U.S. National Whitewater Center, Charlotte: Photos, Reviews & Location

Recreation grounds with whitewater rafting, canoeing, kayaking, rappelling, rock climbing & more.

At a glance

#8 of 34 Tourist attractions in Charlotte #9 of 39 Parks in Charlotte

LocalGuideWorld score: 4.70

15.8 km from the center of Charlotte

Rating breakdown

5 ★83%
4 ★12%
3 ★2%
2 ★1%
1 ★2%

5000 Whitewater Center Pkwy, Charlotte, NC 28214

whitewater.org

(704) 391-3900

Photos of U.S. National Whitewater Center (118)

View all

U.S. National Whitewater Center, Charlotte – photo 1

U.S. National Whitewater Center, Charlotte – photo 2

U.S. National Whitewater Center, Charlotte – photo 3

U.S. National Whitewater Center, Charlotte – photo 4

U.S. National Whitewater Center, Charlotte – photo 5

U.S. National Whitewater Center, Charlotte – photo 6

U.S. National Whitewater Center, Charlotte – photo 7

U.S. National Whitewater Center, Charlotte – photo 8

U.S. National Whitewater Center, Charlotte – photo 9

U.S. National Whitewater Center, Charlotte – photo 10

U.S. National Whitewater Center, Charlotte – photo 11

U.S. National Whitewater Center, Charlotte – photo 12

Quick facts

What is the rating of U.S. National Whitewater Center?: U.S. National Whitewater Center is rated 4.7 out of 5 based on 9,515 reviews.
How does U.S. National Whitewater Center rank in Charlotte?: U.S. National Whitewater Center is #8 of 34 Tourist attractions in Charlotte by LocalGuideWorld score (rating weighted by number of reviews).
Where is U.S. National Whitewater Center located?: 5000 Whitewater Center Pkwy, Charlotte, NC 28214 — 15.8 km from the center of Charlotte.
How can I contact U.S. National Whitewater Center?: Phone: (704) 391-3900 · Website: whitewater.org

Reviews (8)

Diego A. Ferradas 2023 Nov 10

My girlfriend and I recently moved to Charlotte, NC from South Florida. After visiting the Whitewater Center several times beforehand, we knew we wanted to spend as much time as possible there. Since then, we’ve participated in races, volunteered for packet pick up, supported aid stations, doused runners with green powder for the St. Patty’s run, and gone out for date nights there. For our volunteer opportunities working with Stephen and Lauren has been amazing. They are responsive, helpful and friendly. You can tell they go above and beyond their jobs to provide visitors and competitors with a fantastic experience. If you’re in the Charlotte area, definitely swing by and check out the facility and if you live nearby and are looking for ways to get involved in the community, I’d definitely recommend reaching out to volunteer!

Elizabeth Gonzales 2023 Sep 08

Visited yesterday as one of the stops part of a Girl's Trip. We had an amazing experience!!! The restaurant on site had great food. We did the adventurous rafting course and one of the zip lines. Between eating and those 2 activities that was about 3 hours. All the staff were great, especially our raft guide John. Will definitely be back!

Shanice K. 2023 Aug 29

I’ve been in Charlotte a few years now and never knew this gem existed! This place is amazing. The robe courses, zip lining, rafting, climbing walls and trails are great. Center is well kept, staff is very helpful and restaurants have good really quick bites. Few suggestions, bring a change of clothes (in case you want to go rafting), eat something (robe courses are challenging but fun) and stay hydrated, especially on hot days. And there’s live music at night which is so relaxing. Overall, awesome place for all kinds of activities, must go!

Katie Carpenter 2023 Aug 20

This place is amazing! If you've been multiple times or have never been at all, there is so much to do here! It's absolutely one of the top places to see in Charlotte. They have live music most weekends and lots of different events. Check out their website for what is happening as well as what trails are open. If you don't want to do anything other than hang out, you can do that, too. Pay to park and enjoy the area. Bonus, they are dog friendly!

Eric Ransone 2023 Aug 13

U.S. National Whitewater Center in Charlotte, NC, USA. I recently went there for a work meeting, held in one of their conference rooms, and it was awesome! Absolutely great place to learn whitewater skills. They have a LOT to do there besides whitewater. Climbing walls, zip lines, ropes courses, hiking/running trails, mountain biking trails, a great restaurant, bars and lounges, and regularly scheduled live band entertainment. They also have conference rooms for business meetings or whatever. The place is very well run and maintained. Staff there for everything is great, and they are VERY safety oriented. The running and mountain bike trails are no joke. Not black diamond but definitely challenging. If you don't have equipment for what you want to do, they have it there for rent or for sale. If you want to get outdoors this is a great place to do it. Love this place!!

Andrea Barry 2023 Aug 11

Ah-mazing!!! ❤️ this place is incredible! I was super nervous about doing the rafting and the deep water solo climb, but once you're out there, it is exhilarating! I wish we had more time. I would have loved to try the kayaks and so much more! The food and drinks are great, the staff were awesome! Both of our guides for the rafting were the best! This is definitely a place you need to come at least once! ❤️

Janine Di Muzio 2023 Aug 08

Absolutely amazing. I wish there was something like this in NJ. The fact that they had mtn bike trails, running trails, and OCR course, zip lining, solo climb pool, a rock wall, a place to kayak or paddle board and the best part the white water rafting. I really have to say, the tour guide who is a retired Marine (w the beard) was incredible.
Our rafting experience was unbelievable. He made sure to help guide us through the rapids several times to get the full experience of a 3 or 4 grade. Honestly I'm looking forward to coming back in the winter to see the ice skating rink.

Overall it was a perfect place for an adventure. It's definitely not a place for kids under 10 honestly because of the intensity of the activities.
However it is a great place to learn something new and how to overcome any fear of the water.
I grew up on the bay and ocean. So none here.

I would recommend that if you're in the area or planning to be, that you make a day of it, if not two days.

Bring water shoes and water and be prepared to laugh smile and scream.

Akshat Kumar 2023 Jun 21

Whitewater Center is amazing. It’s a great place to spend a day out doing a bunch of activities ranging from rafting, kayaking, biking and quite a few other adventure activities. We visited on a Saturday and it was quite busy.

There are hiking spaces as well, and it’s great to walk here, albeit on a less warmer day. On warm days, it can be a bit uncomfortable to walk here. We will be back here for the adventure activities. It’s a highly recommended place in Charlotte, and I see why.

Parking is 6 dollars, and there’s ample parking available. Restrooms are scattered throughout the whitewater center.