Float Rite Park on the Apple River

I had a Groupon for a two-​night stay with float. What was not disclosed was that there was a $ 20 per car parking fee and an additional $ 30 deposit for trash/​recycling. I found out about that when I called to make my reservation. Those fees more than doubled what I had already paid for the Groupon. It is also an additional $ 10 for a river front camp site, and another $ 10 if you want water & electric. We did not pay for those options because we did not need them.
This is a «party» campground, which caters to college age folks looking to get drunk, do drugs, and (you know). Although the noise level dropped at the 11 PM curfew, partying continued until an hour or so before dawn in many campsites.
As for the float… there is no disclosure that the rapids at the end of the river can be dangerous and may cause loss of possessions (which can result in additional fines for littering). I lost my glasses and got several scrapes and bruises. Entry and exit to the river are difficult due to steep drop off. Thankfully, the concession stand offered us free hydrogen peroxide, Neosporin, and bandages so I could attend to my wounds after floating in a polluted river.

There are tubes and a river. And a bunch of dirty, belligerent drunks. And some high school and college kids. But…
Check out this review on google+:
«Do not go here. We are in court because the guards assaulted my friend for filming a fighting situation. Then towed his car. Then decided to evict the rest of us.»
My brother-​in-​law was just assaulted by the security guard when we went here as well. He’s also considering pressing charges.

SO GROSS!
A giant floating chlamydia cesspool.
The hidden fees on everything are ridiculous and aplenty. You can complain about the noise until you are blue in the face, and they say «they’ll take care of it» and never show up. Be prepared to have the crappy music of the bro’s next to you blaring all night because there isn’t a thing you can do about it. The campsites are extremely small and the bathrooms are only pit toilets. There were so many amenities they claimed to have on their website that did not exist.
If you want bros most likely puking on your «grass patch» then by all means, book now! If not… look elsewhere.
And for the love of God, DO NOT TAKE CHILDREN HERE!!!
***THIS IS NOT A FAMILY FRIEND CAMPGROUND*
(just an fyi, not that I didn’t know that)

Fun weekend of tubing and camping! HA THINK AGAIN.
This place is super misleading when they say camping and tubing for $ 39.99 a person. Completely not true! I spent well over $ 150 for a fri-​sun trip here this past weekend. What they don’t mention is that when you arrive they upcharge for everything! and I mean everything! From a $ 30 garbage fee, $ 10 recycling, $ 16 cooler tube fee, $ 20 for electric, $ 1 for rope, 4 quarter showers for a minute of water, $ 20 car pass, deposit for tubes, OH AND THE BEST visitors have to pay for a night of camping and a car pass just to join you for tubing which totaled up to around $ 50 per guest.
And what made it completely miserable is that the patio bar was 10 feet from my campsite that played the same 10 songs ALL night. I felt like I was trying to sleep in a bar with that and the numerous car alarms that went off every hour the entire night along with people puking outside the bar which happened to be my site! I have never slept so bad in my entire life.
If you like to be nickel and dimed and enjoy the smell of puke, come on down to float right park, y’all will have a great time.

It was fun but a bit pricey to enjoy a couple hours lazily floating down a river on an inter tube. It is ridiculous that they want to charge you to come in and park and then charge you 15.00 and don’t even let you pick out your own tube. The workers are friendly enough and they have this down to a science. They keep your keys and license for you so you don’t have to worry about losing those. The bus to drop you in the water was quick and efficient. The river itself is not really that fast moving — and for whatever reason a ton of police are patrolling the river — -I get it that water, drunks, and stupidity do not usually mix well… however I just really thought if kids want to get out here and get wild who the hell cares. So if you are looking to go totally crazy or partake of illegal activities like underage drinking or illegal substances maybe take it to another floating destination.

First off, there is NO free breakfast, as one of the images here misleadingly states. On the contrary, Float Rite seems to nickel and dime you with all sorts of fees and deposits (that I’ve never had at other similar and dissimilar campsites). The showers also cost a dollar each time, and the facilities are rather poor for what they charge. There are no mirrors, only tarnished metal so murky I can’t even tell if my eye makeup’s still on or not; not sure how guys would be able to shave with those either. The restrooms on-​site were dingy, had many stalls with locks that didn’t work, and apparently smelled like poo (per my boyfriend; I had a stuffy nose that weekend – thank goodness!). They also only take cash (at the bar too), but have various ATMs nearby.
They do have a busing system that will take you to General Sam’s (a restaurant/​bar nearby) and come to pick you up (you just need to ask General Sam’s staff to call the Float Rite bus). General Sam’s is probably your best bet for a nice restroom «within walking distance» (with busing).
Floating is pretty nice; Apple River goes at a good pace (not slow, like Sugar River) and has clear signs at common stopping points – including one indicating rapids ahead for those faint of heart (it’s only a small stretch of the river, but the waters do churn and can flip you over if you’re not careful). The scenery’s nice and mostly foliage (as opposed to people gawking from trailers or river-​side houses), and the river’s not too deep in case you ever need to stand up. For Float Rite, you’ll need to rent their tubes to go floating, which are just plain black inner tubes. They have various sizes, so you can ask for a smaller tube if you’re petite (like me). They have cooler tubes, rope, and ice for purchase… but getting them elsewhere beforehand will be less expensive. They’ll bus you, your cooler, and tubes to the starting point and you’ll float back to the campsite – no hassle retrieving the car or anything!
Float Rite also has theme nights at their bar/​patio, but most attendees don’t seem to follow the theme (at least, not at the toga party I was at) and they don’t hold costume contests, contrary to what their website says, which was slightly disappointing since I love dressing up and was totally decked out. There *were* a handful or two who were dressed up and some of them were pretty creative (Batman toga, anyone?). There was an okay mix of ages; the ones dancing tended to be the younger crowd grinding, but I did see and participate in some swing and waltzing (for a slow dance). They also have a mechanical bull, and watching drunkards try to stay on it is pretty entertaining. The music’s pretty good (a mix of country, oldies, hip hop, and pop) and things pick up around 11pm/​midnight.
Some of the campsites have trees dividing the sites; each has a picnic table each and dirt pits (no grill or fire ring). The site we got had trees, which definitely added to the experience, and was «cozy” – on the small side, but fit our tent for two well enough. It was a short walk down to the river and felt connected to nature (but we also didn’t have any immediate neighbors). Curfew (for loud noises/​music) is 11pm, but their bar is open until much later and will be booming music late into the night; luckily our campsite was far enough away that it just sounded like white noise and wasn’t bothersome. (I can’t speak for sites closer…)
Throughout our stay, the staff were always friendly, helpful, and fun to talk to (from the bus driver to the person handling the tube rental), which starkly contrasted the poor quality of the facilities. I wonder if they just don’t have enough to re-​do the place and these fees are their way to try and get there?
Overall, I had fun floating, dancing the night away, and waking up to the fresh, cool air. The amenities were less than expected, especially for the price… but I guess I’ll call it an expensive «back to nature» experience.

Fun place but they could make some changes to make this better. The camping areas are great with lots of trees. They didn’t have toilet paper in the bathrooms most of the weekend. It would be nice if they had a better setup for when you get off the river. You have to carry your cooler and tubes up a big hill to return the Tubes and then it’s a long walk with your cooler back to your campsite. The other tubing places I have been take your tube right where you get out and then they drive you and your coolers back to your campsite.

Apple River is always a good time getaway with friends. Who doesn’t want to float down a river with your friends, making new friends, drinking a few beers, exchanging Jell-​O shots with passer byers, and listening to good music!
Float rite is the place to stay for Apple River tubing. The campsites are always well kept, tidy, and tons of fun. There are tons of people there no matter what week you go in summer, and tons of age ranges. There are the 18 year olds but there are also the 20, 30, 40, and 50 year people getting together to have a good time. The campsite bathrooms are ALWAYS well kept (well at least the ladies) and the staff is fairly helpful. We’ve been here two years in a row and never had a problem staying here. The prices are reasonable, there is a long tube ride, and I honestly would not go anywhere else.

Love it or hate, the Apple River is what it is and won’t be changing anytime soon, which is fine by me. I have stayed at Float Rite a number of times throughout the years while making the annual pilgrimage to act a fool on the river. Here are some of the highlights and low-​lights:
PROS
— Large campsite with a fair number of electric hook-​ups, cabins and sites for tents.
— Convenient to the amphitheater across the street.
— Bar and store with firewood, munchies, mechanical bull, etc.
— Plenty of socializing among the campers.
CONS
— Nickel-​and-​dime pricing for just about everything.
— Pretty strict security (though you can’t fault them due to all the drunken foolishness that occurs on the river).
— No frills tubes for floating.
Float Rite will likely continue to be my go-​to for trips to the river based upon all of the conveniences offered, though there are certainly some areas they could improve upon.

Save your money and go to the comal river in new braunfels Texas! It’s a million times better.