Rafting

Rafters, kayakers and canoeists of all ability levels find something to celebrate at Inn on Main Street. Within an hour of Weaverville and Asheville are several outfitters offering everything from calm-water canoe rentals to Class 4 raft trips.

French Broad Rafting Company is operated by brothers Michael and Mitch Hampton, who have 32 years of combined whitewater rafting experience. They operate only on the French Broad River with various guided trips between the Marshall area and Hot Springs. They also offer rental unguided rafts for calm water and one-person duckies, a sort of inflatable kayak. They are one of our Raft and Relax trip providers.

Nantahala Outdoor Center pretty much set the standard for Southeast rafting trips. From their beginnings on the Nantahala River in 1972, NOC has expanded to seven rivers in North Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia. Their guides come from all over the country and seem to enjoy the trip as much as our guests. We can book any of their trips, but bear in mind that some may cause you to leave the inn before breakfast. An exception, other than the French Broad, is the later trips on the Nantahala. NOC is one of our Raft and Relax trip providers. Book any of NOC’s other raft trips online.

Blue Heron Whitewater is the newest entry on the French Broad River, but the three partners share decades of rafting experience all over the world. Blue Heron Whitewater is one of our Raft and Relax trip providers.

For a calm water experience, we recommend Asheville Outdoor Center and Headwaters Outfitters in Brevard. Asheville Outdoor Center, formerly known as Southern Waterways, drops canoeists and kayakers off upstream of its location on the French Broad River near downtown Asheville, allowing you to float and gently paddle past the Biltmore House.