Smoky Mountain River Rat Tubing, Tennessee, United States
4.5 (1.409 reviews) Temporarily closed - Closed until May 20, 2023 Spent 2-3 hours Ranking #2 in Townsend Amusement & Theme Parks
Big Group Experience
OPEN: May - Labor Day Smoky Mountain River Rat has offered Tubing adventures on the Little River since 1995! River Rat is the closest and highest-rated Tubing Outpost to Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, and Knoxville in the Peaceful Side of The Smokies. Tube once or all day long down two tubing routes. Riverside Cabana Rentals also available. Ages include 3 years old. Open 7 days (May-Labor Day). **Reservations Required Before Arrival** Want more PADDLE, SPLASH & PLAY? Our River Rat Whitewater Rafting Outpost offers unforgettable guided expeditions for the whole family - from Extreme to Serene. Our adventures are on the Pigeon River in Hartford, TN - near Gatlinburg and conveniently located off I-40 at the TN/NC border. We are the closest rafting outpost to Gatlinburg, Knoxville and Pigeon Forge. The most fun you will ever have on the water awaits you on the Pigeon River. All experience levels welcome!
Address
205 Wears Valley Rd, Townsend, TN 37882-3307
Mobile
Website
http://www.smokymtnriverrat.com/
Working hours
Opening Hours: Mo-Su 10:00-16:30
Current local date and time now
Saturday, May 11, 2024, 13:15
User Ratings
4.5 based on (1.409 reviews)
Reviews
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5Snowflake1211 5:00 PM Aug 21, 2021
Fun day of tubing!
We were suppose to go white water rafting with River Rats in Hartford, TN but the river was too high and weren't taking anybody. I had paid for tubing (only $13 with white water rafting). They refunded my money no problem but when we got to the tubing, it cost us $65. I guess if your white water rating trip gets canceled they don't honor the $13 tubing. It was a bummer. But we had a ton of fun so didn't damper our experience. You can buy tethers for $5 ($2 refund if returned) so you can tie your tubes together. Lots of people used their lifejackets as well. Because of the high water level, Outpost B was 18+ (normally I think it's 6+). But we did Outpost A 3 times in 1 day. After you finish your trip, you load up on a bus and it takes you back to River Rats. Normally it was pretty fast (less than 5 minutes) but the 2nd time we went there was a large backup as a balloon festival was in town and caused a huge traffic jam on the highway. The bus line was long but one young man kept the line in good spirits by throwing tubes to the top of the pile. We all watched as he threw it to the top, probably 10 tubes high, all cheering when it stayed and sad if it rolled off. People started chanting "tube god, tube god". You had to be there but I wanted to give him a shout out for keeping us entertained. I'm hoping we can go back and try Outpost B or their White Water Rafting someday. Highly recommend!
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4Kelly K 5:00 PM Jun 12, 2022
Get the stick or oar!!!
I would have given a 3 for my actual float today but I consider it my fault as I assumed it would be like tubing back in WI, where you tie your tubes together and the only concern is running out of beer…this is a river that REQUIRES you pony up the $7 to buy a river stick or a paddle. We only had 1 stick for 4 of us and the 3 without a stick spent the entire ride getting un-stuck from the rocks, edge of the river etc. just buy the stick or paddle and your float will be a five or better yet bring one and don’t forget rope to tie yourselves together. Some float places provide rope and carabiners to connect the tubes but they don’t here. I consider myself a float expert of the wisco variety but failed here. Definitely come as the staff is fabulous and the river beautiful just do it better than me! Have fun and float on!!
