This is a wonderful family owned business. If you love the outdoors, small businesses, and friendly faces you will love The Sandbar. This place has been a big part of my life for years! I would so recommend this place for people of all ages it is a great way to connect with nature. read more

Great crew at this place! Hard-working crew and very nice as well. Make sure to tip these good folks for working so hard in the heat while others enjoy the cool water! every penny and more! read more

Our driver joe made the trip to the sandbar a blast! The whole staff was amazing! Had the best time! Worth every penny! 10 out of 10 would recommend going!! We will be back!! read more

I'm giving this place 5 stars because as far as a river outpost company goes, they do a pretty solid job. When you sign up for something like a river float, there are a couple of no-brainers to expect: 1) you will get wet 2) it's a river outpost, not the ritz, it will likely be granola and in the middle of nowhere 3) be flexible, patient and go with the flow. pun intended. I was there in July and they had a TON of new equipment, including paddles, kayaks and PFDs. We arrived early because they don't take reservations and were on the river in under 45 min. Definitely be prepared for anywhere from a 3-6 hour trip depending on water levels and paddling skill. There are a lot of great spots to stop and a fun 3 ft drop towards the end. I've seen people slide down backwards with their eyes closed and flip 10 ft from the drop. All a matter of balance and skill :) There are strapping young gentleman to help you in and out of the river. All in all, I think this place rocks. I've been to other spot on the river and this is by far the better experience. Brownie points for clean restrooms. Come get wet! read more

The Sandbar - Pit Stop - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Bowman, Georgia

One of the best times in my life..... I actually went 3 years ago for the first time. When I looked them up once again to return this Oct 2019 I realized I should of left a 5 star review then!!!! I'll be returning again so I hope it's just as spectacular if not even better!!!!! See you soon Sandbar!!! Next updated review will be more detailed I promise!! read more

Absolutely beautiful and so much fun. I love going kayaking and am ready for summer so I can do it again

Had another great float this past weekend. I am upgrading to 5 stars as the crew at The Sandbar has seemingly phased out many of the ragged Tarpon boats I complained about in my initial review and added a fleet of nice new self-bailing boats with comfy seats and good storage/bungee points. Just be chill and sensible about your cooler situation (don't board the shuttle carrying a funnel) and there shouldn't be any friction re: the NIMBY silliness of late. Enjoy and leave the river cleaner than you found it. read more

Definitely worth 5 stars. We did the Zip Line tour and it was amazing! A very safe way to get a blast of adrenaline while zip lining through amazing scenery. Overall, the tour took about 1.5 hours so there's quite a bit of ziplining to do! Plus, there's an opportunity for a little competition at the last stretch! Also, definitely use time while waiting for your party members to snap some gorgeous pictures! read more

Floatin down a river drinkin. Yea, I'm in. Pack your cooler with whatever beverage suits you and head on down to Sandbar. You will get a kayak, life jacket and a paddle and be bussed to the put out point. From there it is about a 2-4 hour float back to home base. Few tips - don't lose your paddle, lifejacket or kayak - they are pretty strict about their lost items fees. Also, tie down your cooler and sandals into your boat. Other than that just make sure you have a good time. Personally, I was a bit suprised at the (light) rapids as I more expected the lazy river myself. I fell out of my kayak 4 times and have a couple bruises to show for it. However, I am pretty inept in water so you should be good. read more

Went down the river again this morning with Sandbar Kayak. We had a great time - 5 hours involved lazy floating, stopping to go swimming, turning around and dragging the kayak back up river in order to go down some fun spots again. This time we each packed several bottles of water, a few cans of beer, and enough sunscreen to coat a whale. Hurray for protecting your skin! I want to send our a HUGE kudos to the folks at Sandbar for providing me with First Aid & TLC. I hit a "waterfall" the wrong way and went tumbling out. I crunched both my knees pretty good on some underwater rocks, taking out some chunks of skin. No big deal. But they took good care of me when I hobbled my way back into the storefront - giving me peroxide, Neosporin, and band aids. Thanks guys! Can't wait to organize with my friends for a fall trip up from the city! read more

Pros: beautiful location, peaceful, hammock, lenient on what you were allowed to bring, mini store available for necessities you may have forgotten about, alcohol allowed Cons: unorganized, not enough good help, no sense of urgency - professionalism. No parking, dirt roads - you will need a car wash afterwards. Verdict: I would NOT recommend this place to Kayak. Seeing that it's full force summer time, you would think to have a full staff because it's going to be busy. This place was jam packed when my group (13 people) went, we were on a waiting list for 4hrs, and right when it seemed like we were next , they tell us we can come back next time for a $5 discount off of original $25/per person???? Are you kidding me? Why didn't we leave earlier? Because we drove 1 1/2 hrs away trusting that this place was legit, and we were going to get on a kayak on that BEAUTIFUL HOT Saturday, but we were beyond disappointed! We can't even mention this place in a pleasant conversation. Please, Sandbar, hire some help! read more

We had a wonderful day kayaking at The Sandbar! They make the whole process really easy. They have a store that has all really important items in case you forgot anything. They drive you upriver, which is really nice because then when you are finished with your trip you return your kayak and can go to your car and get your stuff and dry off, versus being wet and waiting for a shuttle and then sitting on a wet, dirty shuttle ride back to your car. The staff was friendly and helpful. Very well-run business and we look forward to our next day kayaking on the Broad River with the Sandbar! read more

I could see how going in a large group (of 8) could really slow down the fun, but our group of 3 was great. The two guides, "Catfish" and Katie were AWESOME. When the people who work there are also having a great time, it makes it all the better for us paying customers. read more

The Sandbar - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Bowman, Georgia

Thanks to the power of Yelp, I found a nice kayak outpost that I wouldn't have otherwise known existed. The Sandbar is pretty far out, but it's a nice drive out from Athens and I will probably make the drive out from my home closer to Atlanta too. $25 on the weekend isn't a bad deal to float out on the river on some rented gear. The river is pretty shallow and I would worry about roughing up my kayaks on all the rocks, so cheap sit on tops work really well out here. Lots of the paddles I saw were pretty shabby, but once I got on the river I understood why; you will use them to push off rocks quite a bit. The takeout spot should be a little better marked as it is hard to tell you are getting out in the right spot. The river itself was really fun and despite being shallow, offered lots of fun, tiny, drops, and you can bring canned beer to hang out in the swimming holes and beach areas. We ended up not bringing beer and could have definitely used more refreshment than one bottle of water each. It was a hot float! read more

I've been kayaking often on the Broad River and never tried out the Sandbar. After going I can say it is definitely beautiful and a neat place to hang out after your kayak trip! It's set way far back into the woods which is a pretty cool drive and it's definitely low key. They have a gift shop area where you can buy drinks and even alcohol (just not on Sunday's). You can rent a cooler with ice for $1 and it costs $25 per person for kayaking. They take you up the river and drop you off so you can take your time on the way down and get out right at your car. The kayaks are comfortable to sit in and look newer than some of the other kayaks on the river plus they are go pro friendly (there's a mount on the front of the kayak). The only downsides are they are very heavy kayaks and they sit low so you will most likely be sitting in a pool of water all day (which can be nice on hotter days). The kayaks also don't always steer straight and I found the paddling to be more difficult than the ocean kayaks. They require you fill out paperwork and leave your id at the front which takes a little longer than some of the other kayaking places on the river. Also the driveway to get there is a dirt rocky road with huge dips and potholes so I wouldn't recommend driving on it unless you have an suv or a truck! read more

This place is amazing!!! First of all, I've never been kayaking before and I was a little scared. I had tons of questions and the front desk people were so kind. The place is unique and the drive is beautiful. I went on Friday morning with a friend and we had a great time. So much so that I came back the following week and brought 2 other friends with me. They drop you off at the top and you kayak for about 5 miles (about 3 hrs) and then you get off back where you parked. It's the best kept secret in North Georgia and I'm planning to go back and do it again. Highly recommend this place! read more

Took the Zip Lining tour and had a blast! The scenery is absolutely gorgeous above the trees, and you get to go over the Broad River more than a few times. The staff was very friendly and excellent guides! read more

When we first arrived the small, dirt road had me thinking "what the hell", to myself. Once we filled out our waivers and went inside things changed. It was a cool little river store packed with t-shirts, koozies, beer, drinks, and basically all of your last minute necessities. When we first got on the river I thought it was going to be a lazy river type of deal. Boy was I wrong. First rapid I hit I flipped the kayak. Losing my damn go pro ( which if you find please contact me so I can get it back ;-) ) make sure you pack light and secure all items because it's a 90% chance YOU ARE GOING TO FLIP. The waterfall was really cool. We swam there for about an hour. Overall: we will be back. Okay time for pros and cons PROS: you don't have to wait for a bus to pick you up when you are finished. It's only $25 bucks. You can drink plenty of beer. Great staff. CONS: wasn't prepared for flipping.(personal problem though, should've done more research) Bathrooms smelt pretty shitty. Lost my GoPro read more

This place shows pictures of really nice kayaks and once I arrived the area was so nice and the people where friendly then I was put on a bus and told to get in a kayak straight out of a 1980s horror movies this thing didn't even have holes to drain water it was so old, no back support nothing. For $20 this is a rip off. read more

By far the best broad river kayaking experience! This is great for college kids and UGA students.

After being referred to Sandbar by my in-laws, I cannot recommend them enough. The location is beautiful with the kayaks being in great shape. The Broad river is one of the best rivers for a starter to kayak down. However, it's probably best to go after a good rain. read more

When we arrived to The Sandbar, I was blown away. The reception area was stunning and the greeter was kind. After paying my fee and boarding the (short bus) shuttle, I was whisked down bumpy dirt roads at top speed. After a crash course in back roads driving, we arrived at our drop-in point. The bank was swampy and my kayak had been used hard and let off wet. What had formerly been a cute pink color had soured into a dim shade of Pepto in several seasons in the sun. The bottom also had several patch points, so I was feeling very confident at this point. (/sarcasm) As an aside, the website shows brand new, top-of-the-line kayaks. This is definitely not what you receive. My kayak was rinky dinky, and that is putting it mildly. With our "trip" down the river, we were supposed to get a guide. I at least would expect some advice since we had never experienced the river. We were told to lean left all the way down, but that was not the correct navigation. For future reference, stay right at first, and then stay left the rest of the river. Much safer that way. Since my kayak was straight out of the 80s, it easily became waterlogged with the smallest splash. Despite the lack of warnings, I stayed upright and navigated all falls and rocks successfully, so it was annoying to have to bail out 5 times. Overall, I had to rely on my own prowess to make it down the Broad. I am disappointed that I wasn't adequately prepped and my boat was faded and severely aged. Maybe I would have better luck my next trip, but I'm not sure I want to chance it. read more

Once upon a time I created a list of things I wanted to do before I die...for some reason kayaking was high on my list. A newbie Kayaker, I gleefully accepted when my boyfriend suggested we head up to the Sandbar for some river fun this morning with our dog Mishka. I packed a cooler full of snacks, water, sunscreen, tshirts, even our dog had his own life vest & water bowl! But I was no where near prepared for how long the trip is it was we went in thinking it would take about 2 1/2 hours if we went straight down no stopping...it ended up taking us 4 hours! I'm not sure if it's because I am older or if I just am not keen on spending 4 hours in the scorching sun exerting myself... to be honest this was not my cup of tea. The people were friendly one of the guys putting me in the water even gave me a quick lesson on what I needed to do once I got my butt in the boat, the equipment was good & even the ride down there in the bus with 10 people & our dog was quite pleasant. I am laying in bed writing this right now with sore muscles and ruby red burnt legs. Definitely put sunscreen on evenly and frequently & bring water for you & your pet! Our dog had a blast he loved riding along with my boyfriend in his kayak and swimming too! It was eventful and I am glad we went but I don't think I'll find myself dying to go back any time soon :) If kayaking is your sport of choice check it out it's a long ride great for perfecting your moves! read more

First time kayakers and we survived! Sandbar is extremely chill and a great business. Everyone working was so helpful and guided us to get everything ready before setting off on our first adventure. I cannot tell you how many people told us that we would regret going because of how long it took, and us being beginners, that it would take even more time. We finished in about 3 1/2 hours (not too shabby). I would highly recommend any skill leveled kayaker taking on the sandbar! Excellent choice of adventure for the day. (Added bonus that it took less than an hour to get there & was only $20!) great deal, come check them out! read more

Sandbar is favorite hangout for Summer! Subrina serves best drinks, and brunch on Sundays is great. Wonderful entertainment and beachy festive atmosphere! read more

The Sandbar was Awesome. My love surprised me for my birthday and took me there to Zipline. It was great. The staff is professional and very informative. Our two instructors/guides were great and encouraging, I was super nervous and they made me and others more comfortable. Can't wait to go back with friends and try kayaking. read more

We've been fans of the Sandbar for years and have always had a great experience until recently. Long story short is 2 out of 6 of our boats had decent sized cracks in them which began taking on water right away. One of the boats didn't have the center cap which made the water situation much worse. Due to having to stop and empty the boats multiple times, we were late (8:30p) getting back so all but one of our friends were charged an additional $25 fee. The staff at the desk was extremely rude, which has never been my experience. My husband sent an admittedly upset email that night. The reply? A super passive aggressive, unprofessional email. An email that told us where the boats began taking on water which was far from accurate, explained that they did us a favor by not charging us for the missing cap which was in fact missing when the boat was originally put in the water and then went on to state that the cracks were not in the boats when they put them in the water. There were 5 patches on one of the boats and 7 on the other. Neither the staff at Sandbar nor myself can guarantee when/where the cracks happen, but why point fingers? In the email, Natalie Sanford, of Sandbar, recommended that in the future we visit BROAD RIVER OUTPOST or SLOW WATER. Sad. I use to brag about and recommend this company all of the time. I encourage anyone reading this to reconsider after our recent unfortunate experience. #whathappenedtogoodolecustomerservice read more