We’re now offering a limited number of VIP Passes for the Memorial Day Celebration on Sunday, May 27. With these passes, you can experience the festival from the River Center Terrace, providing the best views of the live music and fireworks. Dinner and access to a private bar is also included.

Memorial Day Celebration VIP Passes Include:

• Exclusive viewing areas (River Center Terrace)
• Private bar (beer, wine and nonalcoholic beverages only)
• Private server and dinner selection from River’s Edge Bar & Grill (1 entree per person included)
• Private restrooms
• VIP area opens at 3:30 p.m.

Purchase Details:

VIP Passes are available for $75 per person. To purchase your VIP Pass, please use the corresponding link:

• Memorial Day Celebration VIP Pass

Event Info:

What: Sunset paddle along the Catawba River followed by a fireside dinner with craft beer tastings.

2012 Schedule:

• May 9 – NoDa Brewery (Charlotte, NC)
• May 23 – Olde Mecklenburg Brewery (Charlotte, NC)
• June 13 – Four Friends Brewing (Charlotte, NC)
• June 27 – Highland Brewing Company (Asheville, NC)
• July 11 – Heist Brewery (Charlotte, NC)
• July 25 –  LoneRider Brewing Company (Raleigh, NC)
• Aug. 8 – Birdsong Brewing (Charlotte, NC)
• Aug. 22 – New Belgium Brewing (Fort Collins, CO)
• Sept. 12 – Thomas Creek Brewery (Greenville, SC)
• Sept. 26 – SweetWater Brewing Company (Atlanta, GA)

Participant Schedule:

• Check-in at Kayak Center: 6 p.m.
• Flatwater paddle on the Catawba River: 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.
• Campfire lit dinner and beer tasting on Hawk Island: 8 – 10 p.m.

Price: $55 per person

Tickets: Available for purchase online

Event Details:

Each cruise begins with a guided flatwater paddle along the Catawba River. As the sun starts to set on the river,  you’ll work your way back to the main facility for a specialty, fireside dinner on Hawk Island. Each cruise will feature a different craft brewery and tasting; representatives from the breweries will lead the tastings by highlighting new, seasonal and unique brews.

Click here to purchase your Microbrews Cruise tickets.

Event Info:

What: Zip-line excursion from the south ridge of our facility to the Catawba River followed by a fireside dinner with craft beer and wine.

Dates:

• Wednesday, April 18
• Wednesday, May 16
• Wednesday, June 6
• Wednesday, July 18
• Wednesday, August 15

Participant Schedule:

• Check in window is between 5 – 6:30 p.m. Participants are encouraged to arrive as early as possible.
• Once you have checked in with Guest Services, the zip-line excursions will leave from the south ridge of our facility beginning as early as 5:15 p.m and continue through 6:30 p.m., respective to your arrival time. Fireside dinner and drinks follow the zip-line excursion.

Price: $75 per person.

Registration: Tickets available for purchase online.

Event Details:

With Zipline & Dine, you can zip-line through the trees as the sun goes down before enjoying a fireside dinner with craft beer and wine.

Guests will travel via a course of 5 different zip-lines and 2 roped bridges before rappelling out of the trees alongside the Catawba River. After a short hike to Hawk Island, guests will be greeted with craft beer, wine and dinner around a roaring fire pit. Dinners are prepared special (vegetarian and gluten free menus are available) by our chef, Joe Marx.

Guests are encouraged to arrive as early as possible to check in with Guest Services.

Click here to purchase your Zipline & Dine tickets.

Event Info:

What: Memorial Day Celebration featuring live music and fireworks
Date: Sunday, May 27 2012
Time: Music starts at 4 p.m., fireworks at dark
Music by: Chasing Edison, The Black Lillies and Otis Taylor
Price: FREE and open to the public
VIP Passes: Available for purchase online

Event Details:

Come and join us in celebrating the Memorial Day weekend with a free concert at the USNWC featuring Chasing Edison, The Black Lillies and Otis Taylor. We’ll finish off the evening with a stunning fireworks display over our whitewater river.

The USNWC is the place to be this Memorial Day Weekend, come to play outside and stay to enjoy the show. The Memorial Day Celebration is part of the Whitewater River Jam series.

VIP Passes:

We’re offering a limited number of VIP Passes that allow you to listen to the music and view the fireworks from the River Center Terrace. Click here for more information and to buy your pass.

Event Info:

What: A Carolina craft beer tasting with performances by Farewell Drifters, Brown Bird and Cory Chisel & the Wandering Sons
When: Saturday, June 16
Schedule:

• Beer Sampling: Begins at 1 p.m.
• Live Music: Begins at 2 p.m.

Cost:

• Event: free and open to the public
• Beer Tasting: $5 for 4 tickets (1 ticket = 1 sample or 4 tickets = 1 pint)

Brewery Lineup: NoDa Brewery, Olde Mecklenburg Brewery, Four Friends Brewing, Highland Brewing Company, Foothills Brewing, LoneRider Brewing Company, Big Boss Brewing, Natty Greene’s Pub & Brewing Co., Catawba Valley Brewing Company, Birdsong Brewing, Kind Beer, New Belgium Brewing and others TBA.

Event Details:

On Saturday, June 16 we will host the inaugural Brew Stash Bash, a Carolina craft brewery tasting with performances by the Farewell Drifters, Brown Bird and Cory Chisel & the Wandering Sons. The music portion will be set up like a Whitewater River Jam and remain free and open to the public.

The craft beer tasting begins at 1 p.m. on Belmont Abbey Island and features North and South Carolina craft breweries. Sampling tickets will be available for purchase on Belmont Abbey Island Island ($5 for 4 tickets). Each ticket will be good for one sample of beer, or 4 tickets can be used to redeem a full pint.

In addition to food from River’s Edge Bar & Grill, specialty nachos (Kickin’ Baja Chicken, Aloha BBQ Pork and Thai’ed Up Tofu) will be available from our festival style food station at the base of the footbridge to Belmont Abbey Island.

Event Info:

What: Coca-Cola 4th of July  Festival
Dates:

• Tuesday, July 3
• Wednesday, July 4

Music: Begins at 4 p.m. each day
Band Lineup:

Fireworks: Each night at dark
Price: FREE and open to the public

Event Details:

The Coca-Cola 4th of July Festival features two consecutive days of free live music and fireworks. The celebration takes place Tuesday, July 3 and Wednesday, July 4.

With music starting each afternoon at 4 p.m., the party will continue each night with a fireworks show. We’ll launch the fireworks from Hawk Island and the show will display over our whitewater river. If you have ever seen fireworks at the USNWC, you know that there is not a bad seat in the house. We recommend you come early so you can enjoy the festival atmosphere all day long.

VIP Passes — Coming Soon.

We are offering a limited number of Coca-Cola 4th of July Festival VIP Passes. The VIP passes give you access to the River Center Terrace where you can watch the fireworks and listen to the music from the best seat in the house. VIP Passes coming soon.

Event Info:

Date: Sunday, July 15 2012

Time:

• Registration/Check-in begins at 6:30 a.m.
• Race begins at 8:00 a.m.

Distances:

• Swim: 850 meters total, 2 legs
• Mountain bike: 23 k.m.
• Trail run: 6.5 k.m.

Event Details:

XTERRA Whitewater returns in 2012 to the U.S. National Whitewater Center to put triathletes to the test at the world’s premier outdoor recreation center. Athletes will begin with a two-part 850 meter swim in the Catawba River and the USNWC’s own artificial river system. From there, a transition brings athletes to the mountain biking portion where they will tackle the USNWC trail network for 23 km. Finally, an 6.5 km. run on the brand new East Main trail will complete the event.

XTERRA Whitewater-Triathlon is a USA Triathlon sanctioned event. All participants must be registered with USA Triathlon to participate. You can register at USA Triathlon or sign up for a single-day registration on the day of the event.  

Course Map:

• Swim
• Bike
• Run

Registration Details:

Click Here for Online Registration

• Current until June 29th: $90 (T-shirts only guaranteed with registration by June 29th)
• June 30th-July 11th: $100 (Pre-registration closes  11:59pm on July 11th)
• Day-of Registration: $120
• Please indicate your USAT membership number on the registration form OR choose “Pending” if currently awaiting your USAT number OR choose “1 Day.”

XTERRA Whitewater – Triathlon Rules and Regulations

Swim

• It is mandatory that athletes wear swim caps during the entire duration of the swim
• Wetsuits are mandatory for Age Group athletes if the water temperature is BELOW 57 degrees Fahrenheit (14 degrees C)
• Wetsuits are permitted for Age Group athletes if the water temperature is AT or BELOW 72 degrees Fahrenheit (22 degrees C)
• Wetsuits are forbidden for Age Group athletes if the water temperature is ABOVE 72 degrees Fahrenheit (22 degrees C)
• Wetsuits are mandatory for Professional athletes if the water temperature is BELOW 57 degrees Fahrenheit (14 degrees C)
• Wetsuits are permitted for Professional athletes if the water temperature is AT or BELOW 68 degrees Fahrenheit (20 degrees C).
• Wetsuits are forbidden for Professional athletes if the water temperature is ABOVE 68 degrees Fahrenheit (20 degrees C)

Sponsors:

Event Info:

What: Staff led group trail ride.
When: Every Thursday (Trail Status permitting), beginning May 3.

• Beginner Ride: Ride leaves from the Trail Center at 5:00 p.m.
• Intermediate/Advanced Ride: Ride leaves from the Trail Center at 6:00 p.m.

Which ride is for me?

• Beginner Ride: 3.5 mile ride on Novice Terrain.
• Intermediate/Advanced Ride: 6+ mile ride on Intermediate and Advanced Terrain.

Cost: Free with your own bike/helmet. Bike and helmet rentals are available.

Event Details:

Join us for a Thursday Night Ride; every Thursday before the Whitewater River Jam beginning on May 3. This free guided ride is a great way for beginners to build confidence on the trails and for bikers of all skill levels to meet and socialize with other riders and USNWC Bike Staff.

This year we’ll be offering two separate ride times. The beginner ride is designed for entry level riders and will take place on the Lake Loop Trail and last roughly 45 minutes. The Intermediate/Advanced Ride will leave the Trail Center at 6:00 p.m. and the route will change based upon the groups’ experience.

After the ride, be sure to stick around and grab a drink from the Trail Center and hang out for the Whitewater River Jam.

Event Info:

What: Trail Race Series that is a joint production between North Carolina Outward Bound and the USNWC
Dates:

• March 10 (5K/8K)
• May 19 (5K/10K)
• July 21 (5K/15K)
• September 22 (5K/Half Marathon)

More Information: River Bound Race Series
Online Registration: Available Online

Event Details:

The River Bound Trail Race Series is a signature trail running race series featuring some of the most scenic and challenging trails in the entire Southeastern United States.

This race series is designed for the entire range of runners- from those who want to try their first 5K trail run all the way to the grizzled trail running veterans testing their limits in a half marathon. The 2012 Trail Series consist of four trail races: 8K race on March 10, 10K race on May 19, 15K race on July 21 and Half Marathon on September 22. All race dates include a 5K option, but it is not part of the race series.

The River Bound Race Series is a joint production of the U.S. National Whitewater Center (USNWC) and North Carolina Outward Bound (NCOB). The third year of this four-race series will take place on the 400 acres/14 mile trails at the USNWC in Charlotte, NC during the Spring/Summer of 2012.

For more information and registration, head over to the River Bound  Race Series Event Page.

2012 AllSport Season Passes are now on sale. With this pass you’ll have access to the AllSport Activities, including several new activities opening in 2012, and exclusive benefits all year long.

When you purchase your Pass before the end of the year, you’ll not only benefit from preseason prices, but you can use your Pass for the remainder of the 2011 season.

For more information check out the AllSport Season Pass Page.