The Sandbar

We’ve been fans of the Sandbar for years and have always had a great experience until recently. Long story short is 2 out of 6 of our boats had decent sized cracks in them which began taking on water right away. One of the boats didn’t have the center cap which made the water situation much worse. Due to having to stop and empty the boats multiple times, we were late (8:30p) getting back so all but one of our friends were charged an additional $ 25 fee. The staff at the desk was extremely rude, which has never been my experience. My husband sent an admittedly upset email that night. The reply? A super passive aggressive, unprofessional email. An email that told us where the boats began taking on water which was far from accurate, explained that they did us a favor by not charging us for the missing cap which was in fact missing when the boat was originally put in the water and then went on to state that the cracks were not in the boats when they put them in the water. There were 5 patches on one of the boats and 7 on the other. Neither the staff at Sandbar nor myself can guarantee when/​where the cracks happen, but why point fingers? In the email, Natalie Sanford, of Sandbar, recommended that in the future we visit BROAD RIVER OUTPOST or SLOW WATER. Sad. I use to brag about and recommend this company all of the time. I encourage anyone reading this to reconsider after our recent unfortunate experience. #whathappenedtogoodolecustomerservice

Pros: beautiful location, peaceful, hammock, lenient on what you were allowed to bring, mini store available for necessities you may have forgotten about, alcohol allowed
Cons: unorganized, not enough good help, no sense of urgency — professionalism. No parking, dirt roads — you will need a car wash afterwards.
Verdict: I would NOT recommend this place to Kayak. Seeing that it’s full force summer time, you would think to have a full staff because it’s going to be busy. This place was jam packed when my group (13 people) went, we were on a waiting list for 4hrs, and right when it seemed like we were next, they tell us we can come back next time for a $ 5 discount off of original $ 25/​per person??? Are you kidding me? Why didn’t we leave earlier? Because we drove 1 ½ hrs away trusting that this place was legit, and we were going to get on a kayak on that BEAUTIFUL HOT Saturday, but we were beyond disappointed! We can’t even mention this place in a pleasant conversation. Please, Sandbar, hire some help!

This place shows pictures of really nice kayaks and once I arrived the area was so nice and the people where friendly then I was put on a bus and told to get in a kayak straight out of a 1980s horror movies this thing didn’t even have holes to drain water it was so old, no back support nothing. For $ 20 this is a rip off.

Went down the river again this morning with Sandbar Kayak. We had a great time — 5 hours involved lazy floating, stopping to go swimming, turning around and dragging the kayak back up river in order to go down some fun spots again.
This time we each packed several bottles of water, a few cans of beer, and enough sunscreen to coat a whale. Hurray for protecting your skin!
I want to send our a HUGE kudos to the folks at Sandbar for providing me with Girsr Aid & TLC. I hit a «waterfall» the wrong way and went tumbling out. I crunched both my knees pretty good on some underwater rocks, taking out some chunks of skin. No big deal. But they took good care of me when I hobbled my way back into the storefront — giving me peroxide, Neosporin, and band aids. Thanks guys!
Can’t wait to organize with my friends for a fall trip up from the city!

You won’t find a better place around!

By far the best broad river kayaking experience! This is great for college kids and UGA students.

After being referred to Sandbar by my in-​laws, I cannot recommend them enough. The location is beautiful with the kayaks being in great shape. The Broad river is one of the best rivers for a starter to kayak down. However, it’s probably best to go after a good rain.

Floatin down a river drinkin. Yea, I’m in.
Pack your cooler with whatever beverage suits you and head on down to Sandbar. You will get a kayak, life jacket and a paddle and be bussed to the put out point. From there it is about a 2 – 4 hour float back to home base.
Few tips — don’t lose your paddle, lifejacket or kayak — they are pretty strict about their lost items fees. Also, tie down your cooler and sandals into your boat. Other than that just make sure you have a good time.
Personally, I was a bit suprised at the (light) rapids as I more expected the lazy river myself. I fell out of my kayak 4 times and have a couple bruises to show for it. However, I am pretty inept in water so you should be good.

Once upon a time I created a list of things I wanted to do before I die… for some reason kayaking was high on my list. A newbie Kayaker, I gleefully accepted when my boyfriend suggested we head up to the Sandbar for some river fun this morning with our dog Mishka. I packed a cooler full of snacks, water, sunscreen, tshirts, even our dog had his own life vest & water bowl! But I was no where near prepared for how long the trip is it was we went in thinking it would take about 2 ½ hours if we went straight down no stopping… it ended up taking us 4 hours! I’m not sure if it’s because I am older or if I just am not keen on spending 4 hours in the scorching sun exerting myself… to be honest this was not my cup of tea. The people were friendly one of the guys putting me in the water even gave me a quick lesson on what I needed to do once I got my butt in the boat, the equipment was good & even the ride down there in the bus with 10 people & our dog was quite pleasant. I am laying in bed writing this right now with sore muscles and ruby red burnt legs. Definitely put sunscreen on evenly and frequently & bring water for you & your pet! Our dog had a blast he loved riding along with my boyfriend in his kayak and swimming too! It was eventful and I am glad we went but I don’t think I’ll find myself dying to go back any time soon :) If kayaking is your sport of choice check it out it’s a long ride great for perfecting your moves!