saluda river yacht club

Saluda Yacht Club aims to create a friendly spot to dock

• Saluda River Yacht Club
• 1307 Old Easley Highway

Think of it as a Swamp Rabbit Trail, but with water instead of asphalt.

At least that is what Steve Pilgrim, the owner of the new Saluda River Yacht Club, hopes you'll do.

He and manager Mickey Kriese hope the new, upscale eatery, rafting club and watering hole will bring in lots of customers and water enthusiasts who are hungry for a place to eat after a long day on the river and who are not averse to a tasty adult beverage, too.

Oh, they also have tubes, kayaks and buses to ferry you up to the put-in spot just below the dam at the Saluda Reservoir and for the four to five hour float downstream to the club.

Located just across the bridge on State 124 from Greenville County, the yacht club is a bold experiment that they hope will bring an upscale clientele to the river that has languished as a sort of backwater in this outdoor-crazed and beer-loving city, Kriese said.

It has been an uphill struggle for Kriese and Pilgrim. Pilgrim bought the place around the first of January and Kriese did most of the renovations on the building and grounds himself, working for over a month on the 3.5 acre property and changing the place from an old beer joint on the river to an upscale destination spot.

Well, that remains to be seen, but they hope so.

First they have to hold river clean-ups to make the river safe for navigation; they already get a helping hand from Greenville and Pickens counties as well as organizations like Save Our Saluda.

Kriese, 35, said there are plans to install a brewery on the first floor, but they already take advantage of local brewers for the bulk of their products, liquor as well as beer, and there are plans underway to do a great deal of barbecuing on site as well as to offer sandwiches for folks who just want a quick bite.

"Whenever we can, we buy locally," Kriese said, a move he hopes will help draw customers from downtown Greenville.

It is quite a change for this section of river, which has never pulled much of a local business. Already the business is getting customers from as far away as Charlotte and Atlanta.

"We don't plan to encourage drinking on the river for safety reasons," Kriese said. "It is best to do that after you have put into the landing."

There are also lots of places for the kids to play after getting off the river. Horseshoes and volleyball are available, as well as full hookups for trailers for those who want to spend the weekend on the river.

"We're just getting started here," said Kriese, "There is still a lot we have to do to be ready for rafting season, but we ought to be there in time.

"We hope this place will be life-changing for all of us and our guests. I can see Steve going to full-time brewing once that is online. I'm certainly starting a new full-time career with this place."

Like them on Facebook for events and updates .

Floatin’ on the river at the Saluda Outdoor Center

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Saluda River | Photo from Saluda Outdoor Center

#DYK just five miles from downtown Greenville you can go glamping or tube down the Saluda River ?

Cliff and Kristi Carden + Bo and Lisa Bruce purchased the Saluda River Yacht Club back in December , and after a few changes and renovations, they’ve got the new Saluda Outdoor Center up and running. There’s currently a lot in the works at the property, but we’ve got all the deets to help you stay afloat .

○ Hours: Friday – Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

○ Cost: $20 per person (includes tube, life vest + transportation)

*Discounts available for military, first responders, and teachers

○ Trip length: 1.5 to 2.5 hours (depending on the flow of the river)

○ Click here to book your adventure

○ Stand up paddle boarding from SUPstate + kayaking coming soon

Tubing with the Saluda Outdoor Center | Photo from Saluda Outdoor Center

Dish + Drink 🍺

○ Coming soon

○ Indoor + outdoor seating

○ Music events

○ All river trips conclude at the bar/restaurant. ( Perfect, because y’all know the munchies hit the hardest after being in the water all day. It’s actually scientifically proven .)

○ Tent sites available from $20

○ A-Frame “glamping” sites available from $45 (BYO bedding)

○ If you have no idea what we’re talking about when we say “glamping,” click here .

“Glamping” sites at the Saluda Outdoor Center | Photo from Saluda Outdoor Center

Tiny Homes 🏠

○ Quantity available: 10 (Four homes are going up for sale in the next couple of weeks, and five more will be custom built to the buyer’s liking.)

○ Price: $60-$90K

○ Interested?: Click here to contact the Saluda Outdoor Center

Tiny homes at the Saluda Outdoor Center | Photo from Saluda Outdoor Center

The Saluda Outdoor Center has several precautionary measures in place to help protect visitors from COVID-19 , so feel free to ask them for more information when booking. (And be sure to follow them on Facebook + Instagram to stay up-to-date on all their latest.)

Psssttt... they also made our list of 50 spots to cool off in and around Greenville . Check out all 49 of the others here .

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Saluda River Yacht Club

Description.

Great little spot that offers food, adult beverages, and live music. They also offer river tubing. It’s $5 to park unless you become a member and then parking is free. On a kayak it’s 2-3 hours to Dolly Cooper Park landing.

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Location & Directions

• Body of Water: Saluda River
• Coordinates: 34.83966639, -82.48144313
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• Launch Point
• Paid Parking
• Free Parking
• Year-Round Bathrooms
• Seasonal Bathrooms
• Permit Required
• Drinking Water
• Food Available
• Picnic Shelter
• Picnic Tables
• Wheelchair Accessible

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Saluda River Yacht Club

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1307 Old Easley Hwy

Easley, SC 29640

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About the Business

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Tubing, Kayaking, Camping, Dining …

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Recommended Reviews

• 1 star rating Not good
• 2 star rating Could’ve been better
• 3 star rating OK
• 4 star rating Good
• 5 star rating Great

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Overall rating

Had a blast here. Tubed with our 2 chichuaha mixes......$15 but cks ea with our Yelp coupon.... Great day, low key tubing, lots of fun. Staff was great and gave us solid safety tips! We will be return for sure!

Great time tubing! Yelps 25% off coupon was awesome. All staff was helpful and the ride was relaxing and fun. Cooler floats are provided at no extra charge. Thanks!

Review for tubing: awful and unsafe. The transportation was a rickety old bus that didn't have AC. It is a little ways from the "yacht club" aka bar to the starting point so it was hot and super uncomfortable ride. They dropped us on the side of a bridge with instructions to walk down the hill and get ourselves into the water. Easy to follow instructions, but a little bit of a dangerous hill to navigate down. The first 20 minutes were nice, and after that it was pure chaos. The water level was apparently too low to safely pass through many areas. I weigh 105lbs and my tube was stuck on the bottom in many areas, to the extent that I had to get off the tube and pull it. This was fine in some areas, but along the river bottom, I learned there are areas of large rocks that made it a little sketchy to walk on. I could feel some of the rocks shifting as I pushed off of them trying to free my tube, and the reality that my foot could get caught if they shifted too much started to make me nervous. After tubing for an hour, we'd not made it even half way! After getting stuck on a large, rocky area for the dozenth time, we realized we hadn't even reached either of the "rapid" areas. If the water level in the rest of the river was too low to pass freely, we knew we surely would not pass through that area. We tried to call the "yacht club" on our cell phone, but no one would answer! We took out the GPS app and found a random property along the river with a bank we could crawl out onto and walk back to the "yacht club". We got covered in thick mud up to our waist trying to get out, and were greeted on the shoreline by half a dozen, large, barking dogs. We used the tubes in front of us as shields as we walked to the road, standing back to back so we could protect everyone from all sides. It seemed the closer we got to the road, the more dogs came running toward us. Finally, we got to the road where only one dog continued to chase us. After a distance, he turned around, and we were able to 'safely' arrive at the "yacht club". We learned that after dropping us off, they turned other tubers away saying the water was too low. Whoever let us go in the first place was irresponsible and put us in so much danger! It was an absolute nightmare and I would never return.

This was a horrible disappointment. We drove 30 minutes and my kids were looking forward to it for two days, only to be told we could not tube. The company listed no age restrictions on their website. We called twice and asked if there were any restrictions. My son is five years old and has tubed TWICE before. In NC the age limit is four. We assumed and called to check. This is no way to run a business! We had a group of 5 to tube today. They lost 100 bucks on not letting me sign a waiver that I would be 100% responsible for my sons safely.

A bar is a bar is a bar, and the Yacht club is a yacht-less bar. It actually wasn't as cheap as I was expecting, but that's okay. They have a nice deck overlooking the river, and although I was only here for a short while on a nice afternoon, it seems like a nice place to enjoy music on a warm S.C. night with a stage out back in the grass. We didn't go tubing, but they do offer that, too, which is cool. They bus you a bit further up and then you finish the run at the bar, which is the better order, if you ask me. The bartender was really nice and the drinks were strong! Would likely come back.

Stopped by and had a few cold beers with my bike friends. Coming back to tube next time. Play some horse shoes too.

See all photos from Rick S. for Saluda River Yacht Club

Always have a good time here. Make you feel welcome. Biker friendly but they put up with no BS. Come and have a good time but control yourself. For a bar it is family geared. Sunday cookouts are a plus. Bands, cold beers, horse shoe pit, beautiful scenery and a river view what can you say but Hell yea I like it. Go see for yourself.

We enjoyed our July 4th tubing experience but were surprised that so few people were on the river that day. It was a beautiful day and a very quiet and peaceful lazy river experience rather than a lot of people as the picture shows. If you're afraid of river water, bugs, and possibly some water animals, you won't like this. The Saluda is slow moving with only two tiny "rapid" areas. No chance of falling off your tube unless you want to, so good for older kids. Management is very nice and helpful!

We had a great float down the river! The staff was great, and we'll definitely be back!

This place is AWESOME. Some old friends and I do a yearly trip to visit each other. We came here to go tubing and had some drinks before and after. They are super friendly, and some of the most hospitable people we've come across. Great location and friendly staff. We love this place. Will definitely be making this a regular stop.

First time here and we had so much fun tuning. Great for family fun days outside. And everyone was incredibly nice and helpful. We will definitely be back soon.

5 other reviews that are not currently recommended

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STAY & PLAY BY THE SALUDA RIVER

Tiny Homes, Camping Pods & River Tubing

your home away from home, just minutes from downtown Greenville, SC

Bring your family and friends and enjoy all that nature has to offer on the beautiful Saluda River.

Our unique tiny homes and river pods offer you the rest and relaxation you've been craving.

(Plus, river tubing during the summer season!)

"Had such an amazing time staying at the River Birch tiny home! It's beautiful, really well designed so it felt much bigger and the view was just perfect. Enjoying a glass of wine by the fire and listening to the river and grasshoppers was magical."

Stephanie A.

"This was such a unique stay... It was more of an experience than just a place to stay. We loved the view and ended up going on a tubing excursion. Highly recommend!"

"my daughter and i had a great time. the staff was super nice and helpful. the water experience was perfect for us, we laughed and screamed and had a great time".

"A truly special place that feels like home... This hidden gem is just outside of Greenville and was a convenient location to work remotely while enjoying the area. We will be returning!"

"what a lovely getaway to remember we stayed in the marigold river pod... it was so blissful and calming".

"Excellent stay. This place definitely exceeded my expectations. Will be staying numerous times in the future."

"probably the only airbnb i've ever stayed at where it looked better in real life than in the pictures it's a gorgeous view over the river, very calming and peaceful...", "i've always wanted to have a renovated bus... and this blue bird bus was everything i could have ever hoped for... the little fenced area was so perfect for the kids and pup.".

Kelly & Brian N.

Each of our beautiful tiny homes is uniquely designed and includes everything you need to make yourself at home. Choose from our one and two-bedroom houses and come enjoy the riverside experience.

Looking for a mid-to-long term rental?

Check out our longer-term tiny home options, camping pods.

The perfect mix of camping and comfort, our river pods offer you the full camping experience without the need for a tent! Each pod has a river view and full access to our bathhouse for showers and personal care.

RIVER CAMPING PODS

The perfect mix of camping and comfort, our river camping pods offer you the full camping experience without the need for a tent! Each pod has a river view and full access to our bathhouse for showers and personal care.

RIVER TUBING

Open during the summer season, you'll love tubing down the relaxing Saluda River on our comfy floats. Bring your friends, family, and puppers and come have some fun on the river.

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You're amazing. Let's be friends.

(864) 777-3053

1307 old easley hwy, easley, sc 29640, [email protected].

© Saluda Outdoor Center, 2023

Designed by Design The Experience, LLC

Saluda River Club

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We love watching the reaction of visitors who discover Saluda River Club for themselves. The setting, homesites and amenities combine for a truly unique residential experience. Please take a moment and fill out the form below. Let us know when you can come for a guided tour or request specific information. A representative will contact you shortly.

Saluda River Club information Center

102 Glade Spring Drive Lexington, SC 29072

Phone:  803-358-3969

Open Sun-Mon 1-5pm and Tues-Sat 10am-5pm Or call 803-238-0190 for an appointment.

Our Community

At Saluda River Club discover a one-of-a-kind setting for your one-of-a-kind life. Named the Best New Home Community in America, Saluda River Club combines classic neighborhood living with an active riverfront lifestyle.

Driving Directions

Take I-20 West to Exit 61, Hwy. 378. Turn right. Take an immediate right on Corley Mill Road. The entrance to Saluda River Club is located 1.5 miles down Corley Mill Road on the right hand side. Follow River Club Road to Glade Spring Drive. The information center is on the right.