james river reeling and rafting

This is so much fun. We took our pre-teen girls twice this summer tubing on the James River. It was a nice use of 3 hours. I packed us lunch in a cooler and we floated. Very safe family activity if you follow directions. Beware on hot days that sun can burn you up.

Enjoyed a very pleasant (although a little chilly) tubing trip over July 4th weekend. Great staff, very accommodating to us for parking a motorcycle near the office and storing some of our gear inside. Very friendly, fun and helpful folks. We've used several outfitters for various river trips in Virginia and West Virginia, and the folks at James River R & R rank high. Hope to return with some friends and do the trip again.

We spent a good three hours on the river for me & my daughter's shared birthday. We took the 7 mile canoe trip & had a great time! It was nice to have the river level so high this late in the summer and going mid-week made it very un-crowded. There's a good group of friendly people that work here and the showers inside were especially nice before the ride home. We'll be back.

Due to the type of rainy weather we've been having, I waited till early Monday morning to call and see if tubing was available that day. The phone was answered by a very cheerful lady who said they weren't busy, and no reservations would be needed. So we drove over to Scottsville with the intention of catching a noon shuttle upriver. The website requests you show 30 minutes prior to departure to fill out liability releases. We arrived a little before 11:30 but we already had our releases printed and signed. Check in could not have been easier! It literally took 2-3 minutes. The young lady at the counter was cheerful and helpful. She instructed us to drop our coolers off at the office (where you load the shuttle), then you dive your car down beside the river where they will hand you your keys as you get out once done. After parking your car, you take a short walk back to the office/shuttle and turn in your keys for them to bring to you later. So we were ready to go by 11:45. Then the low point of the day. Again, the website says the shuttles leave every 30 minutes. Ours didn't leave till 12:45. It seemed like they wait till they have a bus load, then they will leave when the numbers are right. In any case, no explanation was given as to the randomness of the shuttle departure. Take a cooler! You can rent a tube for your cooler, and it is well worth the $6 price. Usually, there are several places you can stop and take a break. However, on the day we went, the recent rains had the river level so high there was no place to stop in the 3hours (approx) we were on the river. Another thing that concerned us was that they load coolers onto the shuttle last, then block the aisles with your coolers. Not the safest plan if you ever needed to evacuate quickly. The drop off and ride back down were AWESOME, the water temp was refreshing, and our 12 and 11 year olds had a blast!Once you arrive back at the shop, there is someone to help you get the tubes out of the water, and hand you back your keys. We then drove back to the office where they had very clean restrooms with showers to clean up with. Make sure to take soap! It is surprising how much dirt you collect while tubing!All in all it was a great day to tube! The staff was very friendly, facilities clean and we will certainly do this again as often as possible. We highly recommend this business!

Reasonable cost for an afternoon's canoeing on a beautiful river on a sunny June day. Wonderfully friendly young staff who are a credit to the company.

Thanks again, James River Reeling & Rafting, for a fabulous time on the James river. From online checkin, to printable (in advance) waivers of liability, to friendly, happy young employees..all in all it was a great time.Of course kudos go to God for a wonderful day and a crystal clear James River - running at about 3.5 feet Friday, August 3, 2012.We enjoyed the trip so much we "anchored" on some rocks and hung out there and lengthened our trip down the river.Perhaps next time we'll rent kayaks and I'll bring my fishing rod along and try to snag some small mouth bass.

After taking a short bus ride from the main office our group of 11 was grabbing our tubes and in the water. It was refreshing and clear while the current was moving we did not run into any white water. We stopped on a huge rock about half way through the 3 hour trip and ate the lunches we had packed.It was a very enjoyable afternoon for all.