We've been whitewater rafting in many places across the USA, including the Nantahala with this same NOC outfitter. Hartford is a "blink and you'll miss it" tiny town, but you'd never think that, if you saw the NOC facilities there. We were impressed with the large spread, check-in area with table to fill out paperwork and store, as well as the bath house for after rafting showering and change of clothes.
They have a small theater where they review all the essentials, take all questions and even show a short tutorial video. Their guides are all very energetic, knowledgeable and clearly love their jobs. Mark was our guide and he was terrific. The equipment is all top notch and they go all out to accommodate their clients. The runs we did were fun, but there were many challenging ones. That said, kids and novices can still safely take this trip. We've used NOC twice before in 1997 and 1999, and this third time was just as good. I highly recommend this excursion and NOC.