PADDLE SPORTS OASIS TERRAPIN CREEK
No one in southern Cherokee County will confuse the Warren and Nelson families’ rivalry for a Hatfield vs. McCoy scenario. Located off Alabama Highway 9, Terrapin Outdoor Center and Redneck Yacht Club are owned by Warren and Nelson, respectively. “We’re competitors, but we’re also great friends,” Nelson said. They are more than happy to draw people from all over Alabama. The entire southeast, for that matter, to paddle the pristine waters of Terrapin Creek.
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on the television program Absolutely Alabama put Terrapin Creek on the map for good. “It just seems like Terrapin Creek caught on fire,” Hank said. “It’s one of the prettiest creeks. If we don’t get any rain, it’s crystal clear.”
Terrapin Outdoor Center was started in 1995 by Warren and his father, who was selling canoes back in 1969, long before canoeing and kayaking were cool. The family had visited the creek throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Eventually, they moved here and started the business.
Tucked away in the suburbs of Rock Run and Spring Garden, a stretch of Terrapin Creek has become a mecca for paddle sport enthusiasts. It wasn’t too many years ago that we would have said “hidden away between Piedmont and Centre,” but Terrapin Creek is no longer hidden. It has become a premier destination for paddling aficionados and beginners alike. Mike Warren at Terrapin Outdoor Center estimates that in 2020 upwards of 20,000 paddlers made a run on the crystal clear, spring-fed creek.
Hank Nelson and his wife Teresa opened the Redneck Yacht Club as a summer gig when they saw interest in paddle sports takeoff. Consistent promotional work coupled with a feature
The stream has its headwaters in the Talladega National Forest. It empties into the Coosa River with as many as two dozen or more watersheds that contribute to the flow cherokee-chamber.org
