Ocoee Whitewater Center

Drove back from Charlotte through the mountains yesterday and stopped here. If I’m ever on this road, I stop here. The Center was built for the 1996 Olympics, mainly for VIPs and media. The beautiful and functional building is located in one of the most pristine areas in the world. UT fans will appreciate the comment of former radio man John Ward, who said the road on which the Center is located is his favorite drive in the state of Tennessee. It is jaw-​dropping gorgeous.
The building is closed for the winter. When it is open, it has a nice, staffed, information booth with brochures, maps, video, etc. Downstairs is a very nice souvenir shop. There used to be a snack shop downstairs, but it has closed. There are restrooms downstairs, too. Upstairs, there is small room for gatherings.
TVA usually leaves this part of the river nearly dry except for select weekends during peak rafting times in the summer. As I understand it, they normally run the water through turbines (bypassing the championship race area) for electricity production. So it was a surprise to see, in the middle of winter, the water rushing through the championship portion of the river, i.e., where the Olympic events were held in 1996. I saw a ranger on the property and asked why. He said that due to recent rains, areas upstream (from the Toccoa River) were still trying to get rid of water, so all the gates were open. Apparently word about this got out because there were rafters downstream — outside the championship area — where water there was unusually choppy, too.
It is scary how fast time flies, because I remember like yesterday when it was announced that this pristine area would undergo modifications to form the race course for the Olympics, including making fake boulders in the river and sidewalks next to it. At the time, I thought it was a bad idea to mess with nature in this way. But the ranger told me that having water come through this previously dry area again has caused new life to emerge. It is now a living river. Besides, everything was tastefully done and it brings dollars to the area.
Credit to Chattanooga’s TWH Architects for doing a perfect job with the design of this facility. There is a dramatic bridge crossing the river, which is a must to go over.

This is where the whitewater activities were held for the 1996 Olympics (Atlanta).
The river flow is controlled by dam. The first day I went through here the river was high and there was plenty of whitewater boating activity. But 2 days later they closed the dam and the river was low and there was no activity.
However, don’t let the low river stop you from enjoying this area. There are plenty of trails to enjoy if you are a hiker. And they allow you to swim in the water when the river is low.
The only thing I didn’t care for was there are manmade rocks in the river, obviously created for the rafting/​kayaking activities.
There is a visitor center and large parking area. The visitor center contains 2 sets of restrooms, an information desk and a gift shop.