Trust me. I never believed that in this lifetime, I would be writing a review on a business that provides an "outdoorsy" canoe experience. However, I had a really fun and fabulous time last weekend on the Harpeth River with a group of friends. This city girl can get down with nature...for just a few hours at least. I sincerely appreciated the options that vary from just 1 hour on the river on upwards to 12 hours for the advanced river rat. We opted for the 3.5 hour adventure and it was the perfect amount of water, beer, and paddling for this broad. I don't think that I'll ever be interested in the option of "on-site primitive camping or camping along the river bank." Call me a wimp, but a Heavenly Bed at the Westin sounds more my speed! Pricing is based per canoe and kayak and when we mentioned an "Internet Special" we enjoyed $10 off the price of a rental. For an afternoon of fun for 2 cost us around $45 which included the rental of the canoe, paddles, life preserves, and seat cushions. The staff was friendly and dropped us off at the docking point and helped us get into our canoes. The river was a fun and relaxing way to enjoy the weather and when I was feeling especially sporty, I put my jiggly arms to work by paddling like a mad-woman. I would imagine that this is the secret workout for Jennifer Anniston + Michelle Obama...how else would they get such sculpted biceps.? Just sayin. The rules of the river prohibit booze but I can assure you that our group were not the only ones that smuggled a case of PBR in our coolers + vodka in water bottles. The staff doesn't check coolers + backpacks so you can certainly bring your booze along with sandwiches, fruit, and Sun Chips of course! You can take the city out of the girl but NOT the vodka. TIP: Pets are also welcome. Chico + Bellini are totally going to be 2nd mates on the next outing! read more

Tip-A-Canoe Stores - photo credit to tip a canoe website - Boating Near Me - Kingston Springs, Tennessee

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Had a great time! My boyfriend and I arrived about a 1/2hr before the time we reserved so we got in line before most others arrived, we got through pretty quickly considering the process every customer has to take! The employees were nothing but kind and helpful. Can't wait to go again! We did the 2hr route and we will probably opt for longer route next time! read more

I will preface this with my only real complaint is they did not tell us information about a well-known danger that nearly killed a family behind us and took out one of our canoes. ... I'm torn between 2 and 3 stars here, lemme give you the cons - you've got all the pros from the other reviews, and they're valid. We had a situation that actually was dangerous that they did not warn us about, two other canoe places were warning their customers that a large tree in the water near the bridge was extremely unsafe - basically the river goes from infinitely wide to about 15 feet wide and rams you into a submerged tree at high speed. We came on this, there were 2 or 3 guys out there rescuing people who went under and were trapped. They had a tent set up. First of our party goes down and is held under by a canoe / loses everything, they come and pull them out of the water. While we're all trying to gather up their stuff another canoe comes in - family, flips, mother is held under water, son goes down and is yanked out by the dad, the rescue guys go in again and pull the mother from the water. We compare notes with the downed family and people at the finish area, 2 other rental places are warning people that it's dangerous, nope, we got nothing from Tip A Canoe. The plastic caution tape hanging all over the tree had some age to it... I don't expect TAC to do much about the tree, but a warning to their customers that the well-known downed tree is flipping people and has people camping next to it to save people's lives and perhaps just walk at the point, you know, it would have been useful. I'm not an expert canoer, I generally kayak when I go out, I've never had a place not tell me about a hazard that bad. Other than that, the place was average... seems like on the ride back they talked some smack about another place not being respected, and there was a sign asking people for tips, but things were ok. read more

I have canoed down the Harpeth River at least once almost every hot Nashville summer, and we usually use Tip-A-Canoe to rent our equipment. They are the most well-known rental company on the river, and are well-run. You don't have to own anything remotely related to a canoe, or even know much about the sport, to go. The Harpeth is a pretty low-key river--especially since the drought of the last few years. You actually have to walk your canoe through certain parts...not the most fun, but hey it's all the experience right? Anyway, Tip-A-Canoe will provide canoes, paddles, and life jackets (for adults and children), as well as direction on how to, ahem, operate one of these vessels--if you are like me. They will bus you to your drop-off point, and back to your car, depending on which route you take. The short route is 5 miles (I think) which I would recommend if you have kids or are not very sure of what you are doing. The long route is great--11 miles--and is ideal for adults who want a lazy day of floating down the river. It can get a bit tiring though, which is why I say do the short route if it's your first go at the river. Bring food, water, whatever you want that you are willing to drag around and put in your canoe. They "suggest" not to bring alcohol, but we always have a few beers with us. You just need to make sure you practice water safety, and remember that you have to drive back in to Nashville afterwards! It's a ways out there... Great for a summertime activity. I can't wait to get back out there. read more

For the most part it was a great experience... I would have given them 5 stars if not for one VERY BIG negative: toward the end of the trip there was a giant tree down, causing a very dangerous situation that we were not warned about. As we came around the last bend, there were 2 tiny pieces of caution tape over a giant tree that was blocking over 75% of the path. If not navigated correctly, one would ended up capsizing and possibly getting caught under said tree... and many did, including the family with a small child in front of us and one of the canoes in our party. Most of the people on these canoe trips are not experts, by any means, and should at least be given a head's up if some skill is going to be required in order to survive! See Paul K's review for a few more details :) Several different companies send people down this part of the Harpeth and we later found out that other companies had warned their patrons. After talking to several other canoers, no one from Tip-A-Canoe had been warned. The price was good, the equipment was good, the trip was fun, but it would be nice for them to care a little more about their customers. read more

Terrible customer service. Got turned away because their last run is at 3:30. It was 3:32. And mind you, I was in the building waiting in line before 3:30. Great businesses ethics, idiots! Go across the street instead. Much better service. read more

At first, I would have given them one star. It was early in the morning, and I was so pissed off we had to walk alllllll that way and then drag our own canoe down to a terribly managed area. Once I woke up and decided I was just being lazy, it wasn't so bad! The canoes are well built, and the staff is super friendly. The river is beautiful! :) We chose the 4.5 hour trip, and thats rowing time. We actually spent about 10 hours on the river. There are so many places to pull up to a shore and have a sandwich and relax. It is a downer that you technically can't have alcohol. I hear they're pretty strict. But we had a full cooler and no one checked or bothered us; just be discrete. EVERYONE is wasted at the end. I'll be back soon! read more

This place stays pretty busy but everyone is really nice and informative. I called night before and they were cool and let me come really whenever since I was only renting one kayak. Will def use them again. read more

I'm here for what was supposed to be a weekend camping trip, and I'm already having a terrible time. First off, I was told someone needed to be here before 4pm, because nobody would take us to the campsite after that. False. Not only did they not take me down to the site at all, but the last guy left around 8:30pm, and had no problem coming to get me and then bringing me back down so I could sign some more paperwork for the rest of my group. I sat in the heat, by myself, for 4 hours that I didn't need to. Secondly, the communication is absolutely terrible. There was some confusion, because I told him I had a reservation, and instead of looking it up, wrote it off and assumed I was there by myself to kayak for two hours, then go home. Then he vaguely pointed me in the direction of the campsite, not telling me that I had to park by the office and walk all the way there until I drove my car down the road to see that my car wouldn't fit past a certain point. Thirdly, all the man on the phone told me was that one person had to be here by 4. He didn't tell me that everyone would need to be here and pay for their kayaks before they closed, even though the first time I quoted him was after closing time. I had to pay for all 4 kayaks (thankfully, I had the means) before the guy could go home, since the camping is apparently complimentary (probably due to it's uneven, slanted nature) when you rent kayaks. And lastly, when finding out about the campground going hand-in-hand with the kayak rentals, I asked if we had to kayak again on Sunday in order to get Saturday night's campground. Turns out, someone else has the campground booked for Saturday. It's a very good thing I asked, because I thought it was understood that I wanted to camp Friday and Saturday. I dealt with two men today, one not being blatantly rude, but overall unconcerned, and the other one was quite nice, helpful, and seemed to have an idea of what customer service should be like. read more

Never renting from these guys again. Waited almost 2 hours at the pick-up point to be taken back to our car. During that two hour period we watched about a dozen trips be made by foggy bottom vans, meanwhile tip-a-canoe did maybe 3 or 4. The poor 16 year old kids doing the work (and facing the angry customers) had been instructed not to leave the river until their trailers were full of kayaks and canoes. They were woefully understaffed to the point that park rangers began helping them load their trailers. The result was vans waiting (full of people) roughly 45mins on average before taking off back to the parking lot. Basically the equipment was given priority over the customers. The stupidity of this is that canoe doesn't mind waiting. People get angry. read more

Loved the experience with TIC! The lobby isn't fancy but it gets the job done. We did the two hour canoe trip and loved it. Easy access when you end your trip... no shuttle trip back !! read more

Don't ever bother calling this place. Person who answers is just rude and disinterested in being helpful.

We went on a Sunday afternoon and the staff was rude, we pulled into what we thought were parking places and while I was inside signing papers the staff yelled at my friends saying that we were in a loading zone and stated "this is just horrible" (note: they were neither loading or unloading at the time) We would have been happy to move if they had been polite about it, there is no need to yell out the window of a van at your customers and tell them what they have done is horrible. We clearly did not know that it was a loading zone and there were no clear signs to direct us as to where to park. (The answer is on the very busy road) There is a right and a wrong way to customer service and they are all wrong! I will NEVER use this company again and will make sure none of my friends do either. read more

Terrible experience from start to finish, will never go back. Rude, unhelpful staff, uncomfortable canoe seats, extremely long waits to check out gear and sign back in...really nothing redeeming about the experience except the trip itself. We got little to NO direction about where to get into the river, where we'd be picked up, what we were being charged for, etc. Have never interacted with less helpful or unprofessional staff. Take your business to Canoe Music City or Foggy Bottom!! read more

We did a canoe trip this past summer with tip-a-canoe and it was a lot of fun. We had 5 adults and 1 young child in 2 canoes and a kayak. We did the 11 mile trip but I would recommend a shorter one if your arms are not used to such physical activity. We took our time, enjoyed the beautiful scenery, swam, & had a picnic. It is really an all day thing and you will be exhausted by the end of it. Do call and make an appointment and check and make sure that the water level is not too low (this makes it a lot harder.) If you mention their website they will give you a 20% discount. read more

Always have a fun time. If you know you're going, I suggest registering in advance as some times can be quite busy and you'll be able to bypass the lines of people just showing up. Will run you about $45 for a canoe, regardless of which trip you choose. Trips last from one hour to about ten hours. Process of getting registered can be kind of chaotic. Everybody is nice, but our group has definitely felt rushed to get in a van and get going when there are a lot of people there. At the end of your trip, know that you'll have to lift your canoe out of the water. And you'll pretty much have to paddle the entire time if you want to get anywhere. It's not something I'd consider too physically challenging, but I saw more than a few people having problems. Definitely a better experience on weekdays as there are less groups of the "party cove" types who are more interesting in getting drunk and hanging out than actually canoeing. Never had any issues with these guys and everybody is pretty mellow, although it's not uncommon to see them tie boats together and just sit there, which can block big parts of the river and make it tougher to get where you're going. Not Tip-A-Canoe's fault, but this may be part of your experience if you go on a busy weekend, so now you know... read more

One of the most fun things I have found around Nashville. More of a "drinking river" than any real white water. Very relaxing, lazy river lets you go at your pace in kayaks or canoes. Everything is available for rent in site, bring your beer and snacks! This is a great time for a date, family trip or bunch of friends. read more

They're located with a bunch of other two canoeing stores around there. This is the last one on that road depending on what side you're coming from. Pretty laid back nice folks and a nice guides. We chose the two hour tour and I would suggest don't grow more as it two hours gets you tired. read more

The Life Teen group loved their canoe trip! Everyone was friendly & much fun was had by all!

Horrible customer service. Drove over an hour, waited in line in 100 degree weather for over an hour, only to be turned away for not having canoe reservations. I understand they get busy and reservations need to be made (although we hadn't made reservations last summer during the same weekend); however, they could have informed those waiting in line either by posting a "reservations only" sign or by simply having an employee let people know that canoes are only available by reservations while they waited in line. Simple solutions to a problem that cost my family an entire day of driving/waiting in line. read more

A group of of our friends went canoeing with Tip-A-Canoe. Everything was great when we rented the boat, and we were warned that alcohol was not permitted on the river, due to it being a state park. Another patron renting boats told us to hide it in our coolers anyway and that they would not check. When we arrived at the end of our trip, on a large sand bar waiting to be picked up, I was enjoying another beer. A park ranger came down, saw my beer and proceeded to write me a ticket for possession of alcohol. IT COST ME ALMOST $200.00. We saw people drinking everywhere, and I was picked. Be careful guys. The river and trip itself were great, but the ticket was not. read more

Had a nice experience with Tip-a-canoe. Friendly gal and guy at check-in. Very matter of fact business and no frills so it's best if you are nature and DIY friendly. Went out on the 1 hour trip with husband and 3 year old. Water level was safe for toddler with life vest on. Relatively clean river banks with some exception. We did bank and Wade around for lunch. Everyone we ran into on the river was very friendly. Would travel with Tip-a-canoe again. read more

The building the company was located was kinda shabby. The employees were completely stoned, but nice. The canoes were kind of older and cheaper looking than the competition. Little unorganized I'd say as a whole. read more

We used Tip-A-Canoe this weekend for an overnight trip. They own land on the water and are about the only way to stay overnight without illegally staying on private company. Their staff members were friendly and helpful. We will definitely use them again. read more

If you go to Tipacanoe, make sure to have a back up plan to get back home. They left my family at the end of the trip. (just plain old forgot to pick us up) I finally realized the only way we were getting back to our car was for me to walk over 4 miles back to the company. They never apoligized and even acted rude about it. Our friends said they had a similiar experience with them. They rented 3 canoes and 2 of them leaked. They said it was the longest 5 miles of their lives, bailing water. Beware of Tipacanoe! read more

I took my first canoe trip down the harpeth today. The river was beautiful, and the canoeing was great! The service from tip-a-canoe, however, was absolutely horrible. To begin with, the teenage boys that worked the cash register were extremely rude. We took the 2 hour trip. They told us to go down a little gravel road and someone would put the canoe in (Mind you, we are 3 girls). We waited and waited, and finally someone told us that you had to pull your own canoe down this huge ravine and put it in the water yourself. That was a blast......Also, no one told us where to stop on the river to wait for the shuttle. Luckily we ran into someone on the same route as us who knew where to stop. Once we stopped where tip a canoe had instructed our fellow boaters, the park ranger informed us that tip a canoe uses that dock illegally and they arent allowed to. So, guess what we had to do? Paddle UP STREAM about 1/4 of a mile, dock our own boats, and climp up a huge hill filled with weeds, brush and thorns. Then we waited over 45 minutes for the shuttle to pick us up. needless to say, I will NOT be canoeing with TAC ever again, and I have made a request for my money back. read more

First of all let me say that we went to Tip-A-Canoe for a trip down the Harpeth last July--about the 24th--on a Sunday. Except for the fact that we had to stand in line (in the sweltering heat) for a good hour, we enjoyed the day with our kids and grandkids. This year we went on the same weekend on a Saturday. Again we waited in the long, hot line for about an hour, only to be told (once we got to the counter in the building) we could not get canoes without a reservation. These are my concerns: 1) Their check-in system is terrible--they should be able to find a way to keep customers from standing so long. I believe I could fix that problem pretty quickly and I'm sure they should be able to also. 2) I understand the fact that they run out of canoes on busy days. However, on such days, they should have a way to communicate that-- to people standing in their line. Even if they only had an employee walk the line every 15 or 20 minutes to tell those waiting that there are no canoes, it would save some poor sap (like me) from standing there for an hour when there were no canoes available. I am certain we will not use their services again. We have learned our lesson about reserving a canoe but we will do so elsewhere. When you travel a hour and a half for some family fun, you want to leave there with more than sweat-drenched clothing! read more