Asheville Outdoor Center

I made a reservation for the 1 o’clock trip on Saturday, August 15^th. We arrived at check in at 12:45 and were happily told by the female that we were late, safety training was already underway, our seats had been sold and that we were charged for the trip. At no time when making the reservation was I told that there was safety training or that if we didn’t arrive by a certain time we would be charged and not be able to go. Your own website does not state this either. There is something called CUSTOMER SERVICE. We had driven over three hours to get there. Fortunately, there are other customer service friendly operations in the area and we were able to enjoy our trip down the river on what was our only vacation this summer. As a service was not rendered, I will be disputing the charges on my card and will recommend the other service to all of my friends for future trips. It will be recommended that people stay away from your rigid, unfriendly company.

17 of us wanted to go tubing, 8 adults and 9 kids. They easily accommodated us. Got there, nice folks, quick orientation and they were off in the van to the drop off spot. Water level was very low (not their fault, of course) so (?) the current was very slow, but it did take us down the river. Super leisurely and we had a great time. Can’t wait to go again.

Nasty guy there today. When I called earlier to make reservations for the 4 pm tubing run, we were told to be there 15 minutes in advance. We were running literally 3 minutes late (kids!) when I came in. The guy was nasty with me right off the bat. «How many people in your party?» «We are the reservation for 6.» He gestured to folks signing paperwork and condescendingly said, «We said to be here 20 minutes early. We just gave away your spots.» «Actually, no, we were told 15. And I am sorry we are 3 minutes later than we’d planned, but-​» «Seriously! You have to be here AT LEAST 20 minutes in advance!» «The guy on the phone said 15-​» «Well you’re still late!» «Look, I can see that you’re really rude and that you’re not going to let us have the spots we reserved, so we will just leave and not come back.» And he just keep being super nasty and talking over me. What in the world??? I guess we will find a different place to go. It’s such a shame since we just moved back here and are planning to do lots of tubing and other outdoor sports.

After a long day of zip lining I googled things to do in Asheville this place came up and despite being late in the day I was not disappointed. My boyfriends and I stop by to get some info on kayaking ect and ended up staying an hour. They have beer on tap (Gaelic ale a must) and we enjoy a few by the river. A great hidden gem to just kick back. Bring a picnic get some fresh beer and enjoy the view.

7 mile float-​paddle on the double kayak was a great time. Staff was extremely nice and helpful. Help us launch and dock at the end. The carried A&L the equipment.
Great customer service.
Recommend!

Very nice staff, clean boats, vans and building. The river was beautiful. We would certainly recommend this outfitter to our friends.

We decided to go kayaking and picked Asheville Outdoor Center because of its location to where we were staying. The crew was extremely nice, informative and helpful. We had a wonderful time kayaking down the French Broad and through the Biltmore Estate grounds.

While visiting Asheville with my family of 5, we decided to go tubing with the AOC. While the staff are fantastic and the facilities are clean, the experience for all of us (ages 9 up to 46) was just ok. The 1 mile tubing trip only took about 20 minutes due to the high water and then the whole experience was over. We had to turn our tubes in and depart. We were all expecting a longer trip. The rental period should either be less expensive or multiple trips. Would not recommend the one mile tubing trip.

Having used two distinctly different Asheville Outdoor equipment rental companies (the other being Asheville Adventure Rentals), I can simply say, don’t waste your time with this one. Very poor service, especially from the bearded individual who oversees tube put-​ins at the end of Hominy Creek. I think they’ve gotten too comfortable with being the only operation in town, so I’m glad they now have a bit of competition with AAR. The predetermined route is too restrictive, as I was looking to float down to Wedge or Bywater, no chance of that with AOC unfortunately. Do yourself a favor and look elsewhere.

I’ve gone tubing twice with AOC, both times have been great experiences. The trip is 1 mile and lasts around 30 – 40 minutes. With orientation, setup and transportation budget at least an hour and arrive at AOC at least 10 – 15 minutes before your start time. Tubing is very chill, with only a few exceptions when you have to direct the tube around obstacles (the I-​40 bridge and away from the banks). The river has never been that deep when I’ve gone (early July) and many times you’ll be able to see the bottom of the river.
The cost ($ 14) is reasonable and if you go a second time it’s ½ price. Which to be honest, I’ve been tempted to go several times or look into a longer trip as sometimes the 1 mile seems to fly by.
Before you go to the AOC, be sure to look at directions closely, the first time I tried finding the center it was very confusing. Be sure to bring sunscreen, hats, sunglasses, bathing suite, and ideally water shoes. AOC will hold your keys, but be sure to lock up everything else in the car or carry it with you in a dry box/​bag. It’s also fun to bring a water proof camera if you have one. With tubing, you’re never in turbulent waters so you could hold onto something the whole time.
The staff has always been great; from check-​in, to transportation (to the starting point), to helping you at the end.

My awesome friend, Jenny, a local, found this place for us to go canoeing.
Like MustangQT M. says, it is a self guided tour. Cell service is iffy on the water, and you probably don’t want to take your phone in case it gets wet. If you do, put it in a ziploc or a dry bag… same goes with a camera. You may want to take photos, so if you have a way of keeping your camera dry, you’ll get some great shots. If you want, the company will hold your keys and stuff for you while you’re out on the water.
When our group went, we had a nice breeze and good current. If this is your first time, you’ll find spots where you have to watch for rocks and «navigate the hell out of them.» (kudos to Jenny who came up with that line)
You may get wet – you’re on the river! Bring a change of clothes just in case. In the canoe, we got minimally wet, but we were sweaty and stuff after. AND I used sunscreen and still got burned – I blame the wind and my stupidity for using a spray sunscreen instead of lotion – I think it evaporated before it hit my skin. So, lotion up before you head out.
The trip is 7 miles, and it took us about 2.5 hours. We tried to stretch it to 3 just because the day was so nice, but alas, we couldn’t stretch it that long.
We did a morning trip, which was nice because the weather turned a little nasty after we finished. Definitely watch the weather reports before heading out because you don’t want to have to bail out halfway down the river, flag down someone, and hitch a ride back.
Take snacks! You’ll get hungry out there – I don’t care if you ate breakfast/​lunch/​dinner right before you start. something about the sun and the water makes you hungry and thirsty. Alcohol on the river is prohibited, so take water, gatorade, or something like that. Hit the breweries afterwards!
The price was right – about $ 34 per person. Next time, I think I’ll try a kayak. This was one of my favorite things we did while visiting my friend in Asheville! I recommend it to anyone who is outdoorsy and likes this kind of stuff.

My boyfriend and I wanted to go kayaking (his first time ever) and we found this place.
First off, it was a self guided tour. Meaning, you sign a waiver beforehand saying anything that happens to you is your own darn fault. So beginner’s beware. Because if you do get in trouble, there’s only a few places you can go to on shore and then you’d still have to find a phone to call the outdoor center to come get you.
We had a really great time. We went at our own pace and even though it was windy and there were times we really had to paddle, the whole experience was really fun and the scenery (including the Biltmore Estate) was really enjoyable.
Some advice.
Don’t bring anything you might lose or damage. This includes keys, cameras or cell phones. There’s a very good chance they can fall out or get very wet.
Which leads me to my second point. Be prepared to get wet. My boyfriend and I made the mistake of going on kayaks with clothes and shoes on and we got soaked. Made for a slightly uncomfortable trip home.
Bring sunscreen! My boyfriend kept telling me we’d be fine without it, but we both got burnt all over.
Be prepared for a 7 mile trip that will take you roughly 2.5 hours to complete. Some people on this trip we saw were not the outdoorsy type and they looked completely miserable having to do this trip.
If you’re planning on doing things after this, try and book it for a few hours later. We left at 2pm and didn’t get back until 4:45. We had plans later on that night, but I’m sure a lot of other people couldn’t really enjoy the trip because they had other things they wanted to do.
Overall great experience. It was $ 64 for the both of us in single kayaks. You can also pair up in kayaks, canoes and rafts.