Nantahala Outdoor Center: Plenty of adventures, close to home
By Chris Worthy
It’s time to make memories. What do you want to do this summer? Rafting, ziplining, an easy riverside lunch? Odds are, you can find some version of your family’s outdoor wish list at one of Nantahala Outdoor Center’s campuses. Adventures abound for families, from mild to wild, and for all ages and stages.
NOC’s 500-acre main campus in Bryson City, North Carolina, offers lodging and two on-site restaurants, and it serves as homebase for a variety of outdoor adventures, including lake visits with stand up paddleboarding and kayaking, and courses to help kids, teens and adults learn new outdoor skills.
“We have whitewater rafting, which is the classic Nantahala rafting trip for ages 7 and up,” Kristin Kastelic, Director of Marketing at Nantahala Outdoor Center, said. “We also have a zipline adventure course.”
For ages 10 and older, a mountaintop zipline takes participants over the tree canopies with 360-degree views of the mountains.
“We're not just in Bryson City,” Kastelic said. “We're located in multiple states across the southeast. We're a great drive time destination for families if they want to take a longer weekend or they just want to take a day trip and go on an adventure.”
Rafting on the Chattooga River in South Carolina can be wild and scenic or “mild and scenic,” depending on which adventure you choose.
“There are two sections of that river, so it's good for younger ages and also more high adventure families and children,” Kastelic said.
The protected nature of the area at NOC’s Chattooga River Outpost means families are immersed in wildlife in an off-grid experience.
About 30 minutes from Asheville, the French Broad River Outpost leaves plenty of options for locals and visitors.
“We offer rafting on the French Broad River for ages 8 and up, so a lot of families like to take a day or weekend trip to Asheville, within driving distance, and so they can drive to our Marshall outpost,” Kastelic said.
Day trip options on the French Broad River include a deluxe, full-day adventure or half-day trips.
“They offer ecological information about the river and wildlife and flora and fauna,” Kastelic said. “They offer historical information about the French Broad in Asheville, about floods that happened years and years ago. It's just a really great experience for families and kids to not just have fun splashing and paddling, but they also get the educational piece out of it.”
And there are other spots to kick off summer fun, like the Pigeon River Outpost near Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, which offers rafting in gentle rapids for ages 3 and older.
Get details on locations, activities, dining, courses, age restrictions, what to bring and much more at noc.com.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Nantahala Outdoor Center: Plenty of adventures, close to home
