Not only do they have a wide range of scuba certification classes, but they rent paddle boards as…read morewell! The water is bright blue and absolutely beautiful, it's such a great place to learn how to paddle board (no waves, no current). The rentals are fairly reasonably priced (~$15/hr) but you can also bring your own and just pay the usage fee (~$6). The dock is well maintained and so are the paddle boards, the owner/staff are incredibly nice and welcoming. Note that they're only open on Saturday's and Sunday's. Can't wait to come back and one day get scuba certified here!

Came here with my friend on Saturday (mid-morning) to paddle boat. It was our first time attempting…read moreto do so and also at this site (never would have expected to find this quarry in the middle of an industrial area). We rented our paddleboards for $15/hr and went right for it. They also have life vests available to borrow if you need. Kayaks were also available for rental as well as diving gear etc. This is a well run, organized and very pretty diving area, would definitely recommend for an outdoor adventure!

Yoga Trekking International has brought such joyful growth and play to my journey. A month ago we…read morewere guided through the beautiful Yosemite National Park! I am looking forward to the guided trip to Nepal in early 2017. Get out and connect with yourself, others, and nature!

Friendly staff. Calm and relaxing float trip, with some rapids, but nothing to crazy. Fun family…read moretrip.

So I must have been to this place a couple of dozen times over the years and for good reason…read more Actually, for a variety of good reasons. Sometimes in life you say to yourself, "I should be paddling down a river in a kayak", and then you realize the logistical issues of actually doing that. You can't predict the Cahaba which runs through Birmingham. Is it moving too fast today? Is the water so low that my boat will just scrape the rocks at the bottom? Unless you're a seasoned kayaker it's best not to risk being out in unpredictable waters and so you need a place to go where you can know what to expect. Coosa River Adventures is that place. Good, clean family run business. Wide variety of sit-on-top kayaks that won't sink. Rent everything you need for 29 bucks, take a bus ride down to Jordan dam and paddle your way back to your car. The section of river that you're on starts at the bottom of Jordan dam, and so since they know on a daily basis what the flow rate of the dam is, they know the conditions of the river as well. Predictable water is critical for someone who wants to enjoy the day without having anxiety about whether they might encounter dangerous conditions. You can give them a call and they'll have information about the flow rate which can help you plan your trip. 2000cfm is slow, low and easy. 4000cfm is still nothing to worry about. 6000cfm is a little more adventurous. 8000 is about the higgest flow rate you'll see and it can get a little choppy in places. Once a year or so they run 10000cfm for a whitewater festival which can be a blast, but expect to fall out of your boat at least once. Over the 7 to 8 mile stretch there are a variety of small islands, rock formations etc where you can stop for a break, have a picnic, take a nap in the blistering sun or open up your dry box and take a few pics. The main rapid, known as "moccasin gap" can be categorized as class 3 depending on the flow of the river. The other small rapids are generally just little bits of choppy water that liven up the trip. An important thing to note is that the river is very wide, and so if you have no interest in paddling through any rapids, you can easily bypass them and just float peacefully along. Fun for everyone. A few tips....don't litter, don't take off your life jacket and then fall out of your boat. Don't lose your boat or paddle. Don't get so intoxicated that you fall down on a slippery rock and crack your skull. Do bring a dry box, pelican case or whatever to keep your stuff dry. Do tie that to your boat. Do pack some bottles of water and some snacks for the trip. Do call ahead and make a reservation to help them plan for how many boats they're going to need to ferry down to the starting point. The shuttles run at 9am, 11am and 1pm and it takes between 3 to 6 hours to finish the trip depending on the flow rate of the river and how fast you decide to paddle. Get there early. There's a brief sign in/safety meeting and then you're on the bus and on your way. So all in all this place is pretty amazing. Really friendly and down to Earth people, a safe, predictable section of river which has rapids for those who want them and byways for those who don't. They'll rent you everything you need and they have a small shop for picking up extras that you might want. The facilities are a bit rustic, but more than adequate and the prices are good especially if you consider that they may be the only people around really offering what they're offering. Definitely worth the trip if you decide that paddling down a river is something you want to do.

As an active river type, my boyfriend and I decided to pack up and head out to Rome for a day on…read morethe river. Our expectations were simple: Tubes, music, and enjoying each others company. We put in the information for our GPS for River Ratz, only to be met with an old, dilapidated building beside the tracks. Come to find out, this was not the right location. So, we put in another address, which then took us to the drop off, still no place to pay. At this point, we're frustrated, so we ask the gentlemen there at the drop off "Where do we actually pay for this float?" He gives us the address, and yet again, we start another journey. We finally get to this bar called Cosmic Dog. The 'place to pay' was a pop up tent on a sidewalk that was leeching off of the Cosmic Dogs parking lot. The attendant was really sweet and personable. With that said, we quickly learned that at 11:00... they already sold out all of their equipment. We just drove an hour, to three locations, to find this place. She reached out to her team and she said they would get back to her. After 30 minutes, we come back to the tent and learn that she still hadn't heard anything. We asked her to check again, and come to find out, they could squeeze us in. We were happy to hear this, and decided to stick around. At 12:18, an hour and some change later, the 'shuttle' (which was an out transport van that sounded like it was about to break down) came to pick us up and drop us off where we'd just been a little over an hour before they picked us up. FINALLY, we get to the water. We're given two tubes, two life vests, and we're offered a tube for our cooler. We denied the additional tube and asked for straps to connect to one another. Apparently that was against the rules, even though they wanted us to strap the cooler tube to our tubes... After 2 hours of trying to get on the water, we finally get down the boat ramp (which is public access), and we get in.... The flow of the river was exhaustingly slow, you are in the heat of the sun for anywhere from 3-5 hours, and there are hardly any places to stop. We understand that this had nothing to do with the company, just nature. BUT.... Over the course of our 5 hours float, my boyfriends tube deflated 3 times, where we had to stop and inflate it on the bank of the river that did not exist. We paid $41 dollars for this... you'd think that the tubes would be good enough to withstand a gruelingly slow float down the river. At the end of the float, you have to 'stick to the right' or you will 'go bye bye' down the wrong side of the river. You have to get off at this boat ramp (also public access) that is surrounded by extremely deep water until you get up to the ramp. You hand a gentleman your tube, and then walk 'a couple blocks' back to your car. Ultimately, our first experience with this business was very underwhelming. It was unsafe, seemed like they threw the entire operation together in less than 24 hours, and then you get off of the river into the middle of a public boat launch. Not to mention the deflating tube that we paid $20 a piece for... and the exhaustingly slow float. ---------------------- If you are looking for a nice, comfortable float that offers some shade... take an extra hour drive up north and hit up the original tubing joints in Helen. If you are looking to kayak/ SUP, RIVER RATZ is the PERFECT PLACE FOR YOU. But us, we will never visit here again. Thank you for the experience and we hope you all the best, but our first impression just didn't work out well. ------------------ If you would like to have a better impression on your new patrons, post your current status on your website. Let people know that you are sold out. Get a safer, bigger van OR BUS. Let people tie their floats together. Recommend bringing paddles or ores to gain some speed on the float. Or just offer kayaking and stand up paddle boarding.

We went to Rome with a plan to go tubing. After doing research, we chose River Ratz. We were…read moreexpecting a 3-4 hour float but were told this morning that it would probably be closer to 5 because the river was "low and slow". When they tell you to count the bridges and after the 5th one to get to the right, they mean it!! After the 5th bridge, the water starts flowing backwards and it is difficult to get over to exit. I literally got out of my tube, swam and pulled the tube to the side. When they ask if you want to take a paddle, the answer is YES! And, I suggest getting 1 paddle per person. When they ask if you want a strap to connect the tubes, the answer is YES!! We had 2 people in floats and a cooler in the 3rd float, I recommend 3 straps so you are in a circle and not a straight line. You can take a cooler and I recommend going early and renting the cooler float for $10. The team that helped us at check in, into the river and out of the river were nothing but professional. I would do this trip again and would book again with River Ratz.

The service was great , every person in there was very helpful and friendly. The selection was…read morereally good , we shopped from the clearance items , plus a few regular priced items for our family . Will be stopping back in if we are in the area .

Great store! Friendly staff and very helpful send knowledgable! Highly recommended and love…read moreshopping here!

Great experience. The staff helped me find the perfect shoes for my wife's Christmas gift -- she…read moreloved them. Excellent selection and prices. Highly recommend.

This place is AWESOME. Erica was not only experienced but very knowledgeable. I told her of my…read moredeformed toes from my multiple foot surgeries from the Army and that I needed a wide hiking boot. She immediately recommended the ALTRA hiking boots which have a wide toe box. She brought several models, and I walked out of there with a pair of ALTRA Lone Peak 9 hiking boots. These were probably the most comfortable boots I have ever worn. I have been everywhere in the Huntsville and Madsion for years and have not been able to find a place that has wide hiking boots. I even went to REI who had no wide boots in my size. Gadsen Outfitters not only gave me a Military discount, but they also have a 30 day return policy. You don't see businesses anymore with such honesty and ethics and actually want to help a customer. It is worth the hour drive from Guntersville as I have found a place where not only have boots for my mangled feet, but are experienced, knowledgeable and are an honest business. After years of searching I have found a place where I will get my boots for LIFE. Thank you, Erica and Gadsen Outfitters.