Riva Row Boat House

[caption id="attachment_133339" align="alignright" width="460"] Stand-up paddleboards are a new rental option in The Woodlands.Carrie[/caption]

The Riva Row Boat House gives visitors and residents of The Woodlands the opportunity to see the community from a different point of view by offering kayak and stand-up paddleboard rentals for use on Lake Woodlands. This spring, the township will expand the program to offer similar amenities at Hughes Landing.

Lakes Edge at Hughes Landing will offer kayak rentals a short walk from the development’s shopping and dining areas, Program Coordinator Amber Barnes said. It should be open in March for spring break.

Riva Row opened in 2009 and has a fleet of 60 kayaks. This year, the facility added paddleboards to its inventory after popular demand. On-site instructors offer a variety of lessons for both watercraft types.

“We recently bought the paddleboards and are pretty excited for summer to come around as those will surely be really popular options,” Barnes said. “It’s a very popular fitness activity. Everybody is doing it across the country, and now people can do it in The Woodlands.”

Barnes said the boathouse continues to add new types of events and classes based on community feedback and increased interest. Rentals increased by 50 percent in 2015 to 17,507 rentals—which amounts to about 28,200 renters—up from 11,674 rentals in 2014, or 18,679 people who rented.

Individuals pay for kayak and paddleboard trips by the hour, and kayaks can seat up to two riders. The standard kayak route takes riders along The Woodlands Waterway. Kayakers are also permitted to paddle the entirety of the lake from Northshore Park to Hughes Landing.

Barnes said many residents and visitors are not aware of the boathouse because of its tucked-away location.

“Most of our kayakers are first-time kayakers, and our staffers work really hard to have a personal touch,” she said. “They will teach you how to paddle, go over a map of the lake, and from my experience with other rental companies, [Riva Row] almost creates a resort-like experience for kayaking.”

2101 Riva Row, The Woodlands 281-210-3965 http://www thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov/RIVAROWBOATHOUSE