History of Harpers Ferry Adventure Center

In 1992 Dewey Heffner and his son, George “JR” Heffner began selling black tire tubes out of the back of a truck. The sign advertising their sales read, Butts Tubes. This father and son side of the road venture was incorporated in 1996 and has continued its steady evolution into a well-respected and profitable family-owned and operated business built around friendly and experienced staff and whitewater rafting West Virginia. While Dewey and George may have started with tubes, they have expanded out beyond just water and camping but have created a fantastic course for Zip Lining WV as well!

Butts Tubes, Inc. added rafting trips on the Potomac River, as well as canoe and inflatable kayaks rentals in 1997. A license to run commercial rafting trips on the Shenandoah River was acquired in October 2005, and Butts Tubes, Inc. became BTI whitewater.

From that point on, we worked hard to improve both our facilities and our services in order to provide our patrons with the ultimate in river adventure and fun. During the 2008-2009 off season, we remodeled our cabana-style retail shop and office space, doubling the size to make checking in for our customers more efficient.

During the 2010-2011 off season, we upgraded several of our office systems including our check out and reservation systems; we also renovated property in West Virginia to offer Riverfront & River View camping for the 2011 season, and the biggest break through – we built a tandem racing zip line, which become a runner up for one of our most popular activities.

Today, Harpers Ferry Adventure Center continues to grow. The Heffner family, owners Holly and George, strive for safety, great customer service, affordable prices, and improving facilities for future and returning guests to enjoy.

For those of you who know us as Butt’s Tubes or BTI whitewater, we are still the same great place, just with a new “face” and visions to offer new and improved services and facilities for years to come.