My friends and I have been using River Adventure Tours over 5 years now for our annual scalloping adventure! A day out on the water with this outfitter has always been super fun regardless of the number of scallops caught. My group has gone out with a few different captains, all of which have been knowledgeable & safe. The booking process is pretty easy. I always book online - you can even sign the waiver through their website so there is no paperwork to take care of when you arrive at the dock. The boats are comfortable for the short ride out to the scalloping site and we always bring along a well stocked cooler of drinks and snacks to enjoy during our trip. All the snorkel equipment needed to dive for scallops is included in the tour. In general, the equipment is nice and well maintained. The conditions have been a little different every year I have gone - sometimes we catch a lot, sometimes a little. The captain has always dived with us to help search for scallops and moves to new locations as necessary. Cleaning the scallops after returning to the docks has always been easy - sometimes there is a group of high school students who will clean them for you for a fee. If they aren't around, there is a station to clean them yourself, and the captain has always been around to help / walk us through the best process. We will be back again! read more

River Adventure Tours - Scallop Haul (August '23) - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Homosassa, Florida

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It is about 3.5 stars for the experience. The river is nice where they located. It is located near the intersection of Halls River and Homosassa River. Basically has a lot of options to explore the area. You can take an 4 hour tour or two hour tour on kayak. If you really explore in one day use the motor boat is better. The rivers are wide and not much of cover. Sunny day will have big sun on you body, sun cream protection is recommended. The kayak trail have 4 different rout. We choose the homosassa spring head route. They need to improve on facilities. Such as changes clothes area when wet, better rest room facilities instead of potable station, better educate the people who rent the kayak and give details tours recommendations and direction. One thing for sure is they are nice to meet with us. We went to the spring head trail. And we did not know we need to get under the small bridge then further down. Nice to have proximity map. But better instruction to get there is equally importance. We also miss the tunnel river. We found out this point of interest when we get back docking. read more

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Came to Homosassa just to visit and check it out. Found this place online, called and booked my paddle board. When I arrived it just a lil shed you check in at- the worker that helped me was, she was amazing! More than a worker a line of hot spots along the water information center! Yes this girl had all the details to guide me safely on the water as well as back to the shop at the end of my tour! I have already told people to book here and go on the Homosassa river- serious beautiful experience! Thank you! Best 420 Day ever!!! read more

A very nice day with nature. This state park contains a zoo of sorts, manatee, lots of bird life. Very pleasant walking paths, benches and occasional snack & soda stands. We took the boat tour which had an excellent docent narrating what was what and how the area was partially developed and then made into a state park. It is quite extensive in area. You can rent kayaks and canoes, which we did not. Worth a relaxing day for you. read more

This is my second time snorkeling with manatees with this company and I highly recommend. Everyone is very nice and professional. Safety is #1 and genuinely try to help you have the best experience. I saw lots of manatees both of my trips as well as moms with their babies. Our boat captain was Tanner and our guide was Crystal, they were both great. Their building received flood damage from the hurricane so they especially appreciate business right now. read more

The staff was helpful to make sure you knew where to paddle and were prepared. Beautiful scenery and crystal clear water near the source of the spring. read more

River Adventure Tours - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Homosassa, Florida

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This is one of my favorite places to rent kayaks from in Homosassa. I have used them multiple times due to being able to book online! They have both single and double kayaks, canoes and paddle boards available for 2 or 4 hour increments. It's located in the lot next to Marguerita Grill and you park across the street in a wooded area. Very nice staff and willing to work with you through any mishaps. read more

River Adventure Tours - Life vest with each rental - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Homosassa, Florida

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We came to Crystal springs Florida for a few days before continuing south to my buddies house at new port richey, FL. We wanted to swim with the manatees,and airboat through marshland, zip line, etc. Well, this business sets it all up for you. We did the manatee deal today. $160 for the 3 of us for a three hour adventure. Saw a big momma with her baby. They are so gentle and floated with us for an hour and a half. The pontoon boat ride was fun as well and hitting a natural spring where water was cool and refreshing in 100 degree heat. 5 star folks there too read more

River Adventure Tours - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Homosassa, Florida

They must be paying for reviews it's a total dump. Horrible! Dangerous with boats around you. We indicated this concern which we wouldn't agree with the waivers since we were with family with older and beginning members. They also say it's springs and it is not a beautiful spring. It is ugly and not a spring. Go to weekee Wachee instead. I told them my concerns and they did not provide refunds. They didn't empathize with our concerns which their safety and worries of their customers should be of the utmost importance. Owner only cares about money. read more

Best kayak trip ever. Great equipment, easy paddle back along the wildlife preserve, lots of manatee, clear river, beautiful trip and great lunch at Margarita Grill. Super nice guy who got us launched. read more

We had Captain Wade and his wife Trish! Absolutely amazing people!!!! The whole experience was awesome from start to finish! Very highly recommended!!! Captain Wade and his wife go above and beyond to make you seethe manatees and get the full experience!!!! Can't say enough! read more

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Emily was very helpful and made my kayaking experience amazing! Can't wait to come back!! The kayak had a great back rest and was very comfortable read more

Captain Gary and his crew did not disappoint!! I booked a scalloping trip for my birthday and we had a great time. Captain Gary made sure that we all had a fabulous time and a great first experience. He helped us will all the details of our trip. I highly recommend Capt Gary and his crew for you scalloping adventure. We are sure going to book the air boat tour next!!! Thank you for a great experience! read more

It was a great time, captain Laura and our guide heidi we two of the best and very nice people. We did get to swim with the manatees. It was a great time. I do not have one bad thing to say about this place. I really hope anyone going to river adventures has as much fun as the wife and i have. read more

Wow, this place goes above and beyond to make sure their customers get the best experience! My husband and I had scheduled a 4 hour VIP Manatee swim tour. The day before our scheduled tour we received an email from river adventures. They explained that over the past week the manatees had moved out into the bigger water and they were only seeing 1-4 manatees per tour. They gave us the option to cancel and receive a full refund. We opted to call and cancel. The lady we talked to was so nice. It was because of their amazing customer service that we decided to book an air boat tour for that day instead! It was a blast! We will definitely be booking with them in the future!! read more

We decided to take a trip up to Homosassa to visit the manatees after seeing them last year in Crystal River. Gary made it an absolute breeze to book with him! He answered any and all questions I had before booking (including some suggestions about things to do in the area, springs to visit for swimming) and tailored everything to our needs. The price to get a PRIVATE MANATEE SNORKEL TOUR is unbeatable. I checked with him the night before and he actually suggested pushing our tour time a hour later based on the experience he had that day with what time the manatee were out! Very flexible with scheduling and determined to make our trip the best it could possibly be. He docked at the Homosassa Riverside Resort where we were staying, brought the wetsuits to my husband so we could change privately in our rooms (vs in a room of 20 people like last place we went with) and we hopped on the boat. The ride is very short from that hotel and he took us to the start of the springs where we had the place to ourselves for over an hour! Experiencing the peace and serenity, just my Husband, myself and of course Gary was a real treat. We would pop our heads up and he would point, directing us to where the manatees we couldn't see were and telling us to be still if one was coming up to us. We had such an incredible experience with several of the manatee, including a baby that hung around for a 10 minute (got the proof on our GoPro) body massage! Afterward he shifted even our kayak rental time since we snorkeled later and we headed back. Everything is done digitally and easy to keep tabs. Later in the afternoon we went to the shop to get our kayaks and met Mike. Mike was funny and very knowledgable about the area and kayaking. I picked his brain a bit about what type of kayak was best and the general facts about the area. He got us in and out of the kayak in no time flat which was awesome since I'm used to having to load up and launch ourselves. Overall, can't wait to come back with friends and book our next tours (like the Airboat tour!) with River Adventure Tours! :) read more

Corey I believe was the guys name and what a guy he was! Me and 3 friends did a kayak trip and it was great. Beautiful water and great prices. I flipped my kayak and lost my phone and keys, Corey found out about it and went in the rain back to where I flipped and recovered my phone! He insisted he was going to find at least on of the items and he did. I will definitely be going back! Thank you again read more

We were staying in Tampa and made the drive up to check out the manatees. Booked a reservation with River Adventure Tours to swim with the manatees and we were not disappointed! Made an online reservation for a Friday morning in January, it was chilly but they provided wetsuits. The staff were all very friendly and knowledgeable! The area was beautiful and quiet, much better than Crystal River (which we stopped by later that day). The river was full of manatees (WAY more manatees than we saw in Crystal River) and wasn't busy at all with other tours or people. Highly recommend River Adventure to anyone in the area!! read more

5 STARS from start to finish. Captain Gary gave us a VIP experience on his manatee tour and river cruise. Never been to the area before, Captain Gary helped me to plan a day to do all that we wanted to do, even creating an itinerary for us. He also provided very helpful suggestions of sights like the State Wildlife Park and nature trails nearby as well as excellent local dining suggestions. He is clear and responsive in communication from the planning stage through our adventures with him. We highly recommend River Adventure Tours and look forward to returning to try scalloping, kayaking in local waters, and enjoying nature trails in the area -- and we will be putting ourselves in his charge for another grand adventure! read more

Had a fantastic time renting a kayak from River Adventure Tours. Mike was very helpful with recommendations of where to go. Great time!