Montgomery Whitewater drew 6,000 people across opening weekend. Here's what visitors said.

There was an excitement hangover in town Monday after Montgomery Whitewater’s opening weekend. Officials hope it was just the beginning of the spark provided by the 120-acre park that sets next to Maxwell Air Force Base.

Even with some rain, more than 6,000 people came out Friday through Sunday for a schedule jam-packed with professional kayakers, concerts, a 5K and more, said Leslie Sanders, who chairs the board of directors.

“It is an exciting time for the city,” said Ron Simmons, with the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce, as he drove to work Monday morning. “There were a lot of people that said, ‘I can’t believe this is in Alabama.’”

The $90 million project is one of three manmade rapids in the country and has the longest course. Two water channels provide park goers rafting and kayaking opportunities − professional and beginners.  “Montgomery and central Alabama showed well,” Sanders said of the weekend. “Welcome to Montgomery. This is what we have.”

Officials expect the park, which opened Friday, to create a ripple effect in the local economy with an estimated $36 million annual impact, mostly in tourism-related dollars.

That seemed to be happening already. Curious locals and out-of-towners milled around the site near I-65 and downtown.

Dani and Bert Hinkley, from Bend, Ore., said Saturday it was their first time in Alabama. They had just been to the Legacy Museum and were staying at an Airbnb in Cottage Hill about five minutes from Montgomery Whitewater.

People outside the U.S. also came to the grand opening and were out and about in town.

“We toured the Rosa Parks Museum. Phenomenal,” said John Milas of Greenville, S.C. who was with his future son-in-law, Adam Burger of Budapest, Hungary.

“We went past Martin Luther King’s church, Dexter Baptist. Saw Troy University. Saw the Capitol. Really, we’ve had a phenomenal day.”

The only miss of the weekend seemed to be some complaints about nothing to do for children.

“Lots of fun for adults! Wish there was something to do for the kids to make it a family day,” said Kaylee Decker on Whitewater’s website.

Phase 2 of the project will include zip lines, bike and hiking trials and kayak rentals to use on the river. Plans also include a hotel on the site.

There are fees for using the water courses, but the park itself is open to the public with free admission most of the time. There are also off the water activities with a restaurant, beer garden and shops.

“It’s worth coming out and bringing the kids and just walking around and taking a look at the site itself," said Dave Hepp, Whitewater CEO, in an earlier interview.

He recommends bringing scooters and bikes to the park.

The city of Montgomery seems to have showed thousands a good time, in contrast to the 2022 Camellia Bowl that featured the Buffalo Bulls and Georgia Southern Eagles.

Arriving the day after Christmas, fans found little to do, eat or drink in the city. Some restaurants were closed, while others ran out of menu items. Fans took to social media to say hotels and bars were crowded, under-staffed and had lengthy wait times.

The city has added two new hotels downtown since then, and Whitewater’s opening didn’t fall close to a major holiday.

The Renaissance hotel had available rooms Saturday afternoon. An Embassy Suites representative said the last few weeks had been slow, but Saturday they were a little over 70 percent full.

Arjun Pathiyal, 17, with the Potomac Whitewater Racing Center in Washington, D.C., stayed in the Capital City at an Airbnb.

“There were also plenty of hotels that looked like good options, but we had six or seven athletes from our team coming here,” he said. “It was easier if we all stayed in one house.”

There also wasn’t any problem finding restaurants to replace all those calories he burned kayaking.

“The city is relatively walkable, which is really enjoyable,” Pathiyal said. “Everywhere that we’ve gone to eat food has been a fun, warm environment, which I enjoy.”

Shannon Heupel contributed to this story.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Here's what tourists thought about Montgomery Whitewater and the city