So much fun. My wife and I took my sister here for her birthday with my three nephews. They had blast and the oldest can’t wait to come back up and do the “hard” stuff.Scott is awesome and thank you to him for making sure everyone had a great time. If you want to experience the fun of the river city. This should be on your list.

Did a kayak trip along the upper section of the James River with Katie and Bryce as tour guides. They were absolutely excellent guides and we had an amazing time. Will definitely be back to try rafting!

This place is a blast! We came to Richmond for my bachelor party and did the lower side of the James, which was around 2 1/2 hours. We went over several pretty large rapids and our guide Bryce was awesome! Extremely knowledgeable about the river and places to watch out for. We also stopped in the middle of the trip to check out this small island. It had a big rope swing with a jump off point to swing into the water. Definitely a great experience.

First timers and loved it! We are hooked now. Charles was our guide and he was awesome! Learned a lot and had a blast. Add this to your trip if you are anywhere near the area. Highly recommend it. Will be back for sure.

What a great company! I wanted to get back into biking after a 10 year hiatus. Meet with Max, he arranged for bikes, gear, and a guide to bring us out to do some mountain biking at Pocahontas. Our guide, who was also a biking instructor, took the time to bring us through the basic skill sets and answer questions so that we could experience different level trails safely (what a blast!). It was a memorable day and exceeded expectations. Thank you Riverside Outfitters!

Good people and a good time. Kyndall was an excellent, and entertaining river guide. A good experience for beginning and novice rafters or family with children. Very cool going from park and wooded lands to the entrance of the city. It was a bit longer than expected, which was perfect because we didnt want it to end.

Super fun experience! Guides were professional yet friendly and personable, and the pre-float instruction was much more thorough and informative than what Ive heard at other rafting outfitters in WV and Colorado.Connor was my boats guide, and helped pull me back in after I fell off during a particulary dicey section. No fault of the guide at all- these things just happen on the rapids sometimes. Would definitely go again, though maybe wait for a bit higher water level (it was 3.7ft, which is a bit low, ie more rocks exposed)

We took some boy scouts on the lower James route. Our guide, Kynan (sp?) Was great with the kids. The James River was surprisingly fun for running right through the middle of Richmond. I would take my family again.

We had a great time on our biking tour of Richmond! This was our first time in the city and we got to see a lot of great places, including public art that has come into the city in the last few years. My husband and I will definitely be back to Richmond and hopefully hanging with our guide, Max, again from Riverside Outfitters. Highly recommend booking an adventure here. Extra shout out and thanks to Max for his flexibility and showing us some hidden gems in the city!

We had an awesome time rafting the lower James River thanks to RO & our exceptional guide, Andrew. The entire staff goes above and beyond to make sure everyone is safe and has a great time. The river trip itself was well thought out. It included stops along the way for breaks, swimming & refreshments. The best part, near the end, guests get to climb to the top of a huge boulder to then take a plunge into the water! This was also the highlight of my three teenagers trip! RO has the least expensive rafting tour around, so its an excellent value for the money.

Owner was very nice, and equipment was reliable. Had a great day at the trails he recommended, will be back. Highly recommend 👌 👍 👏 🙌 😃

Super easy way to do some paddling! My husband, dog, and I rented a canoe for a few hours and had a great time. Since youre following the truck in your own car you can bring pets!

Had a wonderful experience with the team at Riverside Outfitters. They were helpful, kind, informative, and able to facilitate an impromptu adventure for me and my family, We will definitely return and recommend this team highly!

My girlfriend and I did the guided upriver kayaking trip for her birthday and it was a blast. The group was a very reasonable size, the guides explained things clearly and thoroughly, and it was an absolute blast.The tour is just physical enough to be fun and provides a good environment to learn the basics of how to handle falling out (if it happens), hand signals, and reading the water and the guides provide little bits of trivia along the way.The guides also had really awesome personalities and we really enjoyed their company.100% recommended.

Very organized abd FUN experience!! Scott was an amazingGuide!

We had a great time and our guide Andrew was awesome! Highly recommend!

We had such an incredible time on the river with our team. Thanks to RO and their always amazing guides for spending the day with us!!

We had really great time and people there knew what they were doing

Booked a kayak trip for me and my son for his birthday. Had never been on a kayak before. Trip was rescheduled 2 times because of high water but was informed both verbally and through email in a very timely matter. When we did get there Ashley, our guide, was very professional, informative and knowledgeable. We had a great trip. Highly recommend.

Great staff! Super helpful and had a great time!

Soooooo much fun. We booked a rafting trip down the lower James and this was my first time white water rafting. Even with the river being very low it still was a blast. I plan to go and do it again once the river level gets back up closer to 7 or 8 feet. They stopped the raft early on for a rope swing and then later on there was a tall rock we were able to jump off of as well. 10/10 Riverside Outfitters rocks!

Awesome time, we went in September and still talk about the trip.Thanks Riverside!

Had a blast on our rafting trip this morning! Knowledgeable and experienced guides, fun rapids but still beginner friendly. Got to get out of the raft and swim a few times. The team treated everyone to an ice cold beer/seltzer at the end of the trip. Scott was an excellent guide!!

Lots of fun. I’ve never rafted in an urban area before. That was neat. Our guide, Andrew, was really good and fun. There is this one area where you get to “surf” and that was amazing. They need to advertise that it’s a 10 minute hike to the put-in. That was unexpected and it was so hot I’m lucky I didn’t pass out. They have beer and sparking water at the end, which is a nice touch. I’ve always been able to get pictures on my other white water rafting trips, but that did not seem to be available on this trip. Nor was there an option to jump from a height into the water. However, there were lots of opportunities to get into the water and float down the river. All in all it was a great experience.

We had so much fun on our trip!! Will was awesome and made sure we had a blast. The beer at the end of the trip was definitely an added bonus!! Thank you for the awesome time- can’t wait to do it again.

John was our guide today for class 1 - 2 rapids and we had a great time. We had an extended family of 6 on the adventure ranging in age from 6 years to 70+ and it was good fun for all of us. I’d do another trip for sure!

Went on the lower river tour, Had a blast. Ben took us down the river, he was a great guide to go with. We hit some good rapids a laughed alot on the trip. A very unique trip to see richmond in a different view.

Went whitewater kayaking and it was so fun! Our tour guide was great, gave very detailed instructions and was very patient with me every time I fell out of my kayak (first-timer). Very scenic views! Would definitely recommend!

This place is AMAZING!! I had so much fun rafting in VA, for my first time. My guide was Leah, who is a GREAT guide. She’s friendly and informative, I can’t wait to go again.

We were in the raft guided by Will, He is very informative cheerful and friendly.. We loved the pipeline drops and the amazing stories of the nearby areas that will shared with us. . We did level 4 and enjoyed it to the fullest.. Highly recommended..:)

Aaron was a great guide. He was easy on my parents and read the boat correctly and decided not to dump anyone out lol. We had a good time. The river was high and the route was a bit modified so it was fairly relaxed aside from the end near Hollywood Cemetery. We had a great time.

As someone who went to the River Shredders summer camp they hosted this past summer, I had tons of fun! The guides there were all great people, and were as helpful as they were fun to spend time with. The other people at the camp were all great as well, and the activities we did were an absolute blast. There was never a dull moment here and I cant wait to come back!

Caleb was great. Very good with social distancing. Very patient with skill level. Very knowledgeable of fun facts about the wildlife.

Ask for John though everyone is awesome!! Such a great time with great professional staff. 13/10!!! Thank you for a great time hooyah! 💙

Was such a great experience. Our guide Will was such a personable guy. We enjoyed his company, his humor and his knowledge of RVA! He made me super comfortable as it was my 1st time EVER RAFTING. Was really like rafting with a friend. Thank you for the experience if I am ever back during on season I will definitely be back!!!

Wonderful company in Richmond. They simply dropped us off upriver with our kayaks, we took maybe two hours to enjoy the river route with plenty of rapids and technical features to problem solve, but nothing crazy, and then we got to the Take Out point and awaited pick-up. It was a great day out and I would do it again with this company!

We drove from NC to visit with Riverside. Our guide and the whole team made it a worth while experience! 20/10 recommend

Awesome whitewater raft trip down the James with our guide Scott. He was super knowledgeable about local history, the river, and was just an awesome dude. We had a trainee guide Roxanne in our raft too and she was equally as awesome. Anyone looking for a family friendly adventure day, I highly recommend River Outfitters! It was a blast!

We went on a whitewater paddle boarding trip which I was skeptical about since we have no experience, but we had a great time. We were encouraged to get down on our knees as much or little as we were comfortable with as a way to “choose our own adventure.” We stopped for water and a snack partway through. Our guides were very helpful and fun. There was even free beer or sparkling water at the end. Overall a great experience!

Had a terrific time. My guide has an easy way about, it was my first time rafting and his demeanor immediately put me at ease. He was very knowledgeable on the history of the river. I had the broad experience, class 2-4 rapids-river was around 5 feet so pretty easy going with a few exciting areas. Absolutely beautiful ride though. Would do it again in a heartbeat!

We live about 3 hours away and have previously booked through Riverside Outfitters with good success; however, we planned a trip around our Kayak reservations only to find out (after booking other nonrefundable events in the afternoon) that they wont have enough guides tomorrow, and our trip had been cancelled. It seems more than a little hypocritical that they will charge you the full amount if you cancel the day before, but they have no problem doing that themselves. To be fair, they offered to reschedule, but again...we dont live in Richmond, so that doesnt do any good. Just a thought: dont send emails advertising a product you do not have.

Had fun on the upper raft trip with our guide, Caleb. We got lost on the way and I called for directions. They got a local worker to call me back and stayed on the phone with me till we arrived. They wanted us to get there, not just take our money. Beware of Google maps it got us really lost and we kept doing circles off 95 and back on.Caleb was super cool. He knew so much about the nature: dragonflies, the fish. the birds, the buildings down the James River. You could tell he loved his job and was a nature enthusiast. Me and my husband also felt comfortable with his experience if say one of us fell in the water. He was fit so we know he could help. No one fell out, lol! Thank you for the fun! It was a beautiful experience, I wont forget it.

Unexpectedly lame customer serviceBooked in the evening with 30+ SPACES AVAILABLE for half-day rafting trip. For 6 people, it was over $350. Group went out and bought water shoes as this was a requirement.Received a confirmation email and a reminder email telling us we were confirmed.Late that evening, an employee emailed a cancellation. That email went to spam. NO CALL was made informing us of the late cancellation. The next morning, we drove 30 minutes into Richmond, only to be informed we must have missed the email (again, only saw the confirmation and reminder emails). Staff at front desk tried to blame the holiday weekend, but the issue was that their system let us book something they couldn’t handle, confirmed it, and after cancellation, no one had the courtesy to make a phone call.They are gonna refund the purchase. We are out the cost of shoes, the time and cost to go into Richmond and it was a late birthday request for one of our guests... so good job y’all.I will note this place came recommended. We were excited. They did such a poor job handling this, we won’t spend our money here.Like I said, lame.

Our guide Caleb, was amazing! He was able to fill us in on just about everything. He has been with the company for years so not only did he know the surrounding wild life but he knew about the history of Richmond. We will be back.

Fantastic experience. This was my first time rafting and I am officially hooked. These rapids are a white water gem in the heart of Richmond and this company provides a premier experience for rafting those rapids. All the guides were friendly and knowledgeable. Scott was our guide on this trip and he was wonderful. We had a couple moments of fantastic excitement but the entire trip was a great adrenaline rush. Would recommend this company to anyone looking to try white water in virginia.

We took a youth group tubing and had a fabulous experience with Riverside Outfitters. They were easy to work with in scheduling our large group. The people in the shop were friendly and answered our questions. We look forward to coming back next year!

Super kind to the customer and have very nice bikes as well

Great great time! 10/10 beautiful views, great tour guides (aaron was awesome!), we were beginners and it was very fun and safe! We also saw some wildlife and went on a rope swing. Would recommend 😁

Ryan was awesome! The morning was perfect and so relaxing.

Came river rafting for the first time. I looked a at a few places and decided on Riverside Outfitters. Our guide Will was awesome, from be knowledgeable, friendly and just great conversations. It was like hanging out with a friend. Thanks Will 👍...

We adh a great time. Not only fun but some cool local knowledge given as we rafted through downtown RVA! We took a little break to snack and hydrate on some impressive rocks before jumping off and resuming our rafting. Guides were fun, great and safe throughout the trip. HAD A BLAST!

It was my first time ever rafting and it will definitely not be my last. The staff there is AMAZING. Elanor, our motorwas super sweet, chatty, and fun. The other gentlemen in the others rafts were also funny and helpful at all times.I recommend this place to everybody! You do not only fall in love with the scene; you fall in love with the tour guides too.

Booked 4 for Upper (class 1/2) and 2 for Lower James (class 2/3 today). Both groups had a blast. Marc and Kinan were great guides. Perfect morning.

Went on a guided kayaking trip on the James River last Friday. We had Louis as a guide. He was great, he even took pictures and sent us to them after the trip. Everyone had a great time. Highly recommend. Awesome way to spend 3 hours on the water!!!

Delivered on time and split for manageable pieces. Was warned beforehand when I called that wood was not completely seasoned, but at $105 for the load, still happy that I ordered through Riverside. Will use them again.

Amazing experience! My group had a blast rafting down the James River and we are already thinking about when we are going to come back and do it again!

Fantastic river guides. We recently went through Riverside Outfitters for our river rafting trip, and we had a blast! Friendly and knowledgeable staff who had a easygoing attitude. After the rafting trip we were offered the chance to sit and chat over an ice cold drink with our river guides. Were already looking forward to our next rafting trip.

We had an amazing time. Our guide John is very knowledgeable on the history of the river, it was a great experience all around. Beautiful ride, relaxing and exciting at the same time. All the guides are very nice. I would do it again!

Just finished an awesome trip down the river with Ryan. Outstanding guide. We decided raft first thing this morning and Riverside was able to accommodate. Not only was it a great trip but Ryan was very knowledgeable about the area. Cant wait to go back.

The best Richmond experience I’ve ever had and I’ve lived in Richmond for 4 years. Our guides, Scott and Eric, were knowledgeable, safe and fun. Would highly recommend the lower river ride but any of them would be great.

We went with our friends and it was a blast! Ive white water rafted before and they did a great job with organizing lunch! Would definitely recommend.

My husband and I did a trip with these guys and LOVED it. Were fit senior citizens with no experience. We learned a lot and had a ball. Would highly recommend Riverside Outfitters.

If you are planning some river recreation on the James or any of our other great water ways. This is the place to rent or buy your equipment. Staff is friendly and knowledgeable.

Went for a trip down the James River with our guide Arkam. It was relaxing at parts, we could get out and swim with the raft, and paddling over the rapids was exciting. A choice of lunch was provided, and after the trip beer and other refreshments were offered. Overall good trip and a great staff.

My 9 year old did the Riverside Outfitters week-long summer camp and had a wonderful time! She cant wait to do it again next year! The staff encouraged independence from the kids but provided enough supervision to keep it safe. Kudos to them for a wonderful operation.

It was really fun, I loved it! You had breaks between pattling and riding down the river. You got snacks and they REALLY took care of you!

Did the upper river with the family. Scott was great! Fun and patient with the kiddos.

I got a Groupon for the guided upriver kayak session. It was fantastic. The 2 guides were very knowledgeable about the river and I felt very safe the whole time. I couldnt have asked for a better day to be on the river and a better experience. I highly recommend using Riverside Outfitters for your outdoor adventure needs.

Took our family down the lower and despite the water being pretty low we had a blast. Will, our guide, was pretty awesome. He had a ton of history about the area to tell us. Definitely worth the money and if in the area again its a must!

We had a blast on the mini raft with Arqam and Caleb. They were knowledgeable and fun and contributed to our amazing time on the river. We will definitely be going back!

Just finished an adventure, great guides they really make you feel welcome and very instructive. Its more of a feeling of family rather than another customer. Definitely recommend if your looking for a great time!

Rock solid KickAss Outfitters. Guides were well versed on rafting and local history. Very knowledgeable. Lunch was good too. Get here and get rocked. Thanks RO. Jeremiah is the Man.

Did the Kayak tour on the James through groupon - Louis and Jay were our guides and did an amazing job with our group! I had such a great time and would like to do it again soon.The trees were so beautiful with the fall leaves changing along the river and the water was crisp and cool. Thanks for a great tour !

I waited to write this review until I cooled off from my tubing experience...My two friends who were visiting from out of state and I called for advice on which tubing experience to choose, and we paid over the phone for Buy & Ride Huguenot Flatwater to Pony Pasture. When we arrived at the advised meeting place, we wandered around for about 15 minutes looking for our driver, before finally walking up to a young man sitting next to a pretty beat up pick-up that had a small Riverside Outfitters logo on the side. Apparently that was our ride- which would have been nice to know as we were cluelessly walking around the multiple large and colorful RO shuttles that were parked in the same lot. The ride up to the beginning of our route was uneventful and quiet, but the young guy did mention to ride closer to the far bank and portage in order to avoid a dam. We felt as though he was putting in as much effort as possible to make sure we knew that he didnt care at all about our experience. Our waterproof map was a paper printed-off map in a sandwich bag that had multiple holes in it (which as you can imagine was absolutely useless about 10 minutes in). He did not give us our deflation device until after he dropped us off at the start of the route, so we had no choice but to hold onto it on our ride down the river (and ultimately we lost it). Having been given next-to-no direction on how to plan our route down the river, we ended up at the opposite bank from our car at the very end and had to fight the rapids (and sharp rocks and some leeches in the grass) to make it back to the right side of the river. One of our tubes did end up popping, and Im not really sure how you can justify charging $30/small black rubber tube without at least good customer service and direction. We had a pretty horrible experience that ended with cuts, scrapes, bruises, and the decision to never try tubing again.**Edit: I was refunded, but only for the cost of my experience and not those of my friends’ (I paid for them too when I paid over the phone). I am wondering- do they have to post negative reviews too so that I am able to receive a full refund? I would hate for that to be the case- one collective negative experience should not affect your ratings that much...

I fell in love with rafting after this. Its my most favorite past time that I cant do very often lol. If it interests you in the slightest, try it out. Its better than you could imagine

Awesome time, with an amazing guide. I was led by Ryan and he was incredibly nice and very informative. I definitely recommend it to anyone who has never tried.

My daughter and I had a great time today! Scott was our guide, the water was high and the ride was exciting!! Well do it again!

Rented kayaks from these guys right along the James river, near Belle Isle- It was so convenient that they had had the kayaks already out there, we were able to just grab them on a whim. Great value, no hassle, just fun.

My first experience rafting was with these guys. It was so much fun I had the best Guide, shout out to Jen!

Great time -no hassle and no grumpy people. Really a fun break right in Richmond. Jason was a great guide!

Riding my road bike on Riverside drive, I ran a flat tire. Helpful folks here gave me a patch kit and got me back on my way. Great people.

Camp here is amazing, you get to swim in the James every day and find the best spots to drift along! Just be careful of all the rocks :)

Had an awesome raft trip on the Upper James River today; Rachel was a great guide and made the whole experience special. Check these guys out!

I am rating Riverside Outfitters not the experience. Very easy to reserve time slots online. We were told to be ready for pick up 30 minutes prior to tubing time. So we were picked up at the designated spot 10 minutes before our scheduled tubing time. Since there was no option to purchase cooler tube online we advised our young very nice driver we needed an extra tube. Not only did he not know what to do, he didnt know the price for cooler tube. We already knew it was $30.00. He kindly stopped off at headquarters and we were able to get our tube. He gave us a map at drop off with instructions to drop off at 3rd bridge. Then changed it to second bridge. He advised us to position ourselves over at the right far side of the river after the second bridge needing to look for sign and we would see it before the 3rd bridge . No mention of train bridge so we took that as our 2nd bridge. Boy was he wrong. We got ourselves in a bad position never recovering until we finally finished. The tubes we purchased didnt all have a high back and they didnt even take the time to put a cover over the port you use to pump up the tub . We asked our driver if there was anything special we need to know about deflating tool. He said he didnt know and started reading the back of the package. Never doing this before we asked for advice on securing our cooler. There was no real help in this area.Overall we had a nice day. I would recommend you take the time and purchase quality tubes on your own for cheaper than $30.00 a tube and go to a company with experienced employees. I dont blame him, I blame Riverside Outfitters..

The trips on the James are great the tour guide i had was really nice and really funny. I had a lot of fun rafting down the river with them.

Ive rented from them twice now and Im disappointed in the quality. you cannot rent a tube for the river. You have to buy them. And for $25 a piece, they wont even put air in it for you. Their response was, Wawa has free air.We rented mountain bikes last summer and the chain broke on two of them while we were miles away from the car.

Had an amazing time! Would definitely do it again. The Guides are awesome and very knowledgeable.

Had an awesome first experience white water rafting with these guys. We will definitely be back!!

Easy service and great deals. Recommend going kayaking.

Riverside Outfitters is great for a day on the James if you dont have all the equipment you need. The staff is friendly and they run a very smooth operation ensuring youre enjoying the day rather than wasting it.

Great rafting experience with great guides. Take the full trip with the lunch stop.

Took a group of 20 and had a wonderful time! Highly recommended!!

Had a great time thanks guys Ill be back

Great staff. Loved the SUP class.

Had an amazing time with the folk at riverside outfitters.

Had a blast, go with Ryan as a guide f you can!

Best outdoor adventure place in Richmond. So much knowledge about the area and their sport. I have been on several different types of trips and never felt unsafe. I even went rafting on July 4th one summer in high water with my 50+ mom and the guides made sure she felt comfortable the entire time.Most of the trips out of the shop are on the pricier end but they also do a good amount of groupon deals, so definitely look out for those. They offer a whitewater SUP trip that is literally so much fun. I think all of the trips, you stop and get a snack and water about half way through too. At the end you are driven back to the shop for a beer, or soda, afterwards and get to hang out with the staff. I love that kind of community they instill!Lastly, they do rentals off of Browns Island 7 days a week now during the summer for very decent prices. No one else in Richmond offers an on-site adventure like this that you dont have to set up ahead of time. You can literally just pay and go. Their are SUPs, kayaks, and mountain bikes.I cant tell you much about the camp bc I dont have kids but they always look happy and its definitely cheaper than sending your kid to Passages?

A lot of fun. Would recommend it.

Had a blast!!

Great experience with 5 year olds.