A Family Tradition on Tennessee's beautiful Buffalo River Since 1991

We're the Jones/Luedeke family, and Crazy Horse has been part of our family story since 1991.

My name is Candi. I was a 7-year-old third grader, and my brother, Mason, was still in diapers when our parents bought Crazy Horse. Today, with the help of our spouses, Jesse and Becky, we handle most of the day-to-day operations — but it all started much differently than what you see today.

Back then, Crazy Horse was little more than a handful of canoes, a couple of trucks, a stretch of Buffalo River frontage, and two new owners with a big dream.

Our dad, Bobby, had grown up floating the Buffalo River and recognized there was something special here long before most people did. When he left his “good job” in town to take a chance on a canoe rental business no one had ever heard of before, most locals thought he was crazy.

Perhaps he was a little bit.

But Dad had a knack for customer service and knew how to take care of his people. He would quite literally give the shirt off his back — or even the shoes off our feet, for that matter — if he thought one of his customers needed them. Every kid got a free blow pop, and now we see those kids bringing their own kids in for a blow pop too. Taking care of people wasn't a business strategy. It was simply who he was. People were drawn to him and to the easygoing atmosphere he created.

None of it would have been possible, however, without our mom, Stephanie by his side.

For years, she continued working as a nurse to help make ends meet, then spent almost every free moment working and building right alongside Dad. She believed in him, & she believed in his dream of what the Buffalo River could one day become.

Crazy Horse grew right up with us-- all of us.

Fast-forward more than 35 years. The vans and buses are bigger, the boat racks are longer, the office has expanded, and there are a whole lot more boats. We've added cabins and lodge rooms, remodeled them a time or two over the years, improved the campgrounds, upgraded equipment, bought thousands of paddles and lifejackets-- and we might've added a few gray hairs along the way.

The kids who spent their summers carrying coolers, mowing campsites, cleaning cabins, loading boats, learning every bend of the river and tricks of the trade are now running the place so Mom and Dad can finally semi-retire. I say “semi” because they still come and go as they please, keep us in line, and make sure we're doing things the way we were taught — & we wouldn't change that for anything. There's a pretty good chance you'll still see them around too if you look close enough.

And now another generation is growing up here too. Our children are once again learning the bluffs, waterfalls, caves, and every good rope swing by heart. They're running the cash registers, answering the phones, and renting you your boats. Most importantly, we hope they're learning what it means to take care of your people.

The important things? We've worked hard not to change those things at all.

We're still family owned and operated.

We're still right here on the same "sweet spot" of the Buffalo River we've always been on — it's the section we grew up on, the section our kids are growing up on, and, in our completely biased opinion, the best stretch of water the Buffalo has to offer.

We still take pride in customer service and taking care of our people.

And we still believe a great day on the river shouldn't be stressful or complicated.

We're not a chain, and we don't want to be. We just want you to come spend the day with us, enjoy the river we've loved our entire lives, make some memories, and have the kind of summer day you'll be talking about all winter — and hopefully for years to come.

Come see why generations of families keep choosing Crazy Horse-- time and time again. We think you'll love it here too.