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One of the most common summer pastimes is about to be available to Clay County residents closer to home.
West Tubing Company is set to open Saturday, May 1 in Warne, catering to those who like to beat the summer heat by floating on the water. The company is located on Brasstown Creek and will offer a tubing experience of between about an hour and a half to two hours.
"There's nothing local, you have to go out of the area for it," manager Donna Freisen said.
"Where we're located at, you're close to Hayesville, Murphy, Brasstown, Hiawassee, Blairsville. We just have a nice range of areas to pull from here."
West Tubing operates out of what was once the Tellico Lace plant, which manufactured lace trim and collars for dresses and apparel. That company employed many local residents at one time, before eventually being unable to compete with automation. The facility has undergone extensive renovations to house West Tubing Company.
The building sat vacant for more than 30 years before being purchased in 2018 by owners Dave and June West, who have local ties to the area. As a boy, Dave moved from Tucker, Ga., back to the family farm in Warne. Many hours of his childhood were spent playing in Brasstown Creek near his backyard.
West majored in engineering at Western Carolina University and went on to work for Milliken Industries, before retiring and moving back to western North Carolina. As he considered a variety of options for the abandoned building he owned, he simply listened to his surroundings.
One afternoon in 2019, West heard children laughing and looked outside to see three girls and a boy tubing down the creek, having a great time. With that, the concept for West Tubing Company was born.
"In fact, one of those girls will be coming to work for us," Freisen said.
West Tubing will also offer burgers, snacks and beverages from its covered deck overlooking Brasstown Creek, including mixed drinks, beer and wine. The company also hopes to provide live music on weekends.
West Tubing's experience on the creek will begin at West Preserve, their put-in point, and end at West Outpost. The company will also offer an option for parents with smaller children.
"There's an area here that's like a little spring that runs along the side of the parking lot and flows into Brasstown Creek," Freisen said. "We're cleaning that up and are calling it the 'Little Minnow Creek.' We'll have it sealed off where the kids can't get into the big creek, but it's for the little ones — like how you have a kiddie pool at a swimming pool. For five dollars, they can get a small tube and parents can sit out and watch them while they play there."
West Tubing will be open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday and 10 a.m. to 12 a.m. Thursday through Saturday.
For details, visit: www.WestTubingCompany.com or call (828) 389-TUBE (8823).