The French Broad River cuts straight through downtown Asheville. No hour-long drive into the mountains. No permits. Just a couple of hours and a way to get wet.
Asheville float trips come in two flavors: tubing and kayaking. Same river, same neighborhood at the finish line, completely different day. One asks nothing of you. The other asks you to paddle. Which one you pick depends on your group and how much effort you’re in the mood for.
Tubing: The Low-Effort Float
Tubing is the version where the river does the work. You sit in an inner tube. You drift. That’s the entire job description.
The trip starts at the outpost on Amboy Road, runs past Carrier Park, and cuts through the River Arts District before ending at a private take-out. A shuttle brings you back to the outpost afterward. Grab your car. Grab a drink. You’re done for the day, or you’re just getting started.
Here’s what you’re signing up for:
- $30 per person
- 3 to 4 hours on the water, give or take, depending on flow
- Open to anyone 4 and older
- Runs May through Labor Day
- PFDs required under 14, recommended for everyone else
- Bring a cooler. Rent a cooler carrier for $10 if you need one
- No glass. No liquor.
This is the friend-group trip. Load a cooler, put on sunscreen, and float. USA Today ranked the French Broad among the top 10 rivers in the country for tubing, and it earns that spot honestly: slow enough that nobody’s stressed, scenic enough that nobody’s bored, close enough to town that you’re not losing your whole day to logistics.
Kayaking in Asheville, NC: The Scenic Route
Kayaking asks more of your arms and gives more back in return. You’re paddling, not drifting, which means you control the pace and the angle on the scenery.
This trip also starts at the outpost, but it runs the other direction. A shuttle takes you south of Asheville to the put-in first. From there you paddle north, past the edge of the Biltmore Estate’s riverfront acreage and through stretches of Appalachian foothill scenery, ending back at the AAC outpost in the River Arts District.
- $61 per person
- About 4 hours
- Self-guided, with safety instruction before launch
- Open to guests 12 and up
- Runs May through September
- Kayak, paddle, and PFD included
Couples do well here. It’s calm water, no whitewater skills required, but there’s enough paddling involved that you’ll feel like you earned the view. Watch the banks. Herons and turtles turn up more often than you’d guess.
Which One Fits Your Group
Want to talk, sip a beer, and barely lift a finger? Tube it.
Want a workout for your arms and a better photo of the mountains from river level? Kayak it.
Got a mixed group? Split up. Both trips end at the same outpost, so nobody’s waiting around for a different shuttle on a different schedule.
Need more adrenaline than either gives you? French Broad Section 9 whitewater rafting starts at $89 per person for four hours through Class II and III rapids in Pisgah National Forest. No experience required. Just a willingness to get wet and paddle when your guide says paddle.
Active Things to Do in Asheville Beyond the River
A float trip anchors a day well, but Asheville gives you plenty to build around it.
River Arts District. Old industrial buildings now hold galleries, studios, and breweries. Walk it after your float. Low effort, high payoff.
Breweries on the water. New Belgium sits right on the French Broad with an outdoor patio. Easy first stop once you’re off the river and still a little sunburned.
Waterfall hikes. Looking Glass Falls barely counts as a hike. A short walk from a roadside pulloff gets you there. Catawba Falls takes more effort, a two-mile round trip, but it rewards you for it.
The Blue Ridge Parkway. Worth driving for the overlooks alone. Pull off, take in the mountains that have been behind you all day.
Pair a morning float with an afternoon hike. Or a float with a brewery crawl. Either way, one river gets you a full day.
Planning Your Trip
Keep these in mind before you book:
- Book ahead. Summer weekends fill fast.
- Wear a bathing suit or quick-dry clothing. Everything you bring gets wet, no exceptions.
- Wear shoes with a heel strap for tubing. Flip-flops don’t survive the trip.
- Bring water. Direct sun for hours adds up faster than you’d think.
- No glass, no pets, on any trip.
The French Broad has come back strong since Hurricane Helene. The Asheville community put in real work cleaning it up, and trips are running daily again. The river is worth seeing this season.
Ready to pick your float? Call Asheville Adventure Company at 828-417-7109, or book online, and get on the water.