Soho Xcursions Aquapark

My 12-year-old and I recently had a full day of one-on-one time during our family vacation to the Blue Ridge Highlands. After a morning of ziplining and an afternoon in Wytheville (blog posts coming soon!), she asked if we could find a place to swim, so off we went to South Holston Lake.

South Holston Lake is a 7580-acre reservoir that straddles the Tennessee-Virginia border. On the Virginia side, it is home to stretches of Cherokee National Forest, a recreational swimming area, multiple public boat launches, and Sportsmans Marina. Sportsmans Marina houses Soho Xcursions, an aquapark right along the dock. This attraction boasts a series of inflatable obstacles suitable for climbing, sliding, and jumping. The obstacles are floating in the water and strung together with ropes, so you can conceivably try and make your way from one end to the other without falling off – easier said than done.

We arrived later in the afternoon on a day that called for bad weather, so we decided to pay for an hour of time at the aquapark. Here are the hours and pricing details:

• Hours: Thursday-Sunday, 12:00pm-8:00pm, Memorial Day Weekend -Labor Day Weekend
• Prices: Thursday – $10 per hour, $20 per day; Friday-Sunday – $15 per hour, $25 per day

My daughter is a huge fan of American Ninja Warrior Jr, so for her the aquapark was the stuff dreams are made of. She had a blast bouncing around from one obstacle to the next. I had a lot of fun, too, although my center of gravity and general core strength are not what they used to be, so staying on the obstacles was often quite a challenge. Still, I’m so glad I gave it a try, if only to hear my kid’s hysterical peals of laughter each time I accidentally plunged into the lake.

If you prefer a more laid-back experience, Soho Xcursions also offers on-site SUP and kayak rentals. On the other hand, if you’re feeling really adventurous, consider reserving their Jetblade. The Jedblade is a device that runs a hose between a jetski and a special footboard, allowing the board rider to experience hydroflight over the water. The Jetblade was not in use while were there, and you need to make an appointment ahead of time to ride it, but you can watch it in action at around the 3:15-minute mark in this video:

Sportsmans Marina is also home to a dockside restaurant called the Broken Ski Grill. Our plan to eat dinner there was foiled by the storm that eventually found us, but their menu sounds quite tasty. It’s definitely convenient to have a dining option right next to the aquapark.

All in all, we had a great time at Soho Xcursions, so much so that my daughter asks daily when we can return. Since it’s five and a half ours from our home under the best travel conditions, it’s going to be a while, but I’m glad she had so much fun. If you ever find yourself in Abingdon between Memorial Day and Labor Day, the Soho Xcursions Aquapark is definitely worth a visit!