Western North Carolina is perfect for explorers who don’t mind getting wet. Mother Nature carved out a water park in the area, leaving behind calm wading pools, exciting water slides, memorable swimming holes and rollicking rapids. Some are easily accessible, a few require an adventuresome spirit, and several have lifeguards or trained staff on duty.
List of Water Adventures:
There are 17 Things To Do in Asheville listed on this page.
Asheville Outdoor Center/Southern Waterways
 | Calm water float trips on the French Broad River through the Biltmore property, in Asheville. Canoes, kayaks, rafts and tubes. Family fun adventure. Minimum child weight requirement is 35 pounds. Beautiful riverside facilities. Asheville's only riverside GEM Mining coming in spring of 2009, along with adventure kids camp, ACA canoe instructions, bicycle rentals, and guided interpretive float trips. Check Our web site for complete details. We also offer beautiful riverside facilities with vollyball court, childrens playplace, basketball and horse shoe pit. All of these ingredients make for a great day at the Asheville Outdoor Center for corporate retreats/meetings, team building, family reuinions, parties, receptions large or small. Our location is just ten minutes from downtown and Biltmore Village with easy interstate access. |  828-232-1970 521 Amboy Road |
Beach at Lake Lure
| Float on an inner tube, picnic in the shade, or just catch some rays at this beach in the mountains. Enjoy the Water Works with water slides and other soaking-wet fun. | 828-625-1373 2724 Memorial Highway |
Blue Ridge Motion Pictures
| Studio tour offers a guided walk through of the sound stages, wet stage for water effects, re-enactment of scenes from projects filmed and some of the secrets of movie production from an insider’s viewpoint. | 828-296-1499 12 Old Charlotte Highway |
Chimney Rock at Chimney Rock State Park
| One of NC's newest state parks, Chimney Rock brings the best of the mountains together in one place. An elevator inside the mountain or a network of stairs and boardwalks takes you to 315 ft Chimney Rock and amazing 75-mile views of Hickory Nut Gorge, Lake Lure and the Carolina Piedmont. With five unique hiking trails, the Park has something for everyone from the family-friendly Great Woodland Adventure trail with 12 discovery stations along the way to the more adventurous Four Seasons trail which climbs more than 400 ft. Be sure to hike the Hickory Nut Falls trail - the reward is the 404 ft falls, one of the highest waterfalls in the East. Chimney Rock also offers guided rock climbing lessons for beginner to advanced climbers. The Old Rock Cafe and Sky Lounge Deli offer tasty sandwiches and snacks to get you fueled up for your hike. Souvenirs of your trip can be picked up at Cliff Dwellers or the Sky Lounge Gift Shop. The Park offers discounts for groups, and is pet friendly. | 828-625-9611 US Highway 64/74A |
Crooked Creek Golf Club
| The 18-hole course features 6,652 yards of golf from the longest tees for a par of 72. With tall pines, lots of water and character. | 828-692-2011 764 Crooked Creek Road |
French Broad Rafting Expeditions
| Experience the thrill of whitewater rafting on Asheville's own French Broad River. Just 30 miles from Asheville. A guide in every raft guaranteed! Five-mile & nine-mile whitewater trips or calm water rentals available. | 828-649-0486 9800 U.S. Hwy. 25/70, Bypass |
Huck Finn Rafting Adventures
| Raft with a company that does one river very, very well! Discover the nature and beauty that the Pisgah National Forest has to offer by rafting with us down the French Broad River. See sights only accessible by water as you experience the excitement of rushing whitewater or gently float along a calm water section of the river. Huck Finn offers full-day and half-day guided whitewater rafting trips (minimum age 8) as well as calm water float trips (minimum age 4). Package deals available include rafting and horseback riding, rafting and a massage, rafting and biking, and rafting and hiking. Group rates start with 10 people and we offer specially designed boy/girl scout trips. Huck Finn is located in Hot Springs which is a small town nestled in the mountains only 45 minutes from Asheville. Dining, shopping, the Appalachian Trail, and hot springs are located just outside our door. We look forward to taking you down the river and our most important trip is yours! | 828-622-9645 158 Bridge Street |
Lake Lure Tours
| Step aboard and discover one of the most spectacular lakes in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Daily and hourly tours, lunch cruises, and dinner cruises. Or, rent a boat from the marina and explore the lake on your own. | 828-625-1373 2930 Memorial Highway |
Lake Powhattan
| Lake Powhattan, in the Bent Creek area of the Pisgah National Forest, offers the perfect place for a swim after a hike or mountain bike ride along the trails. | Pisgah National Forest |
McDowell County
| Along the Blue Ridge Parkway, discover the mountaintop villages of Linville Falls and Little Switzerland; the foothills towns of Marion, Old Fort or Linville Gorge; or scenic Lake James. | 828-652-1103 PO Box 1028 |
Nantahala Outdoor Center
| Home to 15 USA Canoe/Kayak Olympians and rated the "#1 Vacation with a Splash" by Good Morning America and National Geographic Adventure, Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC) is both a legend and a leader in the outdoor industry. NOC rafts nine of the East's best whitewater rivers including four rivers near Asheville, the French Broad, the Nantahala, the Nolichucky and the Pigeon. Full of splashy waves and expansive Blue Ridge vistas, these rivers are the best way to experience Western North Carolina's mountain beauty with your family or group! Interested in picking up exciting new skills on your vacation? NOC's Paddling School, named "the nation's premier paddling school" by The New York Times, can gently introduce whitewater paddling to anyone in as little as one day. Also offering fly-fishing, bike rentals, lake tours, hiking on the Appalachian Trail, three restaurants and the famous NOC Outfitter's Store, NOC has been Western North Carolina's adventure headquarters since | 828-488-2175 13077 Highway 19 West |
Shadowbrook Golf & Games
| Two championsip minature golf courses with natural landscaping and water features. Snack bar, arcade, party rooms - great for families. | 828-669-5499 701 Highway 9 |
Sliding Rock – A Natural Water Slide
| The king of swimming holes in the mountains near Asheville, this 60 foot natural water slide down a well-worn slab of rock was providing summertime entertainment long before water slides became standard fare. | 828-877-3265 Pisgah National Forest |
Smoky Mountain Jet Boats
| Hold on to the safety rails as your skilled driver cruises and spins the 12-passenger boat 360-degrees, all against the backdrop of Fontana Lake. Suitable for all ages. Combination hike and jet boat trips are also available. Choose from a variety of hike lengths - from a forty-five minute hike to the standard 90 minute hike - or conquer the "extreme hike" of 12 miles from Clingman's Dome all the | 828-488-0522 22 Needmore Road |
Taylor Ranch
| A 500-acre working Paint horse and Texas Longhorn cattle ranch available for meetings, weddings, family celebrations or reunions. It offers enclosed and open-air pavilions, sports facilities, lake and regional catering. | 828-684-6650 Cane Creek Road |
The Essence Center Spa
| A premier day spa in a private cove providing massage, body treatments, retreats for relaxation and lifestyle change, hot tub, sauna, private lake, access to hiking, yoga, meditation and gourmet cuisine in a serene setting. | 828-658-8198 530 Upper Flat Creek Road |
Wildwater Ltd. Rafting
| 37 years experience; family, group,& high adventure trips; team building; 5 SE rivers; offering the best whitewater fun in the Asheville area with unparalleled attention to detail on & off the water. Quality Service Guarantee | 800-451-9972 10345 Highway 19 West |