French Broad Outfitters

Brandon Polley

2023-07

She mentioned kayaking so I started looking places up. Looked at the website but I prefer real time information so called them. It was around 11 AM and they booked us for 1 PM. Got there at 12:30 and paid and registered and all. Took the bus up the road and we were in the water! The water was busy, primarily filled with tubers. We barely paddled and just enjoyed it but still made good time. Staff and equipment were excellent. Had a very good experience and we also feel the cost was fair. Take sunscreen!

Patrick Murphy

2023-08

This place is top notch. Brennon and his guys did not disappoint. Had a great time. All the guys were super nice and very informative. Water is smooth. On the river 4 hours!!!! Wide river. Not congested. Gets a little deep in a few areas. The outfitter store is loaded with stuff to buy. You can buy everything there. Getting out of the water is very easy. The past reviews had me nervous but it was for no reason. Lots of fun. I highly recommend these guys! Can’t wait to go back!!

Jimmy Britts

2023-08

We paddle boarded with French broad outfitters and the experience was flawless. They are friendly and helpful. The pricing is fantastic and reasonable, the return for you investment is worth it. There are several areas where the water is pushing the board faster than you are paddling. My only fair warning to offer when doing SUP on the French broad is to be wary of rocks/ boulders. The water is shallow in many areas, so when you fall (not IF you fall) you may very well land on a rock. This has no reflection on the service provided by French broad outfitters. I personally recommend the use of water shoes. lol

Willow S.

2024-04

Friendly people and a great service. Have kayak, paddle board, and canoe rentals. I don't recommend a canoe on the river however, as it's harder to control with the fast current. They are able to taxi you and your rentals to the drop off location so long as everyone is over 6 years old.

Eric Dodson

2022-05

Great staff! Very informed of the surrounding area and the river. Drove over 3 hours to get there and chose this place because of their website. It’s leaps and bounds ahead of their competitors as well as their prices. Found the place to be exceptional and the staff to be extremely friendly and helpful. Went with small children everything was accommodated. Had a great time on the river. Highly recommend this place if you want to to kayak whatever you need to do get a French Broad River

Karen Lea Mercer

2023-08

Great location, cool little bohemian vibe with great selections of craft beers and ciders. Staff was friendly and knowledgeable. River was SLOW! And you don't actually see the Biltmore house . Too many unleashed dogs for us to feel safe with our little kayaking friends.

Alicia Bentley

2023-09

My husband and I had a great time! Normally we would take two cars, but we were going to a concert and decided it would be easier to shuttle with our paddle boards. We decided to do the Biltmore route, which was awesome. As soon as we put in, we saw otters playing under the bridge! I wasn’t expecting to be able to see the Biltmore from the river, but was excited that we were able to! The staff was great, and so was the beer selection. We will be back!

Auria D

2023-05

5/5! If you like doing fun things with kind people look no further! This is the second time my husband and I have used these guys and we have had an amazing experience each time. This time we brought our pups. The stage is friendly and accommodating. We will definitely use them again!

No Bullshit Fit By Leigh Hero

2023-05

FBO has the best staff and services!! I highly recommend renting SUPs or kayaks and using their shuttle service if you are local or visiting AVL!We’ve been using shuttle service for 4+ years and it’s saved us the headache of finding parking (especially with more people moving to AVL and visiting) & taking 2 cars to put-in the river initially then drive back to your put-in spot. The shuttle is very affordable if you have your own gear and is a major time-save.The FBO staff couldn’t be nicer and are very timely when loading up! Thanks FBO!!

Seth Schwartz

2023-05

Great outfitter for kayaking, disc golf and light hiking gear. Our next visit we'll probably book a river kayaking tour. Check them out.

Quintin Mack

2024-02

I love you FBO!! Best collection of discs, great atmosphere, and helpful staff. Can’t wait to throw this beauty 😍😍.THANKS 🙏🏽

Viviana Leal

2022-05

Great experience while we were on vacation in Asheville. We are inexperienced kayakers and we did the 12 mile trip. I would recommend the shorter one for not as athletic people like ourselves, It's a lazy river and shallow for most of it althoughsome parts are deep. I would take sunscreen and a change of clothes if I ever go again. My husband fished and caught 3 small mouth bass. We saw some ducks with their babies and geese. It was definitely a fun time. There are parts of the river that have small white water rushing currents to be careful with. We didn't fall out but some people have as per the guide.

Kate Hill

2023-09

We worked with French Broad Outfitters to coordinate a team building event for a work trip to the area. They were very helpful in recommending the best trip for our group and the staff at the site the day of was an awesome group. Our team had a great time kayaking and playing/drinking at the Hominy Bar. Thank you!

Kelsie Masters

2023-05

Loved tubing, however the float is way too short. We were on the water for less than 90 minutes. Being able to buy beer and ice in the shop was a plus.

Ben Collins

2023-05

Great float down the river. Not as long as some other outfitters but they gave the option to go twice. Super friendly staff and just as laid back an experience as I was looking for.

Chris Groutt

2023-07

Excellent experience, renting a canoe and one person tent for a quick camping trip. Prices were reasonable gear was great and staff was very friendly and helpful.

Georgia Scarborough

2023-08

We loved our time doing the 6 Mile kayak trip down the River Arts District route. All of the employees were fantastic! Our trip took us just under 2 hours paddling 90% of the time, the kayaks and paddles provided were super nice, and in great condition. A team member was there to help us in the water at the drop off, and to help us out at pick up! I would highly recommend FBO for your Asheville water adventures!

Ben Ure

2023-06

This place was so cute. They have all the discs for disc golf you could want. They’ve got kayaks and paddle boards, raft parts, knives, rope, and other items for water sports or disc golf. They’ve got shoes on the wall (Reba and Chaco) and some others. It was a great little shop and the river tubing experience was wonderful!!

Wyatt Howard

2023-05

I recently planned a guys trip through French Broad Outfitters to shuttle us up river and provide us with canoes and rental equipment. FBO was more than accommodating and extremely helpful with providing a map, suggestions, and personal experience on the water. The staff was super helpful and friendly in dealing with us when it came to last minute changes for our group. After our night on the water when we experienced bad weather, the outfitter texted me the morning after and checked to ensure we were safe and still on schedule. I cannot recommend this outfitter enough for great communication and great equipment! We will definitely be using French Broad Outfitters in the future!

Amber Hacker

2023-05

These folks were awesome! They quickly set us up to kayak the French broad river, including my 9 year old. We had a fantastic experience. I would book online in advance if you can - they were able to get us in on a Tuesday morning but it was very busy! Such a fun experience kayaking and the guys that helped us made it easy, safe and fun.

Joshua Otero

2021-05

First true lazy river ride I've been on (plus had a beer cooler) and the experience was great plus the employees were great (: more than 3 miles drifting on the French broad river which was nice and tranquil so don't worry. Honestly we winged it so no waterproof laniard for photos so I suggest you bring one and definitely rent the floater for your cooler.

Thomas DelCharco

2023-07

The team at FBO is the best. Really appreciate the help and knowledge when picking out white water equipment. I’ve spent thousands with them, and will continue to support this fantastic local company. Highly recommend.

rpsellers

2023-08

No one else puts us on the river i Asheville. These folks are great! We use them for shuttle service and they always treat our boats like they are their own!

Tammy Meredith

2022-05

We had an amazing experience all the way around with French Broad Outfitters! I called before we rented to check the availability of boats and the type available. The staff was extremely friendly and accommodating. They answered all my questions, and then some! They were patient and pleasant! Rental prices were terrific, and their help loading was perfect! While we were loading, we bought a pair of sunglasses. While on the trip, the coating on the lenses started to peel. When we got back, we mentioned it to the folks inside. They were awesome! The lady behind the counter apologized, said it should never have happened and offered to let us exchange them right away! 100% professional outfit from top to bottom! As a kayaker with over 15 years experience on the river, I recommend French Broad Outfitters for your next trip!

Bridget Shelton

2022-05

Everyone at French Broad Outfitters was great for our 3 mile river tubing experience!! They were helpful, informative, and friendly. Booking online was easy and straightforward. We rented a tube for our cooler which was a great size to put our medium sized cooler and a dry bag that they provided for our phones. The bus ride over to the starting spot was short and instructions were clear on how to find the exit spot and safely exit. Staff was at the exit spot waiting to help us out of our tubes.

Randall Wagner

2022-05

Great all around. The people we spoke to on the phone and in person were super helpful. The tubes themselves were comfy and the cup holders were a nice touch. The cooler tubes also fit 2 small coolers really well.If anyone is going I would recommend the blue tubes instead of the pink. We had some people in our group accidentally grab the pink and it got pretty hot for them.

Andrew Palazzo

2021-05

The staff was great but the tubing experience really needed something more. It takes you down a very eclectic portion of the river and the launch area and especially the landing area little dangerous and can easily be passed by. Unfortunately, I had not read other reviews before I went. Definitely not an option for me my next time in town. Great store that definitely has other strengths in camping gear and many other rentals. But tubing not one of their strong points although the staff was very friendly and helpful.

Kevin Smith

2018-05

We had planned on going tubing with one of the other places nearby. They turned us away and we landed at French broad outfitters. The staff was extremely nice and courteous. We got a little later start than normal, but they were very helpful with getting us floating down the river. The 2 girls at the front were very helpful and friendly and the other people who were shuttling us were great. I highly recommend using French Broad Outfitters for your tubing or kayaking trips, as we will be without a doubt.Some of us had our own tubes, so they charged $5 to shuttle us and blow our tubes up for us. The others who didn't they recommended buying a tube (which was much cheaper than expected) because we can come back and just pay the shuttle fee.The trip started out fairly crowded, but a few minutes after getting in the water, everyone spread out and it was a great trip down the river. It took us about 5 hours total to get back to the take out spot. It was a wonderful trip thanks to all the helpful staff at French Broad outfitters. Saturday was one of their busiest days of the season, and they were all still A+++. When you reach the take out spot, your car is parked less than 50 feet from where you get out.It was a wonderful trip thanks to all of the great staff and we all highly recommend them and will be using them again in the future! A+++++

Susan Holman

2022-05

We used their shuttle service, but from the minute we arrived, they they handled everything, even unloaded our equipment for us. Everyone was friendly and knowledgeable. After the trip we enjoyed a great lunch and a drink at their riverside bar picnic tables watching the river run by. Easy online scheduling and payment. Highly recommended.

dj hall

2023-05

Professional and knowledgeable river action group. Their attached shop has everything you could possibly need (that you forgot at home). They gave great instructions for the river and my family had an amazing time!We are already planning our next trip out!