Travel secrets from the Ferrier Files: Covered wagons and white water
(WZTV) — If you want to introduce your family to whitewater rafting, you must start somewhere like a day of rafting and a night in a covered wagon. Ferrier Files explored a below the falls Cumberland River white rafting trip. The raft ride is part of the Sheltowee Trace Adventure Resourt in Whitley, Ky. just three hours from Nashville.
It's a resort that celebrates being outdoors.
"So, I think the best thing about being in the outdoors is you are not so sucked into your phone and not absorbed with what is going on. In this little three by five piece of equipment, your view expands out. You're not just looking at this beautiful area but also the people you are with," said Sheltowee Trace Adventure Resort General Manager Dania Egedi.
In this PG adventure, the thrills are real and the risk is minimal.
The trip starts with a paddle into the spray of Cumberland Falls - The Niagara of the south, 128 feet wide and 65 feet tall - This is the way to see it. It's close, but not too close. Even the river's jump rock is a perfect first jump for a child.
One of the coolest things you will ever do in a raft is what they call surfing. It's when you and your guide get in the perfect spot to where the raft feels suspended in the water.
The rafting trip ends with a surprise. You get on a riverboat and lunch cruise back to the resort. But, there's another surprise. Sheltowee has six covered wagons for rent. They are authentic replica Conestoga wagons from the old west, a symbol of pioneer spirit risking everything for a better life.
"This is the only place open to the public east of the Mississippi that you can stay in a covered wagon," said Egedi.
The wagons have heating, air conditioning, a refrigerator with five beds and plenty of space. If you're interested in the resort, visit this link.
