Looking for the perfect gift for your river lover this season? We’ve polled our staff and here are a few of their suggestions!
Personal Flotation Device
Above all else, safety is critically important when on the river. Keep your river-lover safe by giving a PFD. Don’t forget Fido; there are lots of canine PFDs available now as well! With so many styles, colors, sizes, and everything else you could possibly customize available, it is best to shop around to satisfy your specific needs. Orvis has one listed on their website: https://www.orvis.com/nrs-dog-life-jacket/3GBZ.html
Dry Bag
A necessity for anyone that wants to bring items that aren’t necessarily water-friendly, from electronics to clothing, down the river with them. A waterproof dry bag rolls at the top to create a water-tight seal and is made out of durable material that won’t easily tear, and they come in sizes varying from just big enough for a phone to being able to hold multiple duffel bags! We like the Sea to Summit dry bags, available in multiple sizes and colors at Walkabout Outfitters.
Support Local Breweries
Clean water makes great beer! This is the perfect time of year to support your local breweries who also support clean water.
Hardywood Park Craft Brewery’s Great Return, an American IPA, is a tribute to the decades of hard work to restore the James River and in honor of the endangered Atlantic sturgeon who makes an annual spawning run up the James River. https://hardywood.com/beer/great-return/
Have a cat lover in your life? Check out this adorable sturgeon catnip toy! https://shop.hardywood.com/product/sturgeon-catnip-cat-toy/
Check out Starr Hill Brewery’s Love Your River Tee, $5 from each shirt sold comes back to JRA, they only have a few sizes in stock so grab yours before they run out! https://starrhill.com/shop/love-your-river-t-shirt-may
Support James River Outfitters
A trip on the James is music to our ears! Give your loved ones an afternoon of relaxation and eco-therapy with a local experience on the James. Many of the below outfitters offer gift cards! Riverside Outfitters, RVA Paddlesports, Twin River Outfitters, Waterfront RVA, James River Reeling and Rafting, James River Runners or our own James River Adventures!
Experience Membership
Consider giving a gift membership to a local outdoor experience or museum. Maymont in Richmond has a wonderful James River exhibit, or the Living Museum in Newport News. Love the outdoors? Consider an Annual Pass to Virginia State Parks, or a gift membership to the James River Association.
Gift of Knowledge
Do you know a river lover who is always thirsting for knowledge? Encourage them to sign up for one of our volunteer teams! Training is always free and they will be able to connect with other river enthusiasts. Our RiverRat volunteers help us monitor the James and its tributaries, our Water Quality Monitor volunteers help take water samples every summer, and our RiverReps are invaluable to us during the General Assembly!