[relaxing music] - Nantahala Outdoor Center is the leader in outdoor adventure since 1972.

We've been offering whitewater rafting, zip-lining, mountain biking, kayaking, hiking, and a plethora of other adventures for over 50 years.

Our most visited location is our Bryson City location, which is at the intersection of the Appalachian Trail and the Nantahala River.

And here we offer over 100 itineraries of adventure.

We also have on-site lodging.

We have dining and really just everything for everyone.

[relaxing music] - What I love most about this campus in particular is that we're not just a whitewater rafting and zip-lining company, and we do so much more.

Our world-renowned paddling school for whitewater canoe and kayak instruction will be celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

So we do kayak and canoe instruction for beginners up to advanced boaters.

We do swift-water rescue training and ACA kayak instructor training.

In addition to that, we have our SOLO Southeast Wilderness Medicine School for up to people that are just wanting to explore the outdoors on their own and just wanna know that they have the right training to take care of situations, from wilderness first aid classes up to wilderness emergency medical technician classes.

- River's End Restaurant is open year round.

Anytime of the year, they serve lunch and dinner.

You can drop by after a day on the river, or if you're just passing through enjoying the Nantahala Gorge, the scenery, you can stop in anytime for a great meal.

- Today I'm having the Best Dam Chicken Sandwich named after the Nantahala Dam at the top of the river.

It's really good.

It's got sriracha and honey and some other sauces in there too, so it's definitely good.

- My favorite experience here at NOC is taking my first trip down the Nantahala in a ducky, which is an inflatable kayak.

It's a little more of an exciting trip, and you learn a a lot about the river, the flora and fauna, and you just feel so empowered when you do something like that.

- NOC's main campus on the Nantahala River has been host to many different national and international races and events.

In 2013, we held the Freestyle World Championships, where we had paddlers from all across the world come and visit the wave that we have built specifically for that event.

We've worked with the Nantahala Racing Club to do several downriver and slalom events, and I think it just speaks to how priceless and how timeless the venue here on the Nantahala is.

[intriguing music] - You know, coming to NOC, I just love that everything's right here by the river, that you can watch some of the best kayakers in the world.

You can watch people rafting.

You can go ahead and watch people coming off the trail and then have a beer by the restaurant.

You know, everything is so close to the water here that it's really a fantastic, magical place.

- We have visitors come from all over to our Bryson City campus, but there's so much more to Nantahala Outdoor Center.

We offer whitewater rafting on six different rivers over four states in the southeast, as well as other activities internationally and domestically.

- NOC is definitely for anybody.

We have a product that is age-appropriate, that is skill-appropriate, for anybody who's looking to get outdoors, whether that's a walk on a trail, if it's going on a rental trip, whether on flat water or maybe some whitewater.

And you feel like you've got the skillset to go out there or you wanna develop that skillset, we've got those products.

There's no judgment.

You're gonna have the same experience that anybody else might have.

They're gonna see the same wilderness.

They're gonna see the same resources.

So opening those up for anybody really is a key thing.

- [Kristin] NOC is the perfect spot for a North Carolina summer vacation or weekend away because there is so much to do here.

The views are spectacular, and there's just a magic of this place.

It brings people from all over.

And we see a lot of people that come year after year to share family memories all the way from when they were a child to now bringing their grandkids.

- I think that the Nantahala Gorge is a magical place, and that once somebody visits here, it just holds a place in their heart, and it's someplace that they wanna visit again and again.

Whether they're here just driving through for the day on a Sunday afternoon drive on their way to another vacation destination, or this is their vacation destination, I would say that the majority of people that come through this area, this is not the last time that they will ever come back.

It's some place that, you know, just feels like home.

- The Nantahala Outdoor Center is at 13077 Highway 19 West in Bryson City, and it's open daily from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.

To book your adventure, give them a call at 828-785-5082, or check them out online at noc.com.