Watermelon Park

If you're looking for a slow, easy, fun afternoon for you and the kids (off all ages), tubing, canoeing or kayaking at Watermelon Park on the Shenandoah River is just the thing you need!  We opted for the tubing and, of course, I bought my tickets through one of those coupon websites ($30 for 5 people or 4 people plus a floating cooler), but the regular prices are affordable too. They have life vests if you feel more comfortable with one, and they have tubes with a closed bottom for the little ones.

From where we live, the drive to Berryville is about an hour and a half....or at least it would have been if we didn't get lost.  If you make the turn on Chilly Hollow Road by the farmer's market, you won't get lost, but apparently we took the scenic route. :-(  After finally getting there, it was pretty easy to get started.....leave everything in your car (clothes, towels, etc), pay, pick up a tube and get on the bus.  You can bring food and drinks (no glass bottles) and get a floating cooler to take with you on the river. The bus drives you about a mile up river and drops you off at the starting point. (Drivers are tipped a minimum of $2 per person at this point). Grab your float, put on your sunblock, head down to the river and jump in!

My expectation was for the river to be very cold but it was very pleasant and so getting in was a breeze. We were a group of 12; 6 adults and 6 kids (ages ranging from 6-11). The kids didn't want to be tethered to us so they went off on their own as a group. The river was about 3 feet deep for most of the way, shallower in some spots and deeper towards the end but crystal clear the whole way. (That's what I liked because I am a big chicken and wanted to see if anything was swimming under me).  About 30 minutes into the trip, we saw an embankment on one side and we all parked our tubes, had lunch and then let the kids swim around, skip rocks and try to catch the little fish that were flitting about. They really loved this part. It took us a while to get them back on the tubes to continue down the river but finally we did and just laid back and enjoyed the rest of the float. At the end of the trip, we parked our tubes again and they were some small rapids that our daredevil kids wants to go in. I tried to do the same and saw my life flash before my eyes as the river tried to take me away. Luckily we had two strong men in the group to save me. Don't know how the kids managed but they did it and had a blast. The ride down the river ends right back where we picked up our tubes and parked our car so it's very convenient. It really was a fun day and we will definitely do it again. In fact, I think we are going to do it again next week!

http://watermelonpark.com/