Blue Ridge Tubing — Local services in Talking Rock

Memorial Day my family (9 of us in total) went tubing and right from the very beginning things were terrible. Upon paying for our tube trip we wanted to purchase the sticks and were told they only had 1. Second, when we asked for the strap to connect to tubes so that the 8 year old in our party could be strapped to her dad, they also didn’t have any. (We were also the very first people of the day tubing, we arrived at opening) When we asked how we could make sure she stayed attached to his tube, they basically told us we had no way to do that and if we tried using the life vest to attach them together we would be charged an additional $15. Let me also add, the man explaining this to us was extremely rude! So once we piled in the van to be shuttled to the drop off location, they didn’t even put enough tubes on the trailer for everyone so we were short one tube. The guy who dropped us off said he would bring one right back and after waiting 20 minutes, still nothing. We just stood at the launch waiting and without cell Phones because we were getting into the water. 20 minutes later the van pulled up to drop off another group of tubers and my brother met the driver and explained that one of those tubes was for our party because we were shorted and had just been standing there waiting and that’s when the guy got loud and confrontational with my brother, in front of everyone. All in all, our experience with the stuff of the company was TERRIBLE! We did enjoy our ride down the river once we were able to get going but from the time we arrived there, dealing with the employees of the company was sloppy, unprofessional and started our days adventure with a bad taste in our mouth. We will NOT be returning to this tubing place...

After 1 hour and 40 minutes on the river the finish line was no where in sight. There is some getting stuck on the rocks for everyone and a tremendous amount for some. An adult member of our party was shorter in stature and kept getting stuck on the rocks, they could not reach with their arms or legs to pry themselves loose from the rocks or paddle away from very real obstructions like fallen trees which sometimes have broken branches jutting out. . So they had to get out of the tube while in the river, which puts one in danger of slipping & falling and getting injured or loosing ones tube and being stuck in the middle of the river with no tube. It is very easy to get separated which makes it hard to assist others who are struggling. I would not recommend this for small kids or any kid or adult who is not above average comfortable in the water or not tall enough to reach out over the tube and paddle away from obstructions. Or who are not prepared to be in the river for a long time. You sign a waiver so you are responsible for your safety and the safety of your kids. They tell you some basic stuff about how to get out of the river once it is over and such. Then they simply drop you off at the starting point and after that it’s on you.. Also if kids are involved, I would recommend going in larger groups or going when more tubers are in the water. It is fine for people who are able to manage the conditions . I’m just saying to be aware of...

We went there with a family of 11 on Father’s Day after checking and reading the website and all the reviews. Drove about an hour to get there. When we get there after we sign all the waivers they tell us they can’t technically take my daughter because she’s 2. Which the website says NOTHING about. What really annoyed me, is the lady said “We don’t question anything you write down, so if you say she’s 4 we aren’t going to question” considering we had a USCG certified life jacket for her and a trained lifeguard with us we were going to take her anyway. We wait in line again, get back up to the front, they tell us “Actually, my guy won’t drive her up there.” “Okay, so we will just drive up there ourselves” although I do point out really small kids who should and legally be in car seats and booster seats were getting in the van so you can’t spout that safety is the issue. But they said no, we couldn’t take our own car.

So, not only did you be like “it’s okay to lie” but then you backtracked ruining a family experience. Put the age requirement on...