GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Starting Friday, kayak rentals will be available through the summer months at Riverside Park in Grand Rapids.
Families will be able to rent them from 4 to 8 p.m. Fridays and noon to 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.
An hour-long kayak rental costs $8. Each additional hour is $6. Kayakers need to be at least 16 years old to rent a kayak without an adult. Kayakers between ages 10 and 15 need to have an adult kayaking with them. Life jackets are provided.
“Kayak rentals, the Family Paddle Night and stand-up paddle board classes are some of the many ways our department is working to bring community members closer to our city’s incredible water resources,” said David Marquardt, the City’s parks and recreation director.
“The Riverside Park lagoon is directly connected to the Grand River and is the largest inland body of water in our parks system, making it an ideal location for water recreation experiences like these.”
Family Paddle Night is 5 to 8:30 p.m. May 10. Ten-passenger canoes, single-passenger kayaks and stand-up paddle boards will be available for free 20-minute rides. The canoes are provided by Minnesota nonprofit Wilderness Inquiry and the stand-up paddle boards are offered by the Parks and Recreation Department.
In addition to paddling experiences, Family Paddle Night will feature yard and carnival-style games on land. More than a dozen food trucks will be onsite from 5 to 9 p.m. as part of Food Truck Fridays hosted by the Grand Rapids Food Truck Association and GR Loves Food Trucks.
