Our Story...

For the past 16 years, the Riverside Outfitters mission has been, “to significantly and responsibly increase recreational use of Richmond’s natural landscape by providing worldclass outdoor experiences and inspiring a return to natural fun.”

In 2005, Scott Turner realized his vision of opening a gateway to the James River Park System. Scott, who is also the owner of Truetimber Arborists, wanted to share tree climbing experiences with kids of all ages. He also envisioned rehabilitating an old farmhouse in Stratford Hills to use as a hub for the park system….a neighborhood business built on core values and simple, natural recreation. Along with the recreational tree climbing, boat and bike rentals were among the early offerings. Several of Scott’s friends and family members were his earliest supporters and shareholders in the company.

Current co-owner and President, Matt Perry, joined the journey in May of 2007 and assembled a core team of recreation professionals that today includes: Scott Ross, Jocelyn Lohse, Jen Jimenez, Natalie Stickel, and Kynan Studdard…all leaders of RO’s various programs. From the vision and efforts of this team, RO has grown to include rafting, youth programs, paddleboarding, kayaking, and tubing…all while remaining true to our core values and mission.

Despite the many changes over the years, we still think of ourselves as an outdoor community center first, and a commercial outfitter second. That is to say: Fostering connections between people, and between people and our amazing James River and urban forest, are what we care about most. We hope your adventures with us are ones you won’t stop talking about for years, and that our little patch of earth in the Stratford Hills neighborhood is one you won’t want to leave. Shoot, after a customer told us our property was like its own little town with its own way of going about life, we adopted 23225.5 as the RO zipcode 🙂 Come visit our town!!

Our staff of recreation professionals is committed to delivering you a first class experience that is safe and perfectly matched to your desired level of thrill and relaxation. Bring the family, friends, colleagues… discover a memorable experience right in downtown RVA!!