Montgomery Whitewater opens for season with new events. Here's everything you need to know
Last year, Montgomery’s world-class artificial whitewater river channels opened to a huge splash in the summer. But while 2023’s run was a roaring adventure, it wasn’t a full season.
That all changes in 2024, starting this weekend with Montgomery Whitewater’s official spring opening.
Saturday and Sunday, relaxing flatwater fun returns from 10-11:30 a.m. for guests who sign up. After that, the rapids are back, baby. Guests can pick a package and go rafting through the channels, or experienced kayakers can get a pass and challenge themselves on the courses.
“It is a little chilly, but it’ll be full swing on the weekend,” said Megan McKenzie, Montgomery Whitewater's chief marketing officer. "We know we’ve got lots of paddlers coming in to get into the water for the first time this season.”
Ride your fill, and stick around. There’s a lot of fun ahead, especially on Saturday afternoon. Plus, remember that there's no admission charge and no parking fee for those who are only visiting Montgomery Whitewater at 1100 Maxwell Blvd. and don't intend to get on the water. Everyone is invited to walk around the grounds.
While you can’t bring in outside food, you can eat at the on-site Eddy’s Restaurant. The Outfitter Store is also open for snacks, gear and souvenirs.
Keep up with all the daily schedules for Montgomery Whitewater activities with their online calendar at montgomerywhitewater.com. This is also where you can book water adventures and register to participate in several upcoming events.
For first-time guests, be aware that there are varying age restrictions on adventures, as well as other park rules and regulations — such as no smoking anywhere at the facility. A full list of rules is available online.
Do you feel lucky in a ducky?
In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, they’ll have “Lucky Ducky” races (AKA Ducky X) at 4 p.m. Saturday on the Competition Channel.
“A ducky is an inflatable kayak,” McKenzie said. “That can be one or two people. It’s like head-to-head racing. Whoever crosses the finish line first. You have to be in your boat to win.”
Participants must be at least 11 years old.
Montgomery Whitewater provides the ducky, helmet, paddle and personal floatation device.
All racers must wear shoes or sandals with back straps. No strapless sandals, flip-flops or Crocs are allowed for anyone getting on the water.
Check in starts at 2 p.m. The entry fee for racers is $15, and you can sign in online.
Pool float ban deactivated
A new event Saturday called Floatie X is a first for Montgomery Whitewater. Under normal circumstances, you are not allowed to bring any kind of pool floats to use in the facility. After all, it’s not a water park in the swimming pool sense of the term.
“We will let people bring their pool floats,” McKenzie said.
The fun starts just after Ducky X, but you’re not just kicking back on a lazy river. You’ve got to ride your float in a head-to-head race through the channel, and you can have more than one person on a float depending on the size of it.
“The first person to cross the finish line on their boat wins,” McKenzie said.
Like Ducky X, this is for ages 11 and up.
Adding extra passengers seems to kick up the difficulty for a team, since everyone has to hang on at the start and all be aboard as the float crosses the finish line. If team members fall off, you can’t just leave them behind and win. Oh, and did we mention nobody has a paddle? Yes, no paddles.
These personal floats have to be big enough for the rider or riders to sit completely on top of it.
“Your legs can’t be dangling in the water,” McKenzie said.
They also shouldn't be too, too big. Montgomery Whitewater’s folks know that there are some massive floats out there. This is a race designed with typical swimming pool floats in mind, not floating islands.
“We do not have a certain (size) limit, but of course it can’t take over the whole channel,” McKenzie said.
While the footwear rule is the same as Duckie X, there are some other restrictions specific to Floatie X:
No homemade floats.
No arm floats.
The float designs must be family friendly.
If you’re bringing an expensive float, keep in mind that Montgomery Whitewater isn’t responsible if your float gets damaged.
All racers must wear a personal floatation device and helmet, and these will be provided.
There could be more rules to come.
Something else to keep in mind is that you have to air the floats up yourselves, either with a personal pump on site or have them pre-inflated before you arrive.
“We will not have pumps on site for that,” McKenzie said.
Montgomery Whitewater also doesn’t offer pool floats for rent or sale.
Like Ducky X, the entry fee for Floatie X is $15, and you can sign up online.
Concert series kicks off
A short while later Saturday, Montgomery Whitewater will kick off its Spring Get Down Concert Series, which will continue on Saturdays through May 4. Music starts at 5 p.m. This Saturday's music is coming from DJ Clemanzo and Jeffrey James, both of Montgomery, and Rohan Solo of Atlanta.
Acts for the rest of the series include:
March 23
Rollin’ In The Hay (Double Set) (Birmingham)
March 30
Bad Hygiene (Montgomery)
Electric Blue Yonder (Montgomery)
April 6
Neal Lucas Band (Columbus, GA)
Johnathan Michael (Montgomery)
April 13
Graves B’Hamala (Jacksonville)
Dee Oh Gee (Nashville)
April 20
Kyle Kimbrell (Birmingham)
Whitehall (Charleston)
April 27
Andy Branton (Louisville / North Alabama)
Megan Lea & the Dirty Mirrors (Birmingham)
May 4
Kaydee Mulvehill (Birmingham)
Parrotfish (Nashville / Tampa)
May 11 — Paddle Forward Fest
Sam Carlson (New England)
Ted Hefko and the Thousandaries (New Orleans)
Teddy and the Rough Riders (Nashville)
Much, much more to come in the weeks ahead
It's Friday Night Live. Friday evenings, now through March 29 from 6-9 p.m., renowned guitarist Brian Hinton will host singers, songwriters and performers on the heated patio for live music under the stars.
March 23-24 the U.S. Open Whitewater Championships will be held daily from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. It’s open to anyone with intermediate to expert slalom skills. Entry fee is $50. Register online.
April 6, Jackson Kayak will be at Montgomery Whitewater. “They’re doing a freestyle demo and clinic, which should be a lot of fun,” McKenzie said.
April 6 and 7, Montgomery Whitewater guests will be able to see the Beyond the Horizon Air & Space Show flights above Maxwell Air Force Base, which is next door.
April 13 and 14 are the U.S. Canoe Slalom and Kayak Cross Olympic Team Trials, part of the path for athletes to join the U.S. Olympic team.
May 11 is the day businesses, clubs and corporations from across Alabama will be competing in the All Forward Raft Race, a team building challenge. It's also a day. full of live music, food and drinks, and plenty of activities.
See more happenings in Montgomery Whitewater's online calendar.
Montgomery Advertiser reporter Shannon Heupel covers things to do in the River Region. Contact him at sheupel@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Montgomery Whitewater ready to open for season with new rules, events
