Kayaking, Tubing and Ground camping is always a unique experience. Great people! We always pleased! read more

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Friendly staff, easy booking process, and a very peaceful 3 hour float ! The river is pretty stagnant, 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. read more

The young men who ran the operation on 5/23/26 were helpful and capable, and the equipment was in good shape and appropriate. I cannot see how things could have been better. read more

We went tubing over Labor Day weekend. Tar River Life is a great business and run well. The experience 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. read more

The Tar River Life folks are Great people; their equipment is always in top condition; and these are gorgeous places to paddle!

Our Heaven!! We will come again and again. Not easy to find, but once you find it you are lost! If it is a popular holiday weekend, it will be filled with people and a little noisy. Typically good people. We all keep to ourselves. Or are very friendly. If you want quiet, you'll get quiet. This place is hard to find and hard to leave. Because it is so gorgeous! read more

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We stayed one night at the campsite. It was large and semi private. We had plenty of space and all our neighbors were respectful and quiet. The river was muddy looking but looked shallow where we were. We did not float down river. The only negative was that the signage was not helpful. The signs were small and the directions were not clear. We didn't even know where to check in. Apparently it is a container in a lg parking lot with again, no signs. Anyway, the owners were nice and brought us lots of firewood for our fire pit. We enjoyed grilling steaks and making potato pouches for dinner. It was nice to sit around the campfire and catch up. Please be advised that cell service is spotty except for US Cellular so it is difficult to contact anyone when you get there. Overall, it was nice and quiet! read more

Tar River Life - Our large tent had plenty of room on the camp site. - Campgrounds Near Me - Bunn, North Carolina

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We didnt realize you had to be there at 9:30 for the 10:00am reservation. Luckily my friend lived super close and we got there with the bus waiting for us (thank you so much)!!! They were also so generous to take my bag back up to their office while we tubed because I wasnt fully prepared. This was my first tubing experience and I had a blast!!! The water wasnt moving very fast so it took us about 4.5 hours but I wouldnt have changed a thing. HIGHLY RECOMMEND! read more

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I reserved a kayak at Robertson Millpond for 2 hours. The men helped me launch into the water and also dragged me out of the water onto a wooden ramp. Someone had dropped their keys, and the men took the time to ask everyone around if they had lost their keys. Overall, it was a wonderful experience. read more

We arrived 15 minutes before our reservation at Robertson Millpond and they already had the kayaks and life vests all set out. We signed our waiver and were on the water in two minutes. I thanked them for being so prepared! Order process was simple. Much easier than what we went through for the previous kayak rental company that serviced this location. Thanks for the good work! read more

Fun family experience! Book your tubes and enjoy! We had an issue with a tube and they took care of it. Highly recommend!

had a relaxing and fun time floating down the river in tubes. we got the extra tube to bring our cooler so we had lunch and seltzers to sip on. Travis was working and was such a gem. he really cares about this place and it shows. The water was actually okay despite the color and felt really good! definitely worth the trip! read more

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Travis!!!!! You are the bomb! We had such a great time! Thank you thank you!! Travis, saved us in a storm and made us feel so safe and okay. We had the best time! Y'all rock! read more

Rented a single and two tandem kayaks from Tar River Life at Robertson Millpond Preserve for this morning for us and our three kids. They have rentals on Saturday's during the season this year. You have to reserve in advance. Tar River Life place the kayak on the launch dock for you and give you a push after you are in. We are beginners and made some rookie errors by placing our teens in a tandem together without much instruction. Tried to explain how to paddle backwards to make tight turns etc but in the end, they were not prepared. Should have watched some YouTube videos first. Will do it again for sure. read more

Tar River Life - Kayaks rented from Tar River Life at Robertson Millpond Preserve - Campgrounds Near Me - Bunn, North Carolina

This is the most fun you can have when in Bunn. The ladies that run Tar River Life are absolutely wonderful. They are full of information about the "trip" down the river. Pack a cooler of snacks & drinks, they have a tube for that. The trip down the river is scenic & quite relaxing. We didn't take paddles this time, the current does a pretty good job of keeping you going. read more

Tar River Life - Nature's lazy river. - Campgrounds Near Me - Bunn, North Carolina

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Went kayaking here with my friend and had the best time! That staff is amazing, definitely willing to make it fun experience for everyone in your party. The trip down the river is very calming. Got to see some friendly snakes and a beaver (we kept our distance)! Prefect for all ages but I would recommend having some knowledge of kayaking because we did hit a couple rapids, which was very fun for my group. Great activity for a summer day :) read more

Tar River Life - Campgrounds Near Me - Bunn, North Carolina

Terrific Father's Day outing!! NO cell phones! NO tv! Just unplug and hang out with the family. read more

Tar River Life - Campgrounds Near Me - Bunn, North Carolina

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I feel so excited to review Tar River Life. I want to put this hidden gem on the map. I was immensely bummed when I searched them on Yelp and not one person has reviewed them. Well here I am to tell the world I loved my experience here! This will be a very comprehensive review since there are no others. I was on a bachelorette trip with 7 girls and on a whim we decided it might be fun to go tubing down a river while drinking (who wouldn't think that'd be fun?!). We decided this the day before we could go. We were able to log on their website, book 7 tubes ($18 for each) and a cooler tube ($10) without much fuss. Also, they had tethers to tie you together with your friends if you wish. [Sidenote: We called to confirm our reservation, since it was last minute and all, and we got the machine and it said "Hi, it's Johnny - just set up my voicemail..." do not be perturbed that you have the wrong phone number, Johnny runs the place.] Driving from Raleigh is super easy, 3 main roads to get there and less than a half hour. It's easy to miss from the road though, so once you see the fenced in parking area on your left, take the driveway directly after it (you can see the Tar River Life sign, but just barely). Once we checked in, we signed waivers and hopped on the bus. We were able to leave our towels and keys on the bus as it's locked when not in use. The bus drops you off at the "creek" and picks you up as well to bring you back to your car. When we got to the creek Johnny lets us know that the water is low because they haven't gotten a lot of rain and that the local farms use the creek for irrigation. While it was really shallow at some parts it made for some fun. A few times we had to get out of our tubes and walk but it kept us cool. The water was surprisingly clean and refreshing for it being so hot this summer. It took us a little over 2 hours to float and we were all extremely sad when it was over. I guess the family that went before us was done in less than an hour and a half (we we're extremely LAZY). We had beers (the tubes have cup holders!) and just floated down this beautiful little creek that butts up against a golf course. While the creek bed is mostly sandy, there a still lots of rocks and tree debris that you can't see while walking. I would stick to your tube if you are barefoot but if you want to walk around wear shoes. I would recommend this to everyone who likes to have a good time in a tube with a beer in hand. It was nice to really help a hyper local business and I hope more people make the short trek to enjoy it! read more

Great experience. Business was friendly and helpful over the phone when I called with questions. Check in was easy, informative and super friendly. Take note of there instructions on getting there. The map function on my iPhone has trouble finding the place but I switched over to google maps and didn't have any problem. Once everyone from your booking time arrives they shuttle you up the river. I was worried that they didn't seem to drive us very far and thought the tubing time might be over in a blink of an eye but no worries. The trip down the river took us at least two hours. The cooler tube was big enough to fit our cooler and small Bluetooth speaker. We grabbed a few paddles and I'm glad we did. It really helped during the times the current started pushing us to the river banks which I was sure had a snake waiting to pounce on me. Speaking of creatures, we saw a huge snapping turtle, a hawk and a heron. At the end there was a terrific rope swing that our group took full advantage of. Too bad we discovered this at the end of summer and will have to wait until next year to go again. read more

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This place was awesome we took five of us are ranging in age from 64 to 5 and we had a perfect time in the river. Highly recommend adding on a cooler float we had a nice lunch on turtles rock. The staff was extremely friendly and it was only a short bus ride up the river till we got in our floats. We drove an hour to get there and it was worth every minute highly recommend for anyone looking for some adventure to go and have some fun on the river. read more

Great staff! I had the best day floating down the river. They were very accommodating to our group and super helpful! I will definitely be back! read more

Fantastic! Relaxing! They do all the work.Selected a double tube with cooler tube, brought lunch and cocktails and had the entire river to ourselves. Great way to connect with nature and enjoy peace read more

Great primitive camping, everyone was very nice, firewood included, they let us check out sites until we found one that worked for us.

My boyfriend and I went kayaking for the first time in years and we had a great time. The staff was very kind and informative. They were also very personable! They take you up to the top on a bus straight through the cute little town of Bunn and you end up back at your car. Great for beginners and has little picnic areas on the way. We were able to pack lunches and have a picnic halfway down. We will definitely be returning. Thanks, y'all! read more

I went here twice. I liked it a lot. My friend and I were late the first time we went. It's always hard to find kayaking and tubing places so give yourself extra time! The employees are friendly. The place is scenic. It's so enjoyable to go tubing. Just lay back, relax, and sip your drink and in my case, eat your donut. I feel like tubing is an underrated American experience. They have tubes with holes in them (donut-like) and tubes that don't have holes in them. I recommend the holes because NC is so hot and humid. Feeling the water will provide relief. read more

Our tubing trip with Tar River Life was actually one of the most fun things I have done all year! Jacob was extremely helpful both on the phone and in person, and made sure we had everything we needed. We even had a bit of a situation on the river when we realized we had left something behind but Jacob dropped it off for us halfway down the river, which really showed that he was there to make sure we had everything we needed to have a good time. If anyone is thinking about spending some time out on the water, I highly recommend Tar River Life! read more

Great experience. Nice, homegrown staff. Look forward to our next visit down the river!

My husband and I took advantage of a beautiful fall day and went kayaking on the Tar River. Jacob met us and took us to the starting place, telling us about some local spots to visit later. He gave us lots of info about the river and told us some of his favorite spots to stop along the way. He made check-in and getting out at the end hassle-free. He was very friendly and welcoming. We really enjoyed the peacefulness of the float. Would definitely visit again! read more

Had a wonderful lazy sunny day floating down the Tar river. Jacob met us when we arrived and made sure we were all set. giving lots of info about the river before launch. His brother was quite nice too. We had no problems, hassle free, equipment in good condition. BTW: I added the business on TripAdvisor, hopefully it will get lots of reviews there too. read more

We really enjoyed our trip. Two families - 4 adult and 4 kids - and everyone had a great time. Staff was super friendly. And the section of the Tar River that we paddled was nice and shady. We had to reschedule twice - once due to bad weather, once due to family emergency - and they were very flexible. read more

I did this trip with a friend and had an amazing time floating down the TAR River relaxing and enjoying a Saturday morning. Carla and Megan did an outstanding job making the experience one I would do again in the very near future! read more

I was part of a large group of kids and adults that went tubing on 6/2. It was part of our end of season baseball party. The employees were extremely friendly and accommodating. Jacob was in the parking lot and greeted everyone upon arrival. Once everyone arrived, we piled onto two buses and went to the put in area. The tubes they use are very nice, with backs and cup holders. They even have tubes you can put coolers in and float with you. At the end, the kids had a blast on the rope swing under the old train trestle. We will definitely be back!!! read more

Nice kayaking ride and the customer service provided by Jacob could not have been better. He was knowledgeable about the area and fantastic with my 5 year old son. They also have camping; will definitely check that out later this spring. Great place! read more

So beautiful, quiet and relaxing! The brothers are so nice and easy going. They really added to the relaxing atmosphere. We will definitely be back. read more

Had a great time! Peaceful and relaxing experience that i would recommend to anyone who loves to relax in the water with a cooler and friends! read more