How to Do The Love Float

Posted on June 7th, 2022

The Love Float is a self-guided tubing trip on the Roanoke River that ends at Starr Hill Brewery.

It’s called The Love Float for two reasons: It gives you a fun outing with those you love while staying cool, plus a dollar for every pint of The Love beer sold during the month of July benefits the Roanoke Outside Foundation. (Thanks, Starr Hill!)

  1. Call your friends and set a date and time.
  2. Buy or rent a floating apparatus (Roanoke Mountain Adventures rents tubes).
  3. Set a shuttle. We recommend meeting in The Bridges Kayak Launch parking lot next to Honey Tree Early Learning Center. (Note: This is where you will get out of the river at the end of your float). Leave at least one car here (and a change of clothes), then use another vehicle to drive upriver to where you’ll start your float.
  4. Choose where to start. For a 1.5 hour float (depending on water level), we recommend starting somewhere in the Wasena Park area perhaps at Roanoke Mountain Adventures.
  5. Float.
  6. Don’t forget you’ll have to portage around a low-water bridge in Smith Park (see map below).
  7. Get out of the river, walk over to Starr Hill, and enjoy a pint of The Love – it’s for a good cause.
  8. Repeat.

Make the most of your trip with these pro tips: Bring a waterproof speaker along, double Ziploc bag your cell phone, and call Roanoke Mountain Adventures to verify water levels are optimal.