CHARLESTON, W.Va — The Charleston Convention and Visitors Bureau, in partnership with River Expeditions, is offering a new way for West Virginians and out-of-town visitors to get out and enjoy the natural fun the state has to offer.
The “Fun Bus” is a monthly rafting trip that takes patrons to the New River to whitewater raft. The day will consist of a rafting adventure, with necessary equipment included, lunch and round trip shuttle transportation for $85.
This Saturday the first Fun Bus will depart from Charleston at 9 a.m. from Clendenin Street, and will drop rafters back off at 5 p.m.
The event will continue to take place throughout the summer until September.
“We believe in the value of working with all of our tourism partners, and that includes partners outside of the Charleston area,” said Jama Jarrett, vice president of operations and communications for the CVB. “Alisa Bailey, our CEO, this was her idea several months ago, and just in conversation it came up, and River Expeditions jumped on it. So, they wanted to be a part of it, and we’re glad they did.”
River Expeditions is a whitewater rafting expedition company based in New River Gorge and has been rafting since 1972.
Co-owner of River Expeditions, Heather Johnson, said that the company was excited about the partnership with the CVB and that the package they created is “easy, fun and affordable”.
“We will pick you up and take you to Fayetteville, West Virginia where you will go whitewater rafting on the New River Gorge, the lower section, and it’s an express trip, so you’ll hit the highlights of the New River Gorge with about a two to three hour trip,” she said.
Johnson said that she would love to have people take advantage of this opportunity to explore West Virginia.
“We wanted to really offer an exclusive rate, and we were hoping to add addition dates,” she said. “If this really takes off and we have a huge group at the Civic Center, we would certainly make a date available and customize a trip for them.”
Anyone can raft, even those who have never set foot in one before, as long as they are at least 12-years-old. Weather does not affect the trip either.
“There’s no such thing as bad rafting weather. We go rain or shine,” said Johnson. “The river is always amazing. That’s one of the advantages that we have over other states that are dependent on dam flows or whether they’ve had rainfall; the New River is free-flowing, and we could literally raft year round.”
The next rafting trip will take place the first weekend in July, and to make a required reservation, call 800-463-9873 and use offer code FUN BUS.
Story by Jordyn Johnson