ROSWELL, Ga. — In Roswell, the summer heat feels like 100 degrees. The Chattahoochee River water is a different story.
"It's very cold," Colin Lasure said. "The water lets out from the bottom of the dam off Lanier, so it's always going to be cold, even on the hottest days of the year."
Data from the United States Geological Survey showed the water temperatures hovering around 63 degrees Thursday afternoon. It neared 68 degrees the day before.
"All of us have that memory from when you're 5 and you jump in a pool and it's peak summer," Walker Marsh said. "I think it's going to feel just like that. It's going to feel amazing."
Marsh and his friends were among the lucky ones who were able to rent tubes from the Nantahala Outdoor Center on Thursday morning. A sign said its Roswell Outpost had sold out due to high demand.
"Sometimes we all go on tubes, sometimes we split up with kayaks," Ellen Garvin told 11Alive. "It feels great, especially if you're in the tube. But you know if you're in the boat, you get splashed plenty."
Payge McMahon Page and 11-year-old Maddie were also excited to get in the water on the Fourth of July.
"It's just fun to be with family and everything and do something outdoors instead of being stuck inside on our computers," Page said. "We are going to go on the Chattahoochee River and stay cool. It's going to be amazing."