Shooting the Hooch

On our recent visit to Atlanta, the lovely Robin and I got to witness firsthand what locals call "shooting the Hooch"--rafting, tubing, or otherwise floating down the Chattahoochee River through Atlanta. We didn't partake ourselves, but after a spectacular Sunday brunch at Ray's on the River, we walked beside the river and saw people floating happily along on a toasty Summer day (as well as a couple guys fly-fishing from a canoe).

Twenty or thirty years ago, “shooting the Hooch” was a hugely popular way to beat the summer heat in metro Atlanta. As the city grew, however, pollution in the river deterred would-be "shooters." But now that the river is reportedly cleaner than it has been in decades, people have returned to the tradition in recent years.

It's possible to float a six-mile stretch of river from the Morgan Falls Dam to the Powers Island unit of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area. Maybe on a future visit, we'll join in the fun.