Nantahala White Water Rafting

October 17, 2016May 23, 2017 trippintwins1 Comment

Labor Day weekend in the US marks the unofficial end of summer and people love to celebrate over the long weekend. I wanted to go somewhere different and some place not too expensive which meant I didn’t want to fly. While browsing Pinterest, I saw a pin of the Nantahala National Forrest that caught my eye. I had been rafting there as a young child and always wanted to return, so thought this would be the perfect trip. As Erica already a prior commitment, I used this trip for some father/daughter bonding time.

We chose to drive to Chattanooga, TN the night before going to North Carolina. It’s a city we both really like spending time in. Neither one of us had ever stayed at the Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel, so we decided this would be a great time to try it out. If you are worried about the price, know the courtyard is totally worth the price to stay. Even if you are not staying at the hotel, drop by for a visit because the courtyard is fantastic for people of any age.

We stayed one night and got up early the next day to get on the road to reach Dillsboro, NC where we stayed for the next few nights. It was a beautiful 4 hour drive that passed quickly. On the way, we passed the Ocoee River located in Tennessee in the Cherokee National Forest which we have already decided to visit next year.

Processed with Snapseed. — You’ll most likely run into one of these rafting buses on the trip

Hotel

I chose the Best Western Plus River Escape Inn & Suites for scenery and location, but it really exceeded my expectations. The property was quiet and had a quaint feeling and look with only 65 guest rooms. The highlight was the balcony overlooking the Tuckaseegee River, located of the breakfast room. When we were at the hotel, we spent our time on the balcony. The hotel is convenient to several great breweries and restaurants we had a chance to try. It is a 30 minute drive to the Nantahala Outdoor Center, where we took our rafting trip.

Nantahala River

The Nantahala River is located on the Appalachian Trial in the Nantahala National Forest located in western North Carolina. The Forest is the largest of four National Forrests located in the state, covering more than 530,000 acres of terrain that varies in elevation from 5,800 to 1,200 feet. It is home to a large number of beautiful waterfalls and serves as a popular place for hiking, camping and white water activities.

The Nantahala River offers family friendly white water activities, with 8 miles of class II rapids and a few class III’s in the last mile. It is perfect for practically anyone including children 7 + , or those who weigh 60 + pounds. White water rafting, canoeing and kayaking are the most popular forms of white water activity on the river. If paddle boarding and/ or duck mobile rides are your thing, you will definitely have plenty of company on the river too!

Nantahala Outdoor Center

There are a plethora of outfitters in the area that can accommodate every white water excursion or need. For this guided rafting trip, I chose to book with the largest one, Nantahala Outdoor Center located in Bryson City, NC. It is a must visit for every outdoor enthusiast. The 500 acre campus offers both fully and self guided whitewater activities, ziplining, mountain biking and several others. There are also retail shops and restaurants to visit on property and nearby.

Depending on when you visit, we suggest buying tickets in advance online to avoid long lines. We arrived 20 minutes early which gave us plenty of time to check in at the Adventure Center, take some pictures and meet up with our rafting group. The rafting tour we chose says it is 3 hours, but one hour of that is on the ground- listening to instructions, watching a safety video, life vest checks, meeting rating group and guide and riding to the rafting site.

We spent 2 hours on the river which was just perfect. There were a total of 6 of us in the raft including the guide. If you do not want to get very wet, do not sit up front! There were a lot of people there with Go Pro’s, which this trip is perfect for. The river was really busy because it was a holiday weekend, but it never felt overly crowded. We saw a few birds, but not much other wildlife. The trip will take you past several campgrounds and houses, but otherwise the scenery consists the beautiful Nantahala NationL Forrest. If you would like to see a short video of our rafting trip, here’s the link: https://youtu.be/H7DQbcXALEQ.

Tips:

Take a change of clothes. There are changing facilities and you will most likely feel like changing afterwards, regardless if you get wet or stay dry.
Leave as much as you can in the car, but they will hold keys and phones for you.
Take the time to take in the scenery and enjoy yourself!

Beer · Chattanooga · Tennessee · Tours · travel · Uncategorized · Water Adventures

Exploring Chattanooga: Chocolate, Beer, Boats and Walking Tours! Oh my!

October 29, 2015October 29, 2015 trippintwins8 Comments

Do you usually travel over holiday weekends? We do if the holiday falls on a Friday or Monday because it works out great with our schedule and we’re able to go places without having to take a day off work. Columbus Day is celebrated on a Monday, so we decided to visit Chattanooga, Tennessee over the holiday weekend. It is currently the “IT” city of the South and draws more than 3 million visitors a year.

Chattanooga offers a variety of options for a vacation destination; there is something for everyone. Although the Tennessee Aquarium is an absolute must if you have not been, there are other great places to check out. These are some of the highlights over the weekend we spent there:

1. River Gorge Explorer

We did not visit the Tennessee Aquarium this trip, but we did ride the River Gorge Explorer that is guided by a Tennessee Aquarium naturalist. It is a 2 hour boat ride in a climate controlled setting and offers fantastic views of the scenery and wildlife along the Tennessee River. We spotted several species of birds including blue osprey, herons and a hawk. It is appropriate for all age groups, there is plenty of room for kids to be kids and for adults to find some peace and quiet. You are initially seated in the inside cabin to ride to your destination. Once you reach destination, you are free to hang out on the viewing deck or the stern of the boat. The boat has 4 engines and 35 mm horsepower, which the captains takes advantage of to ensure the passengers are safe while throwing in a bit of high speed and a maybe a few tricks when other boat traffic allows.

Pro Tips:

If your visit is going to coincide at a busy time of the year, buy your tickets in advance online and bring a printed copy with you. Tickets can be bought at the Aquarium, but lines can be really long and tickets are quick to sell out.

No need to arrive at the docking location more than 10 min prior. There is not a lot of waiting space and there is plenty of seating in the boat.

Price:

There are two ticket options: River Gorge Explorer (Adults: $32.00, Children 3-12- $24.50, Children under 3 – $18) or Tennessee Aquarium/River Gorge Explorer Combo (Adults: $56.95, Children 3-12 – $39.95, Children under 3 – $18).

2. Chattanooga Sidewalk Tours

We enjoy taking walking tours whether on the road or at home because they are a great way to see and learn about a city. We usually take large group walking tours because they’re affordable and low hassle. When we were looking for walking tours in Chattanooga, we found Chattanooga Sidewalk Tours and saw it was rated on TripAdvisor. They are a local company that gives group and private tours for locals and tourists. It was really easy to book with them, we corresponded through email a few times to find a time worked for all of us.

Chattanooga Sidewalk Tours offers two walking tours: Dynamo of Dixie and Bluffs and Bridges. We decided to take the Bluffs and Bridges Tour because we wanted to learn more about the people that helped to influenced Chattanooga’s transformation, see their homes and see the world class bridges and bluffs in Chattanooga. It was a 90 minute walk, perfect for anyone that enjoys a leisurely walk. Our guide, Keith, was fantastic. He was extremely knowledgeable about Chattanooga’s history and could answer practically any question pertaining to it and the Civil War.

Price: $15 per person, but it’s the south so be nice and tip too!

Walnut Street Bridge – one of the world’s largest pedestrian only bridges. It was built in 1890 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.

P1090419 — One of the many pieces of art in downtown Chattanooga. Tara’s hanging out with the horse found in the First Street Sculpture Garden.

Coolidge Park Antique Carousel located in Coolidge Park. Fifty two hand carved animals for your enjoyment.

3. The Hot Chocolatier

All kinds of hot chocolate and other chocolate treats to take home!

What kind of hot chocolate do you like? I bet they have it available!

Who doesn’t like a good chocolate shop? This locally owned artisan chocolate and pastry shop, located across from the Chattanooga Choo Choo, is a must visit while in Chattanooga. They offer pastries that rival some of the best European ones, every kind of hot chocolate and coffee favor you can think of and excellent artisan chocolates. There’s even a window in the shop where one can watch chocolatiers and pastry chefs working. If you’re looking for an afternoon pick me up or an after dinner snack, this is your place.

4. Terminal Brewery

This is a locally owned brewery that aims to be as green as possible. The brewery uses organic ingredients in their drinks and food and aims to be as environmentally friendly as possible in their business operations. They offer several different kinds of beer on tap as well as organic wine and spirits. For the people who cannot or do not like to drink alcohol, there is house made root beer available. Their menu is great for meat eaters as well as vegetarians. It’s a very laid back atmosphere, great place to hang out and watch a game. If you’re looking for a locally owned place with great drinks and food, consider this next time you’re visiting Chattanooga.

What should we be sure not to miss next time we visit Chattanooga? We’re always up for recommendations.

Chattanooga · Craft Beer Festival · Trip Ideas

Chattanooga Craft Beer Festival

May 13, 2015June 21, 2015 trippintwinsLeave a comment

For Mother’s Day weekend, we decided to attend the 3rd Annual Chattanooga Craft Beer Festival hosted by Terminal Brewing Company. It was held on 9 May, 2015 at the First Tennessee Pavilion from 12:00 PM-5:00 PM and was a 21 and over event. There were food trucks available to buy food and a band playing country music. The temps were in the high 80’s, so the pavilion was an ideal location for the event because it is covered and has fans. The general admission tickets were $50 which entitled attendees to a beer tasting glass, beer to taste and water. We decided to buy VIP tickets that entitled us to access to seating, snacks and inside bathrooms. The total price for 3 VIP tickets was $259.17 or $86.39pp. This option is ideal for visitors who prefer not to bring their own seating because the VIP section provided a few table and chair sets and a leather couch seating area. In addition, there was beer available for tasting along with various snack options. Among the snack options provided were chicken tacos, salads, shrimp, prosciutto wrapped asparagus, hummus and chips and cookies.

There were about 50 breweries represented at the festival. Sam Adams and Sweetwater were the two most well known breweries in attendance. The majority of the breweries at the festival were from TN. Other states represented were AL, NC and MI. Most stands had representatives from their company to talk to the customers, but a few had volunteers filling in. I have to give a shout out to The Black Abbey Brewing Company located in Nashville, TN. My mom informed their representative that she only liked dark beer and was disappointed they only had light beers available to sample since their name had Black in it. The guy ended up giving her his secret stash of dark beer! We ended the day by having dinner at Terminal Brewing Company. It was crowded, but totally worth the 40 minute wait. The beer and food were excellent! If you are visiting Chattanooga, this place is a must. They take pride on the quality of their hops and food. I ordered a hamburger, not expecting much, and came away thinking it was the best hamburger I’ve ever had in a restaurant. Have you ever been to Terminal Brewing Company? What is your favorite beer fest you have attended?