The Front Royal/Warren County Chamber of Commerce recently celebrated the grand opening of Front Royal River Adventures, a new business offering thrilling river experiences to locals and tourists alike. The event was marked by a ribbon-cutting ceremony led by Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Nike Foster and Front Royal Mayor Lori co*ckrell, who expressed their excitement and support for this new venture.
Mayor co*ckrell shared her enthusiasm during the ceremony, highlighting the importance of utilizing the area’s natural assets. “It’s a beautiful day to be down here at the river,” she said. I’m so excited to be here with Jeff to officially open Front Royal River Adventures.The mayor reflected on the value of having a river outfitter adventure in the town. “I met Jeff a while back when he brought this idea to us at Front Royal Town Council. I’m super excited that it’s here and ready to open. You know our area has such natural assets, and you’re capitalizing on that. I’m delighted you’re here, excited you’re investing in us, and we will have lots of fun out here.”
Jeff Kelble, the owner of Front Royal River Adventures, also addressed the attendees, expressing his pride and gratitude. “I guess I’d like to say that I’m both proud and honored to open Front Royal River Adventures here right in Front Royal on the South Fork of the Shenandoah,” Kelble stated. “I’d like to thank my family for their patience over the last six months while Whit Overstreet and I, my general manager and future business owner, have worked to take advantage of this great campus that we have here. It’s a park-like setting. We’re directly on the South Fork of the Shenandoah in the town of Front Royal near I-66. It just couldn’t be a better location for us.”
Kelble also emphasized the support he received from the town’s officials and the community. “The town of Front Royal, from staff through the planning commission to the town council, has been incredibly supportive from the beginning. We’ve had no friction. We’ve had a warm welcome from Warren Park, our community, and we want to be a part of this small community and the greater community here and invite our guests, friends, and family to come and play.”
After the ribbon-cutting ceremony, our reporter, Mark Williams, spoke with Jeff Kelble for an in-depth look at what Front Royal River Adventures has to offer.
“So Jeff, on behalf of the Royal Examiner, I’d like to congratulate you on the opening of Front Royal River Adventures. And I see behind you, you’ve got canoes and floats and everything. Could you tell us about what we can expect?” asked Williams.
Kelble responded enthusiastically, “So, yeah, we just had our ribbon cutting with the mayor, all the representatives, friends, and family. And we’re celebrating a grand opening weekend. We have been quietly open for a while, working out the kinks. But what we’ve done here is we acquired the VFW property in 2021. The VFW had its headquarters here for several generations but lost its meeting location and couldn’t rebuild. For more than 15 years, it has been on my mind as a great location for a river adventure business or an outfitter, if you will.”
He continued, “We’ve got 12 acres of open field and about a quarter mile of riverfront on the South Fork Shenandoah. Our goal as a business is to be part of the Front Royal community and the greater Shenandoah Valley community, offering family adventure on the river, which includes canoeing, kayaking, stand-up paddle boarding, and family rafting. The rafting isn’t on a whitewater stretch but on a gentle flow. We also offer inner tubing, which is probably our number one bestseller in the summer.”
Kelble highlighted the variety of activities and amenities available. “We’re prepared for small groups, individuals, friends, and family, and even larger groups if people want to bring a group of friends or do an event here. We have access to the South Fork right here, which means we can offer two types of river activities. We can take people upriver in the traditional outfitting model, where they float down to our location, and then they’re free to go home or stay and enjoy the campus. We’ll have horseshoe, Frisbee, and field games, and they can picnic and enjoy our pavilion, which can accommodate several hundred people on picnic tables.”
The site also offers camping opportunities. “We have a bathhouse with bathrooms for men and women, and we’ve set up campsites along the river where guests can camp overnight. They can stay from one to 14 days and enjoy river activities here.”
Kelble mentioned additional options, including park-and-paddle or paddle-by-the-hour. “Guests can come to our park-like setting, rent boats, and paddle around. The river slows down to almost a stop where we’re located on the Shenandoah and wanders gently through the reservoir, making it great for people to launch here and paddle at their own pace.”
Finally, Kelble emphasized their readiness for events and the potential for future developments. “We’ve had quite a few people already rent the pavilion for family reunions, wedding receptions, and corporate events. Our location on the northernmost portion of Front Royal offers more than 10 acres of agriculturally zoned property and access to riverfront property recently donated to Warren County, which could be developed into a park.”
Kelble provided contact information for those interested in experiencing these river adventures: “You can call us at 540-622-4220 or visit our website at www.frontroyalriveradventures.com to make reservations. We also welcome walk-ins.”
The addition of Front Royal River Adventures is a significant milestone for the town, promising to boost local tourism and provide new opportunities for outdoor fun. As the community continues to grow and develop, this new venture stands as a testament to the collaborative spirit and forward-thinking approach of Front Royal’s residents and leaders.
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