Although I’ve spent a staggered 19 years in the DC area and my husband has spent a staggered 30 years here, neither of us has boated-of-any-kind on the Potomac. Enter covid 19 and suddenly this is one of the only activities available, so we decided to try it. It was a very relaxing experience and I highly recommend it! (Check the water conditions before you go.) The staff was friendly and we got on the water very quickly. Also, they have a bathroom (score!). The area around Roosevelt Island is super quiet and naturey and we even spotted some herons. We were lucky that it had just rained and we had the first reservation of the day, so there were not many people out on the water. If you’re a beginner or scared of getting run over by a big boat, or you’re just antisocial (represent!), I recommend going first thing. The kayak was in good shape although I could not for the life of me figure out how to paddle without getting sloshed with heaps of water at each pass (I’m quite squeamish about Potomac river water). I feel like the paddle was too short for me, but I’m not an expert. What I really want to do now is take some sculling lessons (it’s the Romanian talking).

Really fun paddle at this boathouse! The equipment is a lot newer and in much better condition than the Key Bridge location. The staff is super friendly too and took the time to give us a safety brief. We had a blast!

Watching Fourth of July fireworks from a stand up paddle board on the Potomac River is absolutely amazing. Highly recommend this! Sign up fast - the spots fill up quickly! It was $100 per person. For context, a 2-hour rental is about $50 per person on a regular day.

Worst manager I have ever come across (LENNI)On Saturday, September 5 I had two paddleboard’s reserved for 2:30pm. My son and I drove up to DC which is about 1hr 20min, super excited. 2:20pm I received an email from Thompson boat Center saying that my reservation had been updated but it didn’t say that it was canceled or rescheduled. That was 10 min before my reservation. I went up to the counter and the attendant said in a very rude tone that there had been a boat parade and that she had canceled the rest of the reservations until 3:00pm. My reservation was for two hours which was 2:30pm-4:30pm. So technically I would still have an hour and a half available to paddleboard. She said that regardless I wouldn’t be able to go out on the water. I went out looked into the water and there was no more boat parade. Water was completely calm. I said is there any way that she can help us out because we have driven a long way and that my reservation was until 4pm and that I was fine paying for two hours as long as we got At least one hour out of it she said that she didn’t have any more equipment and that they were fully booked for the rest of the day. I asked to please speak to a manager and she said she was a manager her name is ( LENNI ) I went online and saw that you can book for a later time I showed it to her and she started screaming saying that there was nothing that she could do and that she had already refunded me, all in front of my son. I didn’t have another choice but to leave with a sour feeling in my stomach. 9 days passed and I still had no refund I called back today and they told me that the refund had never been put in. I wasn’t even going to write a review until I called back Today was and the refund hadn’t even been put in this place really needs to new management. Our Saturday in DC was not only ruined because we couldn’t paddleboard but because of the level of rudeness and unprofessional service and not giving your customer options. Not only did I not get refunded but she didn’t ask if I wanted to reschedule she just told me that my reservation has been canceled 10 minutes before. As I was leaving they were putting two people on paddles boards. It was 3:26pm my reservation ended at 4:30pm. SMH

My group 3 started our experience with an extremely unpleasant encounter with the general manager (Lenny). She was not only rude and condescending, but she also snapped at us that the time we spent filling out waivers was eating into our kayak time (which she didnt mention until we were about to get on the kayaks). Everyone else at the Boat Center was extremely nice and chill. The kayaks were nice and clean, but the river was quite crowded. Wouldve been a much better experience if we hadnt started off on the wrong foot.

I was very impressed with their COVID precautions. Directions were clearly marked, all staff wore masks, and they regularly sanitize all equipment. My actual boating experience was terrific. After I embarrassed myself on a stand-up paddle board, someone came out to fish me out of the water without judgement. As I had reserved a SUP, I figured my day was over, but they were kind enough to let me switch to a single seat kayak. It was so fun (and tiring!) to paddle around the area (which they clearly defined before I set out). Activities are understandably limited due to COVID, so its great to see a business be cautious as well as offering a fun experience and great staff.

Fun to rent kayaks here and everything provided was in good shape, paddles, boats and personal floatation devices all included

I went here with my friends when I was on vacation on the 4th of July, if I ever go back to DC you will find me there. The staff explain everything to you and give you the best experience, the kayaks were nice and the place is just so nice and lovely.Try not to get so many things in your pockets just that you don’t lose them in the water.If you are in DC and have some free time you should go for sure.

Instructors are fantastic and it’s a beautiful location.

Great place to rent kayaks or canoes per hour. It’s a nice ride along Georgetown waterfront and Rosevelt island. Family and fiends who visit DC always enjoy this treat weather permitting. They have reasonable prices, lockers and bathrooms. No need to bring your own lock. They also rent bikes.

The spot was very close to my hotel in foggy bottom.Its very easy to find. There are lots of water sports options. The staff are very helpful and friendly. It is a veryaffordable fun place to visit. You can easily boat into the city or go up River to the Georgetown area. The views are best at sunset and sunrise.

The service is good. Always is cleaning and also has its own parking.

Everyone was super friendly. They get you on the water within 10 mins of your appointment if everything is squared away.

This place would be 10 times better with a decent manager. I had an issue, the manager came down (Lenni) and just started screaming at me like a possessed child. Would not go back and do not recommend anyone else patronize this establishment.

Great facilities with top notch staff-

We had a blast doing a team building rowing experience at the boat center. I was terrified at first because I had never rowed prior, but the whole experience was incredible and something I’ll never forget. Rowing as a team and racing on the Potomac was a blast!

Very relaxing. I have been stressed after the whole long week but having Friday evening in the boat with a beer on the Potomac river, I feel so much relief.

Very clean and newly renovated. I have never rented from them but my rowing club used Thompson’s to store our boats. If you catch the boathouse at the wrong time it can be extremely busy (during practices) but at other times it’s a great spot to go and rent a kayak, scull, sup, etc. from. The prices are reasonable compared to some other places I’ve seen.

Super cool spot for kayaking or canoeing. The staff is chill and the prices are more competitive than some if the others in the area.

Update: after calling for 3 weeks in a row, Paul from Boating in DC finally processed my refund of $330, so Im upping the review to 2 stars. That was a long painful process but Im really grateful to him and that he did it in the end. Im still incredibly fed up with the boating center and with the female instructor Amelia who spent 10 minutes total the whole week on instructing me for $180. There definitely needs to be > 1 instructor. This center is poorly run (see below) and youll never truly get what they market you youll get. Do - not - buy the rowing pass no matter what you do.------Everyone who has dealt with this boat center knows how terrible their communication is. All their emails are defunct, the call center never calls you back, and the center has absolutely no relation to the phone number on file.There is misrepresented information all over and no communication between the boat center and call center. Hydrobikes which have been out of commission for months are neither moved to another location nor taken from the website.Do NOT take the learn to scull or sculling classes. It was the most useless $180 ever spent. They have 1 instructor for 8 people of varying experience levels, and I got maybe 5 minutes of instruction over a whole week class. You should have at most 1 instructor/2 boats as most teams do. The class was useless and expensive. Instead, go to the Capital Rowing Club and take lessons there.This center is disorganized and incredibly infuriating to deal with. Not to mention everything is nonrefundable, regardless of the quality of the product, which is just bad. Stay away from this center if youre looking to get into rowing. Youll get the worst most frustrating experience in the world.

Great spot the renting kayaks and more. Tons of fun kayaking around the Roosevelt Island, and down to the Francis Scott and Arlington Memorial bridge. Kayaks in really nice shape, life jacked didn’t smell like dead cars which was awesome, and staff were friendly and polite. Easy parking, and reasonable prices. The Potomac can be tough the kayak, can get pretty chopping and especially with idiots flying by you in large boats. Still fun, nevertheless.

I have been living in DC area for about 3 years and it was my first time doing kayaking with my beautiful girlfriend . She surprised me with my birthday by taking me kayaking in the potamic river . We had blast and i really recommend this place to tourist and ppl who live in the area and wants to do something fun . And heres some pictures that I took.

I took a class to learn to scull. The instructor was nice a patient. It was very busy - apparently it was the first good weekend of the season.

I visited this place roughly 8 years ago and enjoyed miles of biking on the Capital Crescent trail. Fast forward to 2018, and Thompson boat center is mostly focused on boating activities. The bike selection is poorest at best, more expensive than years ago ($6/hr to $11/hr), and single gear bikes only. However, because of its very convenient location I recommend using Thompson.

Family/season pass is a good deal as you can use any location; minimal oversight and instructions as you are very much at your own risk. Recommend for novice boaters as there is quite a bit of boat traffic and the current can wear you out if youre not in shape. Cool way to see some sights. Look forward to my next visit.

Great location, ride by the Georgetown Waterfront. Usually go there with my bike because it’s right next to the trail as well. Great facilities with great service. Overall a great experience

I took an intro to skulling class with Sobie and I am grateful to him. The class covered the basics in terms of skills taught, boundaries on the river and safety. Sobie demonstrated authority and professionalism to our group of five. The only thing I would recommend is to use name tags and to teach the skills by demonstrating the incorrect way of doing things as well. It’s always helpful. Thank you Sobie and sister.

Fantastic place! A friend and I rented a two person kayak for an hour. It was amazing! We were able to see all the monuments on the Potomac in that one hour. We also were newbies to kayaking and the workers there made it breeze! Great way to spend your time in DC as a way to see the sights a bit differently than most tourists. Would highly recommend!

Rowed and sculled here on and off since I rowed frosh crew at Georgetown in the 70s. Fantastic location, great community resource. Great place to learn.

Rented canoes for a nice day on the water

Lots of things to rent - we used to go kayaking and it was really great. Opens early so you can get out before the heat (in summer). The river quickly becomes very green and natural upstream so its a great escape from the city.

They will not rent out boats if winds are above 10mph which is pretty much always on the Potomac. Its a hit or miss. Some may see that as safe, others may see it as overkill. What bothered me was the excuse given that its on me (the person controlling rental). No, its up to the boater to know their limits. Thats why we sign waivers.

I came here about once a year for annual dragon boat race. This place is pretty organized. I think here you might also get some other water sports.

We dropped by Thompson Boat Center to rent a kayak for a few hours. The kayak we had was in great condition, the staff was friendly and helpful - a bit unorganized though. There didnt seem to be much a system present for signing waivers. After they scanned your ID you just had to grab a paper from the pad everyone else was trying to use and toss the form back to the person manning the register when you were done. Life jackets were just laying about the dock, trying to find one that fit properly was a bit challenging. All-in-all though, it was pretty quick process to float through and we were out on the river in no time.

Hard to find but beautiful when u do.

Took a kayak out for 2 hours. Great scenery, good location to cast off. Got to go up past Georgetown then back down around Theodore Roosevelt Island and past Jefferson Memorial, so sights are good nearby

Love it

Sunshine and lollipops

Attended DC Dragonboat Festival on the Potomac. Beautiful weekend of cultural activities and racing teams to watch. Kayaks and skulls availabile for recreation rentals.

Youth Coaching staff is horrible. If your child is a natural, youll love this place. If not, youll be subsidizing the chosen few. The philosophy does not support making all rowers better. The top coach(es) help the top boat(s) and the others get poorly qualified coaching staff or ignored completely and put on ergs with little time on the water.

The water gate for the c& o canal towpath is right behind the boathouse.really cool. Mp 0

Nice activity to do in DC. Services was good. Waiver is in front in case you have an incident. Not well organized and seems you are by your own. So sad it could be a better experience..maybe they need competition.;)

Fond memories of my days as a member of the GWU varsity crew club are brought to mind whenever I walk past this area asking the river.

I agree with previous posts, the boss is horrible! All he does is yell at you, but give you absolutely no direction. He answered all of my questions in one word answers and acted like waiting on me was a waste of his time.However, I give this place a better score because of the amazing coach I had! I did the beginners rowing program over the summer and had my very first sculling experience. My coach was John and he was amazing. Even the though the class was pretty large (another drawback) he made me feel confident in going out on the water. I felt like all my questions were answered and he even stayed after class to go over anything we were feeling unsure about, very professional. If you take the class, be sure to ask for him, other coaches I saw were not nearly as helpful.John was by far the best part of this experience!

Just a terrible experience at TBC this morning. i’ve paid for a season long family plan and AGAIN i was not able to row. The only person with decision-making authority seems to be the manager and she had not shown up by 915 after I had arrived at 7 AM. She was supposed to show up at 7:30 then eight then 830 and after 9 o’clock I just gave upThe three stoners behind the desk just worthless.On prior visits so much of the equipment was not functional that there were not enough boats to go out. So I couldn’t row.Leaking boats missing seats broken or Laiks; this place is pretty much a mess

Friendly staff is always willing to help with moving sculls. The season pass is a great deal!

Lively place to visit

Crew shell rentals, bikes, rowing teams. In and out of this place for over 30 years.

Kayaking rates were decent. Had lockers to store your stuff. It was fun, just make sure to wear sunscreen. That sun there is strong. I burned like a cherry. Havent moved in days.

Many rowing memories here ..

Great workout! Around the Roosevelt island is 45 minutes. Only $15 for one kayak. Really fun and a good way to sightsee while getting a workout.

I was renting bikes for myself and a friend. Service seemed good at first and they were helpful in showing us the routes we could take. About 10 minutes into the trip my handle bars became lose and my the time we were about 5 miles away completely loosened to the point that I had to hold them up and ride at the same time. When I called for someone from the store to come for help they just told me to find a bike shop. They only charged me for one bike, but were not helpful in resolving the issue. In addition they forgot to return my ID so I have to drive an hour back into the city. All in all, they just dont have all their ducks in a row.

Great place for all kinds of non powered water craft including kyaks, paddle boards, and single rowing shells.

Busy and not well maintained, but a good place to visit, rent boats, see the river.

Great location for kayaking!

Great place to get Kayaks, canoes. great views.

Great facility, kayaks are very nice, staff is great. However, the boss is EXTREMELY rude and pretentious. It pains me to have contributed any amount to his salary.

Take your entire family there you would not regret it

Grab a kayak from here if you want to get a nice view of the memorials and monuments. Go to Keybridge Boathouse if you want to go down the river!

Lots of options - kayak, hydrobike, boat, etc. Good service.

Fun place to rent a kayak to take out on the river!

Great location...however...our kayak leaked and we were sitting in pools of water by the time we returned...situation not EVER experienced before renting kayaks...some water to be expected...craft was barely floating by the time we came back (paddling in calm water and low wind conditions)...water below 55 degrees...will never rent from them again...

Nice place and people. Views are ok

Its a nice place.

Easy parking

Nice place to rent boats

Great experience and staff here!

Great place for going canoeing

Ok place

Our bike tour ended here. The boat center was very kind to let us use the bathroom

Great location along the river

Unfriendly customer service. Will not go here again.

Dragon boat festival is in this place.

Great location for kayaking in the shallow river.

One of the cool places in DC.

Not very parking accessible.

Dragon boat

A+