was more humid/warm inside than out), the bunks were pretty loud and creaky, and our shower was not draining and flooded a bit. But they got a handyman up super quick and it was taken care of by the next morning! Each bathhouse only had two showers and the curtains didn't exactly give you a ton of privacy but we just got to have some bathhouse bonding while waiting for showers to open up. 😂 I didn't mind the walk to and from the cabins too much but it did get harder as we got more and more sore from the activities - it is not a walk for the weak! 😂 The sand volleyball court was great as well and lots of fun! Most of the cabin area did not have lights but the volleyball court had nice lighting so we were able to play for a long time.

Food - this was the BEST food I've ever had in a big school group like this. They fed our massive hoard of hungry highschoolers with ease and it was not lacking in quality at all! They had great spreads and were very accommodating for allergies, including gluten. The breakfast especially was amazing.

Staff - most of the staff was absolutely incredible! You could definitely tell which ones loved their jobs and they were never annoyed or frustrated with the chaos that comes with 51 excited highschoolers. Some of them were less attentive so don't come expecting helicopter lifeguards or staff, but I would personally prefer that over strict rules and constant whistles. Our zipline guides in particular were INCREDIBLE. They absolutely made the trip and we laughed about it for the rest of our time. We had Justin, Zeb, and Duke and heard GREAT things about the other zipline guides from other groups as well! Our 3 guides were the best guides I've ever had on an activity like this. The rafting guides were also really great and had a good balance of fun and safety! My raft had Alisa and we loved her! Everyone was great about asking about epipens, inhalers, etc beforehand. My sister and I self carried on the zipline but during the raft and mud course they carried them for us. Zach, our mud course guide, even brought my sister's phone to track her T1D!

Activities - we had a choice of the aerial park or zipline, mud course or paintball, and then we all rafted. The ziplines were great! They were more relaxing than scary, except the "plunge" at the end and some people got nervous on the second bridge. It had some huge gaps that some of us struggled to reach across 😂 The mud obstacle is not something I would do again in a smaller group but we still had lots of fun. The rafting was AWESOME! This was by far the most intense and fun rafting trip I have been on. We rafted the lower new river. There were a handful of class 2s, a couple more 3s and 4s, and two 5s. One raft lost 4 different people at 3 different spots but only one was a bad spot. My raft pulled 2 people out of one of the first rapids with the hydraulic and 2 bad rocks in the middle - it definitely got hairy but our guide was great about giving everyone instruction and we all got out safe! There were 2 spots you could get out and swim - totally recommend! Just keep your feet UP! There are undercurrents that will drag you around and rocks that will trap your feet. They even had cold sodas waiting when we got back! I brought a waterproof phone bag on the mud obstacle course and my sister brought her phone in a fanny pack on the zipline and we never felt like we were going to lose them there but I would NOT recommend bringing them rafting. I've brought it but it was very intense and if I didn't lose it it definitely would've been in the way. The waterpark was also really great, the food was a bit expensive but nothing outrageous and it was good! The obstacles were SLICK and super fun!

Overall, I cannot recommend ACE enough for any sort of trip!! They...

We typically shy away from resort-type places. They are usually overpriced and not really our thing, but since we were staying nearby, we decided to check out the waterpark.

I feel like the photos online don't really do this waterpark justice, because when we arrived, our immediate reaction was, "Oh Wow!" Surrounded by mountains and fed by a natural spring, this waterpark was like the summer camp setting I always dreamed of as a kid. As my sister put it, "I'm starting to reevaluate our childhood now."

On a holiday weekend, it was crowded, but still easy to find chairs on the beach. We had two 5yos with us (free admission for 5 and under) and they kept exclaiming this was the best park ever. A few things to note - our kids can swim, but I wouldn't trust them on their own in open water. We brought our own kids' life jackets because it can be hit or miss finding smaller sizes at places that have water activities, so even though life jackets are provided (and required) for all ages, I can't attest to if they had any for little kids. Second, my kids are very comfortable in the water and are in the upper percentile for height. Thus, they were able to climb and enjoy just about everything in this park, even the tall mountain climbing structures. Some things - like the barrel tubes that you had to walk over - made them nervous, especially since if you slipped you'd drop into the middle/lake. But every time my kids encountered an obstacle, there was always some other, older helpful kid, willing to help them overcome it!

For smaller or less adventurous kids, there's a small splashpad (which is just okay) and playground, as well as a shallow lake area that has a few climbing structures and an inflatable hamster wheel. There's also a big tugboat docked in a shallow area with a smaller slide for younger kids to enjoy. And then, when they are tired of that, or just want to take a break, there's a small beach for digging and building sandcastles.

One of our favorite parts as adults was the woodfired pizza with all the amazing toppings, the full bar, and the adult (and kid) slushies. Everything was reasonably priced and so good, which is such a rarity for a resort. The lackluster and overpriced food options is one of the main reasons we don't like staying at resorts, but that was not the case here.

A few tiny negatives: There are geese that swim in the lake, which is not a problem, but they do leave their droppings on the beach, so be careful of where you step. Also, the registration/form waiver process was laborious. We - like most everyone else - must have missed the link to fil out the waiver prior to arriving at the park, so definitely fill that out for every single person in your group, even for those 5 and under.

We purchased a half-day pass from 3-8pm and honestly it was more than enough time to enjoy the waterpark. There are bathrooms and changing rooms on-site. The website says no outside food, but we did not see this being enforced at all - some people brought big coolers full of stuff, but really, when you have the option of wood-fired pizza, why bring anything at all?

Overall, we had a wonderful time as a family. I'm not sure it would have been as fun if my kids couldn't enjoy the waterpark features, but since we were able to do it all together as a family, it was more than worth the price...