Rowed with my school, great marina, well kept. The cox and boat house were great! River was nice as…read morewell!

Just bought a paddleboard and was searching for places closest to my house. I knew about this one,…read morebut didn't initially know that I had to have a season pass to the nova Parks and this marina was more expensive on top of the regular annual pass. It cost around $150. And you can't get in to this marina without a key. The marina is great for kayak, canoe, paddleboard, not big boats. It's buggy there. No walking trails that I saw. Of the two times I've launched my paddleboard, one time was nice, the other time the current was fast enough that it kept spinning my paddleboard around, so I couldn't get anywhere. But I think it's probably usually calmer than that. There are no concessions or bathrooms. And that's the reason I won't get a pass next year.

My daughter had an amazing time at one of Adventure Links' summer day camp weeks. She would get…read morepicked up at a spot in Vienna early in the morning then get outdoors-ed all day long. Sometimes they'd go to the park in Clifton (for a lot of the same team building exercises my wife's company had done there); on another day, the kids went caving; and on another day, they went canoeing and swimming. Every evening, she would come back exhausted and happy. What more can you ask for?

Adventure Links has a talented, experienced crew with innovative ideas and a well-trained staff…read more I'm a fan! Most people know Adventure Links for their popular camp programs for children and teens. However, they also offer stellar corporate team building programs, which is how I got to know them. About five years ago, as the CEO of a growing company of 20 professionals, I was struggling with how to address some growing pains and spice up our upcoming quarterly retreat. A friend recommended Adventure Links, so I scheduled a meeting with Anna, the CEO. Anna came to my office and interviewed me to understand my business, our challenges, and what I hoped to accomplish. She asked many questions, listened, and took notes. The next week, we took our team of 20 to their retreat location. Anna and her team had put together an all-day agenda of activities that went way beyond simple ropes courses. What surprised and "sold" me on them was how she'd managed to incorporate our growing pains into her exercises in meaningful ways. Sure, we had fun and bonded, but more importantly most of us began to see certain everyday problems in meaningful new ways, with fresh solutions. To this day our team references those exercises like old Seinfeld episodes. After each exercise - some physically challenging and all mentally challenging - Anna would bring us together and help us draw correlations to some of our corporate issues. It helped that she has a sharp wit and great sense of humor. She and her team also knew when to push and put us on the spot to drive home a point. Six months later, we wanted to bring Adventure Links back for another quarterly retreat, but this time due to bad weather we had to do the exercises in our office. They totally pulled it off! The indoor exercises were unique and again gave us a fresh perspective on both issues and people. An example - during one intense exercise where we split into two teams, a junior staff person had a "eureka!" moment with a brilliant solution to a problem, and spontaneously took control of our team, which included several executives. I had no idea this young lady was so intellectually gifted and capable of leadership under pressure. How valuable is that information for an employer? My firm has engaged Adventure Links several times since then, all with success. When my children are old enough, I'll be sending them to the Adventure Links camps...I know they'll learn and have fun. Adventure Links rocks!

Reviewing the tour of Mallows Bay, I would note that this is offered under the county government's…read morewebsite, that tours are in very finite numbers and tend to fill up well in advance. Obviously, if you have a boat and can get it to this remote location, you don't need the tour. But for me, I've had it on my to-do list for a long time, I traveled a long way to get to the tour, and it was worth it. There was a presentation before getting on the boats, which I thought was detailed and well-handled. The presence of a fleet of shipwrecks requires some explanation. Getting into the water didn't take all that long. The amount of time on the water was as long as or slightly longer than what we booked, and this gave enough time to pretty thoroughly round the bay. The tide was quite high when I visited so the wrecks were mostly underwater, but there were still plenty of sights to be seen. Having seen them from land and memorialized them in photographs, the experience from water is much better. And of course, the shipwrecks now are simply a place for wildlife to live, and the visit an excuse to get out on a part of the river where it turns estuarine. This trip is not a huge distance from DC, but it is a world away.

Four of us went out on the Mallows Bay Ghost Ships tour and had an amazing time! We lucked out with…read morepractically perfect weather and a beautiful sunset as we finished our paddle, which surely helped matters, but our guides were also well-prepared, knowledgeably, and had all the equipment we needed. The location is just so cool and can't be beat; it was an unforgettable experience to see the half-sunken ships. I had been hesitant, due to the high price tag, but I think we all thought it was worth it in the end. If I had any suggestions, it would be to more prominently display on the website that all kayaks are tandem kayaks. Thankfully, we came with an even number of people, but I would have hate to have been surprisingly paired up with a stranger. It also would have been great if one of the instructors could have given us more kayaking tips. We could not stop veering to the side no matter what we did, and they didn't seem to have any advice for us.

Fun experience for floating down the river! Great service, chill vibes, great staff... I'd go back!read more

Tubing Review: We had an amazing time. Was is exhausting,…read moreyes. Worth it, yes! Owen was great. He was a great driving the stick shift bus back to the outfitters. It was nice being dropped off and picked up. We did have issues with our card online, but when I called in to book, Nancy was helpful. She got us all situated and sent an email to confirm. We filled out waivers online which was a breeze. We watched a quick safety video, picked up our lifevest and were on our way. The water was the perfect temp, and it was clear. Tips: bring snacks and water. You are out there 4-5 or longer hours. Especially if the water is low, which ours was. We used a waterproof bag and had no issues. We used a tube with a cup holder which was nice. I wore my life vest out of precaution even though I can swim, plus it made it comfortable for my to use it as a neck rest. I've noticed people mention in previous reviews that the bus was dirty ect. Um, you're in the woods. If you get picked up after many other groups the bus will be dirty as everyone is wet coming out of the water no matter what activity you choose. I would not own a brand spanking new vehicle for this type of environment and job. Used is best and saves money I'm sure. Wear a hat and sunglasses, put in that sunscreen. Bring a waterproof phone case/bag. You will have no service out there so put it on airplane mode and use it as a camera.

I just finished the Cheat Lite program and could not recommend this program more to new…read moreintermediate boaters. I feel like a confident class 3 boater after this course. We had water levels all over the place this spring and they did such a great job of picking rivers with good water levels and making every trip and practice as fun and safe as possible. The program is extremely popular so make sure you sign up the first day it is offered.

Calleva's River School offers a well-paced series of whitewater kayaking courses to help get your…read morefeet (and everything else!) wet in this exciting sport. The friendly instructors are very knowledgeable and coach to your level of development. This is a great school to build skills and gain an introduction to the community having fun on the Potomac.

Very rude and impersonal on the phone when I called to ask about my sailing class after I put a…read moredeposit down. I tried to give my availability and was cutoff---she said I will contact you if we have an instructor. Ok, well I can't just drop everything when you call to go sailing, please take my updated a availability? I hope other employees are better-suited to customer service and maybe kayaking and other options are still worth it, just wanted to let everyone know of my experience. I've never left a bad review, but I was excited to learn to sail, sad this had to be my experience. On to the next place!

Learning to sail had been on my bucket list forever so when I saw that the Mariner Sailing School…read moreoffered sailing lessons for adults every week of summer I decided to sign myself up for my own "summer camp". I have to tell you that learning to sail was an excellent decision because I actually learned to sail a 19 foot flying scot independently! My lessons consisted of four 2.5 hour morning sailing lessons out on the Potomac, Monday through Thursday. The sailing school also offers adult weeknight and weekend classes and different kids camps. The instructors split my class up into groups of two or three, went over some of the materials and then out onto the water we went to learn how to rig the boat and raise the sails. My instructor Ray was awesome, he taught us what we needed to know and even pushed us to run docking drills by ourselves on the last day of classes. Yes, at times the lessons were super challenging and nerve wracking, but once you get some practice time in, you'll get the hang of it. It's worth it to learn how to sail. I myself now find sailing enjoyable and ridiculously relaxing. Everyone I have encountered at the marina either teaching lessons, working in the office or out on the dock have been super friendly and helpful. They give you a free week of practice sails after your lesson so that you feel totally comfortable sailing independently and the people at the dock give plenty of tips to help you continue to hone your beginner skills.

Needed some time with nature....my mind gets to wondering all over...figured this would be the…read moreperfect thing for my son and I as we get ready for the school year. Wanted a kayak place that wasn't crowded with easy entry and exit. I couldn't find and promos but that's cool....the price for a double is comparable to most. Splurge for the 2 hours because it's only $10 more. Take in the sights and enjoy some conversation. Customer service was just right....before you knew it we were in the kayak and on our way...for the record I did most of the work

I was on vacation last month and went back to my former home state to do something active and fun…read morelo and behold: Capital SUP. I have been going to this business for years and have now been to all 3 locations. The people working here are very friendly and helpful. The location of Quiet Waters is awesome, very serene place. A nice little walk from the parking lot about 10 mins surrounding by beautiful trees and wineberries. Also cool that they have classes and yoga SUP. This was one of the highlights of my trip. Thank you.