Upstater Destinations: Town Tinker Tube Rental, Phoenicia

  |  May 31, 2012

Things are getting hot already, and it’s not even June yet. Chances are, you probably spent at least part of this past Memorial Day weekend trying to come up with new and exciting ways to stay cool. Here’s one: Go to the Town Tinker Tube Rental in Phoenicia, rent an innertube, and spend a while floating down the cool, white waters of the Esopus Creek.

There are two speeds, depending on how adventurous or experienced you are: You can opt for the slower, more leisurely-paced course with a few flumes and rapids here and there, or you can go all out and take the exciting, bumpier ride down the creek. Although courses used to take around 2 hours to navigate, since Hurricane Irene, debris has forced Town Tinker to alter its routes, thereby making them only 45 minutes, which is kind of a bummer. At least Town Tinker offers you a second trip for free, and their Facebook page implies that the altered routes are only temporary.

Here’s how it works: You show up at the Town Tinker location in Phoenicia and pay for your tube, life-jacket, and taxi ride to the head of the course. You’re then shuttled by bus to the beginning of the route, and after that, there’s nothing to do but to sit in your tube and watch the world go by…and try not to fall out of the tube or hit anything pointy. It’s an excellent way to spend a sweltering summer’s day.

Town Tinker is located here in Phoenicia (Ulster County). Their website, including prices and information on package deals, is here.

About Kandy Harris

Kandy is a writer and musician/music teacher living in Saugerties, NY.

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