Honoring Military Families Through An Unforgettable River Tubing Adventure

Everybody deserves to relax, unwind, and have some good quality family fun! Spending time together in nature has been scientifically proven to reduce stress, improve mental health, and foster deeper connections within communities. For families of active-duty military personnel, this is especially important. That’s why our team at Front Royal River Adventures was so excited to have the honor of working with local nonprofit Blue Star Families to put together an extraordinary river tubing experience for twenty military families. With over 80 exceptional individuals in need of a well-deserved adventure, plus some less-than-ideal weather conditions, this special event required careful planning, coordination, and execution. However, we were determined to make it happen!

The Call from Blue Star Families

When we got the call from Blue Star Families, we were thrilled to work with them! Blue Star is an amazing local nonprofit that helps military families throughout Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C., providing access to outdoor recreation for free. Their organization works tirelessly to raise money to offer these incredible spouses, parents, and kids with much-needed R&R with their families. At Front Royal River Adventures, we’re passionate about serving our community and providing top-notch, personalized experiences for any occasion. Of course, we said yes to making this incredible dream adventure come true.

A River Tour for 80 People: Not Easy, but We Managed

Planning a river tubing trip for 80 people is no easy feat, but with over 25 years of experience, we knew we could make this special day perfect for our well-deserving families. However, as she sometimes does, Mother Nature decided to throw a wrench in our plans! After carefully coordinating all our dates and times for this special excursion, there was a weather forecast of heavy rains, high waters, and intense storms! Luckily, our small business can handle this kind of climate, so we were able to make the necessary adjustments needed to provide these families with a fun and safe outing that they will remember forever.

Our Team Was There to Help!

This large-scale event required meticulous planning, especially considering the day’s forecasted storms. So, we prepared accordingly! Our team blocked off a 2-hour window exclusively for our military families – allowing our entire staff and resources to devote their time to making the families’ day as memorable as possible. Due to the weather, we shortened our trip time out on the water to about two-thirds the usual length for everyone’s safety. We worked together to get our families out on the water as quickly as possible, to get ahead of the conditions. Families were encouraged to arrive 30 minutes ahead of time to complete all necessary waivers, as well as receive clear instructions and location reminders! We also coordinated synchronized group transportation using our entire fleet of buses so that everyone could arrive at the same time.

Additionally, our dedicated team arrived extra early that morning and dropped off all 80 river tubes on site before opening. Without this meticulous attention to detail and careful coordination, it would’ve been nearly impossible to provide such a fun experience to our valued military families! Shoutout to our fantastic team for helping to make this special day happen so seamlessly!

Everything Went As Planned

Our families had a wonderful time out on the river together! Seeing the excitement and joy on their faces when they finally launched their tubes into the beautiful Shenandoah River is truly something our small family business will never forget. The satisfaction from our guests made all the time we spent working and strategizing worth it. For many families, this was their first time river tubing. We were honored to treat everyone to such a memorable and fun experience!

But it didn’t stop there! We had one last special treat in store for our guests… After our tubing adventure, we led the families to our on-site pavilion for some post-tubing relaxation! We were honored to have been selected to help celebrate our local military families, so we wanted to end the day on a memorable note. Our favorite local pizza shop, Melting Pot Pizza, was generous enough to donate 25 pizzas to feed our hungry river tubers. The families enjoyed our large shaded pavilion, a complimentary lunch, cornhole games, and some well-deserved fun.

Join Us at Front Royal River Adventures!

When the day was done, many of the military families thanked us for such a fantastic experience, and we were equally thankful. At Front Royal River Adventures, providing unforgettable river kayaking, canoeing, and tubing tours for our guests is a privilege, especially when we get to give back to our community. Seeing the smiles on all the kids and grownups alike was such an honor and a beautiful reminder of why we do what we do. Sharing the beauty of the Shenandoah River and providing people with the best river tubing trips in Virginia is our specialty, and getting to do so for these wonderful military families is a memory we will treasure for life!