French Broad Outfitters

WARNING TO MILITARY SERVICEMEMBERS
My husband and I went to Asheville for Memorial Day weekend. We are both Active Duty servicemembers. A few weeks before our trip I made our reservation for 2 kayaks, over the phone. NOTE, absolutely no payment is made during the phone call reservation, just a credit card number to hold the reservation. During the phone call, I did not ask about a military discount because I figured I would ask when we paid there in person, and because we wanted to use French Broad Outfitters anyways. When businesses offer military discounts, it’s always a nice surprise and we always appreciate it; we by no means expect it, especially in a non-​military town like Asheville.
When we arrived to kayak, we went to the front counter to sign some forms and pay. Before the girl on staff (yes, you, in the glasses and orange tank top) took my credit card, I asked if they offered a military discount. She said yes, and my husband and I began to take out our ID cards to show her. However, she told us that it was too late to apply the discount to our reservation, DESPITE NOT HAVING CHARGED MY CREDIT CARD YET. I asked why, and she said, verbatim, «There’s no button for that.» What??? There’s absolutely no way, in whatever system/​computer your business uses, to change the price before charging the card? She said the only way to get the military discount was to mention it on the phone (even though no transaction is made at that point). I expressed my confusion, and she continued to say that she was sorry and that nothing could be done. Her attitude was extremely off-​putting. I have checked their website since then; it does say that you must mention any discount at the time of reservation (which still baffles me), so fair warning. And yes, I should have checked their website before making a reservation. However, how many places only allow you to apply a discount at one mysterious limited time, that most people likely won’t know about?
Later outside, the owner came over and asked us if there was something wrong with our reservation, and we explained. He seemed very concerned about his employee’s behavior and he was very nice about it, and said he would talk to her, because what she had told us «wasn’t completely true.» We felt better and went out to the river to kayak for 2+ hours.
The kayaking and the river were great. When we got back, I half-​expected the owner to talk to us again, or for the girl to apologize, but nothing happened, so we shrugged and left. All of the other staff members were awesome and super chill. However, the whole issue before we got on the river really soured the beginning of the day. Orange tank top girl needs to work on her customer service skills.
Perhaps French Broad Outfitters could create a new system (or dare I say it, button) for applying discounts and offering them to their customers at any point in the reservation or payment process.
FYI, this strange policy also applies to the group discount, child discount, and Go Local discount.

I thought this place was pretty awesome. It seemed very laidback. We got there a bit early, and so did the other group, so they took us out right away in their bus. We had a tandem kayak. Easy put-​in South of Asheville, and we coasted North back into the city.
I thought it was a really fun river. We don’t kayak often, at all. And certainly not through rocks. So we had a blast, navigating around rocks, getting caught a couple times and having to fight our way off, and seeing the wildlife. I will say, I was surprised by how little wildlife there was!!! I’m from Houston, and our swampy bayous have a lot more birds.
You basically float/​paddle 2 – 3 hours on the 6 mile stretch, hit a couple small rocky spots (fairly easy) and arrive back at the shop. You just drag your kayak up an embankment (this does require some arm strength), drop off the gear, and you’re done. Time for lunch! Easy as that.
I’d definitely do this once a month if I lived there (or buy my own kayak…). Was a pretty cool vacation experience and birthday experience for my wife.

We did the stand up paddle board tour with these guys and they provided everything we needed as first timers. I called around 10am on a Monday to see if they had space for two to hop on a shuttle to do SUP and the guy who answered the phone said «yeah sure, the next one is at 1pm but we would like you to be here about 15 – 20 minutes before for paperwork. Can you make it?» I said yeah sure thats fine and off we were. We got there, told the girl we wanted two SUPs, 80 bucks paid, signed some liability papers, used the bathroom, put our valuables in the car and off we were on the van. The guy drove up 6 miles upstream on the French broad through the arts district, explained where the landmarks were that told us how much longer it would take to get to the «take-​in» point and that was it. It was our first time (we also brought our pup) and he gave us some quick pointers on how to get our balance, what to do if we get stuck on rocks, etc. It took us about 3 hours to get back to the take in point and it was so much fun. Very easy paddle downstream on such a beautiful day. These guys are great.

Travelled from Greenville to do the 2.5 hour kayaking trip and wasn’t disappointed. Everyone in the small shop was very helpful and answered all of our questions about the weather, water conditions, and different trips. We opted for the shorter, 2.5 hour kayaking trip and took two single kayaks. After meeting in the gravel parking lot, our driver, Ben, drove us up river where we launched from. He was very kind and informed us of other awesome places to kayak. He seemed very knowledgable in the subject and we plan to visit one of the spots he recommended! The trip itself was very scenic and smooth. No hard rapids, just a few small spots. However, there were a lot of large rocks lurking just below the surface where I found myself getting stuck on. When we returned, the shop had clean bathrooms to use where we changed into dry clothes. Overall, very good experience with this business.
FYI: this was my second time kayaking in my life, and found this ride exceptionally easy.

I often take my family to float down the French Broad river, and while there are multiple outfitters to do business with, I always return to AAR. Derek, Brennan, and the rest of the staff are outstanding in the way of knowledge, customer service, and are just plain awesome when it comes to ensuring my family will have a safe and fun trip. Always a professional manner. Keep up the great work AAR!

After living in Asheville for almost two years I had not gone down the French Broad River. I am so happy I decided to go with AAR for my first time :) they were so amazing! They were very educational, prepared, and well just down right fun! We had a group of five and all had a blast! Thank you so much AAR for one of my favorite days in Asheville. I look forward to many more adventures with y’all!

So I know that there are a lot of places to rent equipment and take tours of the grand river Broad but I really was taken with Asheville Adventure. The full service shop was nice and the staff was terrific as well as professional. Their prices were very reasonable and even cheaper than some other places which is why we decided to try it. During the shuttle to the drop off site, the driver was making friendly and fun conversation. He was really pumping us up for the trip. Our trip was a success and we got very soaked, a little sun burned, and a lot of adventuring fun to tell our friends about. Next time that I am in Asheville, I will look them up again. I tell all my friends and colleagues to try it when they mention an upcoming trip to the mountains. I even told my realtor to take her kids there. How random is that?

Super knowledgeable and really friendly guys! We rented boats from them once and had a really great experience. They were really patient and helpful with all of our questions and we ended up buying an awesome 9.5 Roam from them today. I would definitely recommend them for their rental options and there is not a better place to buy a boat.
PS They also have a great selection of disc golf discs!

These guys rock! Amazing prices and services. Locally owned and operated, this is your one stop shop whether you’re in search of a new boat, just want to float the French Broad, are in need of a shuttle or, looking for area beta. A great resource for locals and travelers alike. Thanks AAR, my family is already looking forward to the next adventure!

Rented SUP boards on 6÷28÷14 and the first time I put my paddle in the water it split in half. 3hrs later after returning to AAR the guides asked how we enjoyed ourselves and said it was great except the fact the paddle broke first time I put in. He stated «man that sucks». the guy in the store wasn’t very apologetic as well stating they must have received a bad bunch of paddles as they were all beginning to fall apart. No offer to discount our rental or to make good on our paddle trip. I think Id go with Zen Tubing next time.

After flying into North Carolina I needed a boat for the green race. They were super cool in letting me rent a boat for a river they know breaks boats. I would highly recommend these guys for a boat rental or for buying any boating gear for that matter. Thanks for helping make my trip a great time. Other companies wouldn’t let me rent a boat when I told them I was taking it down the green

After tubing, kayaking and rafting down the French Broad a number of times, I was hooked. So over the 4^th of July holiday, I wanted to kayak for a couple of hours down the French Broad and end up at one of my favorite watering holes, The Bywater. While Asheville Outdoor Center offers tours, they don’t offer any separate rentals. I was pretty annoyed by this, I had done prearranged tours before and they’re fun, but not challenging and don’t allow you to plan your own trip. In this case I have kayaking experience and have a plan, I just needed to rent a kayak (and gear) and be dropped off or picked up. Derek at Asheville Adventure Rentals had all the answers. I explained what I wanted to do and he was extremely helpful in making it happen, that day. You’re not going to get that with other companies in Asheville. Derek set us up with great kayaking, dropped us off at the perfect spot down the French Broad and was flexible on the pick-​up time. The price for the rental was very reasonable, especially given the personalized and catered service. Check out Asheville Adventure Rentals the next time you want to explore the French Broad!