The French Broad River runs straight through downtown Asheville. Three ways to get on it: tubing, kayaking, rafting. Same river, three completely different days. Different effort. Different price. Different story you tell afterward. Here’s the real breakdown, so you book the right one the first time.
Tubing: The Zero-Effort Float
You climb into a tube. The current does the rest. No paddling, no steering, no skill required. Just a bathing suit and a spot to sit.
The trip starts at the Outpost, floats through the River Arts District, and ends at a private take-out in the RAD, just a few minutes down the road. A shuttle runs you back to the Outpost. It’s $30 per person, ages 4 and up, and trips average 3 to 4 hours depending on how high the water’s running. Season runs May through Labor Day.
Bring the whole group on this one. Kids, grandparents, the friend who groans at the word “hike.” Nobody works for it, and everybody ends up in the water eventually anyway.
Kayaking: Paddle Your Own Boat, Skip the Rapids
This is the middle option. You paddle. You steer. The water stays calm the entire float. The route runs past the Biltmore Estate, takes 3 to 4 hours, and finishes at the Outpost in the River Arts District. It’s $61 per person. Minimum age is 12.
Some groups want more than a float and less than whitewater. This is that trip. You control the pace, you get the scenery, and you never touch a rapid.
Rafting: The Adrenaline Option
Rafting gets you a story. Asheville Adventure Company’s Section 9 whitewater rafting run covers 5 miles of Class II and III rapids on the French Broad, and a trained guide runs the whole trip. It’s $89 per person, about 4 hours door to door with shuttle time included, and guests need to be 8 years old and 50 pounds minimum.
Gear’s covered: raft, helmet, PFD, paddle. No experience needed. The guide handles navigation. Bachelorette weekends, team outings, friends in town for the weekend who want more than a lazy float: this is where they end up.
So Which One Fits Your Group?
Group spans three generations and nobody wants to work? Tubing.
Want some control of the boat without the rapids? Kayaking.
Want real rapids and a guide who’s done this a thousand times? Rafting.
Plenty of groups skip the choice entirely. Raft in the morning. Tube in the afternoon. Split into two boats if half the group wants adrenaline and half wants a cold drink and a slow float. Either way, you’re fifteen minutes from downtown and back at a brewery by sunset.
Ready to get on the river? Book your tubing trip, kayaking trip, or rafting trip with Asheville Adventure Company. Or browse all Asheville river adventures and compare dates side by side.