Our family of 4 adults (27 - 63), with very minimal experience, had a blast in Kayaking 101 with…read moreRainbow! Great instruction, personalized feedback, beautiful day on the water! Gave us the confidence and know-how to take out kayaks available at Airbnbs, and other places, in the future. Highly recommend!

Love this company. Great tours and independent rentals. I've been on several outings with them and…read morehave loved every one. They make getting out on the water easy and not stressful!

Went in for the first time today. Staff was very friendly, Ethan was especially knowledgeable and…read morewent above and beyond to help my friends and I find the perfect shoes!

I was in a bind today and needed to find a fish scale. I work across the street and decided to see…read moreif they'd have any. They didn't, but were great in directing me to a shop that was able to fill my needs about 10mins away. They have a HUGE selection of Patagonia goods as well as camping/living essentials like Yeti tumblers. I found the better sweater in the color I'd been eyeing for a while and was able to get it! All the brands that I saw are QUALITY stuff- brands that stand behind their goods when life happens. Lots of great outerwear options whether you're hiking a trail or just down Franklin St. Really great and friendly staff. Will definitely be back to browse more.

We just finished a trip down the Deep River, and it was so fun. I've lived here for almost 10…read moreyears and have never been anywhere near the river, and I'm also a little afraid of water (though I am a strong swimmer). I'll tell you the stuff I was worried about, and how it went! We went tubing. It's easy and fun to do, great with kids, and it's SLOW. More like S...L...O..O...O..W.. Which is okay. The tubes are big, and the cooler tube is really a must, even if you don't have a cooler. The water is slow (but you could see where the high water marks are, and thinking about this river during a hurricane is terrifying). Before going, I was concerned about: Snakes, rapids that no one knew about, underwater things, storms, biting flies, did I mention snakes? Spider webs. None of those things were an issue. This stretch of the river is really tame, and aside from the sort of treacherous climb down to the water in the beginning (it's manageable), it was extremely non threatening. I have one adventurous kid and one nervous one, and both had a great time. We saw a water snake for about 2 seconds. Zero bugs - I don't know why, but there were none. The bottom was pretty nice. You may want to bring a small paddle - tubes are difficult to propel, and it really is a long trip, 3-5 hours. We made it out in 4. There isn't a lot of shade, so obviously sunscreen. If you have a comfortable life jacket that you wear, bring that - they have the orange kind that are so uncomfortable. Really good time, and so easy. Go! Endor Paddle was a great host, he was extremely helpful getting everyone loaded up, didn't rush us, and made everything easy.

No frills for sure! Nice enough folks. Meet up at Deep River Public Park. This is where you park…read moreyour vehicles. Load up into van which ferries passengers down to the Camelback bridges where they provide inflated innertubes which you carry down to the river. Loading area is non-existent. The first 20 minutes floating down the river is bliss. THEN you will enter a war zone! Apparently there are (numerous?) gun clubs alongside the river and that is all you hear for majority of the rest of your ride! Thankfully no stray bullets but this is FAR from a tranquil ride down the river!

When you set out to kayak the historic Haw River it's hard to suppress speculative thoughts about…read moreyour adventure and wonder how it will all turn out. This was on our minds as my wife and I drove past an "entering Alamance County" road sign on our way to the Haw River Canoe & Kayak Company at Saxapahaw, North Carolina. A leisurely drive along Swepsonville-Saxapahaw Road parallels the Haw and suggests a hint of our forthcoming adventure. A tough bridge built for hard times stands over massive, craggy, dark gray rocks, chiseled into the river bottom by the waters bonding the town of Saxapahaw to the earth and the history of this area. On arrival, we could see paddlers struggling to sandwich their watercraft among the rocks around the Saxapahaw bridge. But we never foresaw when we left here, our memories would bear an indelible imprint of this place as "Aramanche" -- a place where Native Americans saw water flow through blue clay. One reason to rent a Kayak here is to unplug yourself from the present and reconnect with the past. In fact, the owner and his staff will tell you his fondest wish is for customers is to "unplug and reconnect." When you cast your eyes out over the Haw as you paddle a kayak, you'll see tranquil and rapid running waters, deep cuts into riverbanks and tree lines, and evidence of the dominating torrential waters that have run for millennia along this 110-mile river down to the Cape Fear basin near the Atlantic coast. The geological history of this place is violent. But there's more. There's tons of history and culture to absorb. Generations of native Americans and later, European colonists, are bound up in the history of this river. Native Americans ran The Great Trading Path that ran from Chester County, PA, along the Shenandoah Mountains roughly to where I-81 and route 220 meet near Danville, Virginia, today. From there, settlers found their way into North Carolina along the Haw. Why Go? If you're interested in American history, you'll visit to have fun and to bask vicariously in the river that was once part of the Underground Railroad. Along this river, Quakers would shepherd slaves from house-to-house, across the Ohio River, and into the free territories in the west. If you're a history buffwith an archaeological bent, you'll visit the Haw to find that blue-gray clay the Siouan Indians used as body paint. It was found in Saxapahaw, and the Indians called this clay "Aramanche", meaning, a place where "water flows through blue clay" in Eastern Siouan. If you're interested in seismology, you'll be curious about the natural fault line running from this area down to Charleston, S.C., that triggered the Great Charleston Earthquake of 1886. You can see this line on the surface under a little bridge in the nearby village of Glencoe, N.C., along Highway 62. If you enjoy riding the rapids as a Kayaker, you'll need to sign up for a class-III white-water adventure. The fault line that runs from Glencoe down toward the Cape Fear river basin features sharp drop-offs triggering the rapid waters adrenaline junkies crave. A guided tour along the Haw lasts about 3-hours. Go, unplug, reconnect with American history and, enjoy!

we were booked on Thursday @11 am. we were an hour away and it was raining. called the number…read moreposted online twice but couldn't get a hold of anyone when we called. left a VM. but no call back. we drove the hour and nobody was there. A couple of minutes later a nice young lady showed up. we agreed the weather was so bad the paddle could not go ahead. it is disappointing we had to drive 2 hours (there and back) for nothing when if someone had been proactive to contact us to say let's cancel. they need to monitor phone calls etc. or have a way to get in contact. We went back the next day when the weather was perfect. Lovely 3 mile paddle. Remember, you have to walk 1/4 mile trail to the launch with all your stuff including the paddles and walk back When done. There was nobody there to meet us on our return but no big deal I guess. They share the bathrooms with the business upstair. Very basic.

We did a family canoeing trip for an hour at Cape Fear River Adventures and it was nice. The…read morescenery was nothing exciting and it was full sun the whole time, but our daughter enjoyed the experience. I think tubing would be a little more exciting. Everything was very organized and well run. The grounds are nice too; there's some chairs to sit, relax, and watch the river while the kids play.

I enjoyed learning about the Cape Fear River for the Outfitter Assistances at the Lillington…read morelocation. I also saw River otters, Beavers wrestling on a bank while I kayaked between Boone Trail Canoe and Kayak Access Point to Deep Rover park. I was lucky and excited . I had a good time learning about the ecosystem, geography and cultural history of that area.

Friendly staff, easy booking process, and a very peaceful 3 hour float ! The river is pretty…read morestagnant, so you will need some upper body strength to get moving in some spots, but it is very relaxing for the most part. I was hoping to see some wildlife, but only saw a squirrel and a bunch of dragonflies! Highly recommended this company and would definitely do this again.

We went tubing over Labor Day weekend. Tar River Life is a great business and run well. The…read moreexperience for us was what I consider as "painfully fun ". I've tubed on many rivers but never one that barely flows. It seems we missed the memo about grabbing an oar. There were four in my group and we had two cooler tubes. We were all linked together. There were many times where we literally weren't moving. Each one of us had to take turns walking our group down the river and pulling the rest of us just to make progress. We were told there were sandbars located throughout our trip for us to enjoy the picnic I provided. The only thing we found eventually was a big rock that we got up on to eat. So I would rate Tar River Life highly but the overall experience would get maybe a two from me.

I had a traumatic experience here with one of the Durham County employees. As a minority, I'm used…read moreto unpleasant treatment just because of my culture and my race. However, my day was completely ruined by one of the employees here. I am adding this business to Yelp and posting to warn other minorities to avoid this place unless you are feeling strong enough to stomach significant verbal harassment. My two friends and I came here to rent a boat at around 3pm. I walk up to the boat house. I smile and say hi. The man ignores me. I repeat my greeting, except louder. He looks up and stoically stares at me. I smile again and say hi. He says, "What do YOU want?" I was startled by his unprovoked hostility and so confused by its suddenness that I didn't think to make a remark about his attitude. "I think I want a boat. I'm going fishing for the first time and it's my first time here so I don't know what vessels are offered or what is best for fishing." He stares at me, raises his voice and says, "You THINK you want a boat? Have you done this before?" I smile and contemplate his meaning since I had provided sufficient information to answer the question he had just posed. Before I can respond, he says, "maybe you shouldn't be here. This ain't no laughing matter. I don't think you should be out on the water." There were some more choice comments from this gentleman, which I will omit. Eventually, I get a row boat, try to forget what happened and try to catch some fish. We return empty handed to the dock at 6:02pm, right after another pair of anglers who dock about 15 seconds ahead of us. While unloading our boat, I see the old man waiting at the end of the dock. Sure enough, he scolds me in front of my two friends for being late. I sincerely apologize to him and rush to return the oars and our life vests to the boat house, but he steps in my path and continues to verbally berate me for 10-15 more minutes. I know I was wrong to be late, but I gave a sincere apology and is 2 minutes really that bad? At one point, he threatens that next time he will call the police if we are late because he will assume that we are trying to steal the boat. (That makes a lot of sense, since trading a car that we left in the parking lot for a moldy boat is a sensible idea.) And the other two guys? He doesn't say anything to them. They also happen to be the same race as this elderly, African-American gentleman who told me his name is "Chris" (although he may have been lying). I only mention his ethnicity I was told me there is a Caucasian man who also works here and is very friendly. I don't know either's name for certain. Anyway, I really don't get why this guy hated us so much. I wish this guy would just retire so I can come back and get revenge on those slippery fish. Update: Turns out he lied to me about his name. On the receipt he signed for my boat rental, he wrote "T.J."

The vibes are immaculate at Progression climbing gym!! This place is cozy af and a great place to…read moreclimb with friends. The staff is super friendly and have great taste in music - I'm always finding something new to listen to. There's so much variety in the routes they set. Beginners will be able to do a few routes and get a decent way through others in one session. In general, their bouldering problems are super creative and push you to hone technique in addition to strength. The community is super supportive and it's an awesome place to become a better climber. They also have a small weights room I've found super useful and I also love that there are some very cute pups that frequent the gym!!

Great gym with friendly staff. Not great for beginners as the routes (even the low level ones) are…read morevery challenging and most are on overhanging wall.