Our family has been whitewater rafting several times, both in Tennessee and North Carolina. This, by far, was the best experience we had.
We usually request the lower and/or less intense part of the river (like a class 1or 2 with maybe some grade 3 areas), since we have an elementary school age child. However, our oldest child is a teenager, and begged us to do a more "exciting" run this time. I explained this to a Big Creek Expeditions representative, over the phone, while booking online. We were placed with a very experienced guide, on the upper river, who made sure my family had a fun time, yet remained safe. The upper part of the Pigeon River offers sections of Class 3 and 4. The result was an extremely fun and exciting run for the entire family.
The river itself is beautiful, surrounded by trees and mountains. Our children were thrilled to see otters and many different birds. Our guide was very knowledgeable, and told us of the history of that area, including the TN and NC border, the Indian conservation, the early settlers, the species of animals that live in the Smoky Mountains, the efforts to save some, the climate in the mountains and reasons for the fog like clouds we see, etc. We love to incorporate fun with learning. Our children asked many questions, and absolutely loved this experience.
What we also liked about Big Creek is that they give you a CD with all of your pictures, for a reasonable price. We did not have this option at other whitewater rafting companies.
Recommendation on what to wear: If you are going whitewater rafting for the first time, wear water shoes and an outfit that you don't mind getting wet. You will be wearing a vest that is adjusted to fit you and must stay on, even while swimming off the raft. There is a section, on the river, which is safe to go off the raft and swim. My recommendation is to wear a bathing suit top under a shirt, and work out shorts/pants for the bottom. I am always surprised to see people wearing jeans, white capri pants, etc. You will get wet, even you decide not to go swimming.