We went tubing on the New River last week when we visited my mom in Radford, VA.  The river was low (got butt-stuck on numerous rocks; insert fat-ass joke here) and the "rapids" were whatever is below Class-1 but we had a great time.  Now if we wanted some severe rapids we could have gone farther north on the New, or visited the Gauley river, or we could have gone down to Charlotte where the US National Whitewater Center has a $32 million totally man-made whitewater experience.  Well if their artificial whitewater is as lame as their website I think we’ll pass.