Whitewater rafting trip. The staff was great! They were all very friendly and helpful. Zoar Outdoor…read moreis located on route 2 in Western MA directly across the street from the Deerfield River. Very beautiful area. After a brief safety video and briefing, we were given our rafting kit, loaded on buses, and brought up river to the raft slip, this was about a 30 minute trip north west. The raft trip ended across the street from where we started. An easy exit, we got out of the boat, returned our kit, and walked across the road to watch the video, and purchase souvenir photographs. We had an excellent day on the river during our 10 mile trip. My 14 year old son and I did the Zoar Gap trip which took most of the day with an hour break for lunch at a nice riverside picnic ground in the mountains. You can bring your own food( appropriately packaged) if you would like. They store it in a water proof bag and stow it on the raft. If there is even a hint of rain or you just don't want to get completely soaked, bring a three season jacket or rain coat. Also, you will be out on a river dress accordingly. NO open toed shoes! This includes flip- flops. You can rent shoes and wetsuits. If you have any medical issues like allergic reactions etc. I would either bring your own Epi Pen kit and medications with you, and stow it in the water proof bag, or possibly think about finding a less isolated outdoor experience. Be warned, white water rafting can be physically strenuous. The only issue I had was the lunch that was provided. Not that it was bad, it was well packaged and pre-made( not to order). If you have food allergies or don't like mayonnaise bring your own food. Zoar Outdoor is not really able to accommodate food allergies or pickey eaters. Mayonnaise was on every sandwich. I don't know why. They could just have provided packets on the side but they there were none available. My son hates mayonnaise so he only ate the chips, pickle, and cookies provided which got him through the remainder of the trip but not exactly a great lunch. One man we were with had a dairy allergy. I'm pretty sure he was not able to eat any of the food. I'm not sure why he didn't make sure a head of time if he could eat the food.I wish I had known the sandwiches had mayonnaise on them a head of time. Not a huge deal, we got over it. The trip was super fun! I would love to go again and will definitely choose Zoar Outdoor again.

Steve was our guide for white water rafting and he was awesome. Truly an expert on the route and…read moregave perfect instructions. All staff were very friendly. They even accommodated our dietary restrictions. 10/10 recommend!

I am going to join the previous reviewers who said they had a fantastic experience…read more My husband and I took the intro to kayaking course with Kevin and there were 7 other people in our class. I was grateful because there were several other beginners like me. I'm fairly coordinated, but I've never done this before and didn't want to look like an idiot. Before we even got into the water, Kevin talked to us about the boat, sea conditions, and other important safety facts. His instruction was very informative and his funny, sarcastic side made it very enjoyable and entertaining. The water was pretty wavy and it was fairly windy out, but it was easy to paddle and it was super fun being in the water. Kevin taught us different techniques of kayaking and then at the end a "wet exit" which involved dumping yourself out of the boat and into the water. It was about a 3 hour adventure and well worth the money. My husband and I feel very confident to rent kayaks on our own or take a more advanced course, and we will definitely call Salem Kayak again. Awesome job!

You may have seen Kevin and Gillian's car around Salem with the awesome Rock, Paddle, Surf graphic…read more They took over Salem Kayak and gave it a new name and a totally new vibe. They are passionate about kayaking and have taught it and done it for many years. If you are a beginner at kayaking like I am or if you already know how and want to learn some new maneuvers, Kevin and Gillian can teach you. They also have sunset trips and full moon paddles, both of which I someday will have the courage to do. Go down to Salem Willows and talk to both or either of these people and make new friends in the process. Check out their website for upcoming events at www.rockpaddlesurf.com.

This passed summer, my girlfriend wanted me to try canoeing and it was surprisingly fun and…read morerelaxing! The staff was very helpful in finding the right size oar for you as well as the life jacket. Then, they push you off in the canoe and best of luck on your journey!! Joking, but you are pretty much on your own though, but it's so easy to figure out even though it's my first try. I forgot the price, but it barely puts a dent in your wallet for going around the river for a few hours. There's ample parking as well, and if you need a special canoe/kayak, you can request it ahead of time and they'll have it delivered. Also, they had a day where you help bag trash you find along the river and they comp you for today's canoeing. I can't wait to come back again next summer!

Think they own the whole area around the boat house. There are family's with kids and dogs walking…read moreand playing around the boat house, they drive their cars where ever they want and park them on the grass when there is plenty of space for them to park in the parking lot.

This is a great shop, very impressive. With EMS gone now we have fewer choices when looking for…read moreoutdoor wear. I really liked what they had for men's and women's outdoor clothing. Interestingly enough, they also carry a decent selection of used gear: backpacks/sleeping bags, etc.. Great experience in this wonderful shop.

Some friends and I went tubing down the river and it was incredible! Our transporter, Lucas, was…read moresuper helpful!

This is a review just for kayaking:…read more On a beautiful Sunday, we wanted to kayak. We first went to another sailing pavilion that was unfortunately closed and then tried Community Boating. The office / guest services area inside is pretty well staffed and they have bathrooms and lockers so seemed promising. Unfortunately after you pay it becomes clear the main intent of this place is sailing. If you want to do anything else, do not come here. I had to chase multiple people down for us to get assistance with getting paddles and we had to go out into the water on our own with little to no direction. In the end, we didn't even get to spend the full 2 hours you pay for out on the water because it took so long to get setup on our own. Don't come here for anything but sailing!

Love this place, and love that Boston supports it. Great time getting out on the water with my wife…read morein a 2-man kayak. It'd be nice to be able to go further than between the bridges, but for a quick spin it was perfect.

Our friend group went kayaking during the long weekend and everything went smoothly…read more They have different kind of rentals and a large number - we did not have rental bookings in advance. Life jackets are provided of course and we have to sign waivers. The river route is so long and scenic and will definitely take hours. The staff are really helpful as well. My only complaint is that they only have fixed full day rental rate. I wish they also have half day rate for people who only wanna spend a short time. - 7.5/10

Spent the day on the river with some friends and had the best time! With more than five rentals you…read morereceive a discount if you call - they made that super easy! Check in was smooth, gear was great and everyone was super friendly. We had a beautiful day!

I booked a kayak here and travelled to the Kendall Square location. I should have gone the other…read moredirection - the most difficult part was near the Kendal Square location, and I was paddling against the wind and current most of the way. Other than that, it was a great trip! It's a nice mix of peaceful trees and city views. I also paddled through a sailing team practice, which was cool. The boats were in great shape. The life jackets were showing their age, but I guess that's what you get with rentals. They estimated 1.5 - 2 hours for this trip, and it took me about an hour.

It is always a blast kayaking on the Charles River! This was our first time kayaking from the…read moreAllston/Brighton location;in the past, we would go to the Newton one. Fast forward now, PaddleBoston has 7 locations! These locations include: Waltham, Allston/Brighton, Somerville, Medford, Newton, Cambridge, & Stoneham. I highly recommend kayaking from Allston/Brighton! Very clear path, that is not as buggy as kayaking in Newton (from my friend and I's memory). We kayaked from here all the way down to past Harvard Sq. area. Did not take long at all. We were able to kayak back in 17 minutes. Their rates are reasonable, as well. This was our first time doing single kayaks rather than double. We did the up to 90 min single kayaks, $32/each. In my opinion, 90 min is more than enough time but doing the one way to Kenmore Square also seems like great fun that we'll definitely have to give a try next time. Cannot recommend kayaking enough though. It's very peaceful & honestly a nice activity to do with family and friends. Warning: you will get a KILLER arm workout out of this. 10/10

This place is amazing. The scenery is beautiful, it's located in a great area (across the street…read morefrom Nantasket Beach), and the staff is truly wonderful. Very helpful, knowledgeable, and keep everything clean. I go there as much as I can. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

We went here during Phase 3 of COVID as we are trying to keep social distant and entertain our…read moretoddler. I called the day before to confirm we could rent a kayak for 2 adults and take our toddler. I was happy with the social distancing measures they had in place. They had a sign to please wear a mask and keep space. Once you rented your kayak you had to wait to go on the dock until the party in front of you had left. They requested you sign the waiver online so there was no handing out of pens and paper. We lucked out with the weather the day we went because the water was fairly calm. You could head over to worlds end, get out a swim if you wanted and there was a few other places to get out. Overall great experience, we will definitely be back.

Our extended family had an absolutely fabulous time in June at an important family kayaking event,…read moremade possible by Aquahoppers; thank you Donna and WT!! Donna was extremely accommodating regarding our arrangements (which were not straightforward!) and her flexibility and suggestions made our whole morning go incredibly smoothly. They delivered 8 single kayaks at 8:30 in the morning, which completely eliminated any hassle for us, and met us at the end of our kayaking and took care of everything. Mobile kayaking is a great concept! Donna and her 1st mate were super friendly and very pleasant and fun to work with. Simply fantastic and highly recommended.

What a great couple. What a great service. Why bother loading and aggravating getting the kayaks to…read morea lake when these 2 will just meet you wherever with the kayaks and off you go. Reasonable price and superb knowledge between them both. They take the time to set you up and take the time to make sure you had fun. They obviously love what they do and want everyone else to enjoy it too!

Always super easy to understand and be notified of any changes based on weather. You can always…read morebook ahead of time for the boats you want to rent. If you're going many times, look into getting a season pass

I went to the location in Medford to kayak. While I was there I accidentally left my watch in a…read morewaterproof bag, which my mom gave to me with her initials engraved in it, it was priceless and extremely important to me. I called them 4 TIMES in the span of a week, even getting someone else to call them to ask about it, The first time being only an hour after i left. Every single time they said they had no updates and they DIDNT EVEN TRY to look for it. They even forgot my name, number and every time without fail they asked me what my watch looked like again but they never even searched or sent me a follow up email. If they had looked when I called the first time, they would have IMMEDIATELY found it because it' was at the top of the waterproof bag section. This watch means so much to me and I now have left the country so there is no opportunity for me to get it ever again. I really hope they can improve their customer service because this is extremely disappointing and hopefully others can see this and not leave anything there because you will NEVER get it back. I will never be using this company again and i suggest nobody to book anything with them for their lack of respect and care for any of their customers.