August 03, 2020
Looking for something new to do with your friends this summer while practicing social distancing? Experience Detroit from the water by kayaking the canals on the Detroit River! Last weekend, my friends and I did a guided kayak tour with Detroit River Sports. If you’re not a super experienced paddler like me, you’ll enjoy this guided tour that takes you through the canals on Detroit eastside with start and end points at Coriander Kitchen.
After our safety and paddling training on land, we were loaded into our kayaks at the old Fisherman’s Marina docks. The guides were diligent about sanitizing the launch equipment that helped us settle into our kayaks in between launches. Once on the water and at a safe distance from one another, we were able to remove our masks.
We left from the docks and headed south on the canal towards the Detroit River, getting comfortable with paddling before reaching the river. Once on the Detroit River, we bobbed in the wakes created by passing boats and listed to a brief history lesson about the Detroit River, Belle Isle, the Anishinaabe whose land we occupy, Cadillac’s landing in Detroit in 1701, the role of the Detroit River in Prohibition, and more. The views of the downtown skyline and Belle Isle are truly wonderful from the water.
From there we paddled to the canal at Grayhaven where once inside, we got a swim break and learned how to get in and out of our kayaks without tipping. Our history lesson continued through the canal around the manmade island, past the Dossin and Fisher Mansions, and then back out to the Detroit River. Paddling against the current on the Detroit River was a little intimidating, but doable following the advice from the guides. By 6:30PM as we were arriving back to the docks after our 2-hour paddle, both Alfred Brush Ford Park and Riverfront Lakewood East Park had filled up with visitors enjoying the outdoor spaces on the riverfront.
We disembarked with our masks back on, tipped the guides (Venmo and Cashapp), and walked over to Coriander Kitchen’s patio.
Photo: In front of the Fisher Mansion, now home to a Hindu Temple of The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON)
We disembarked with our masks back on, tipped the guides, and walked over to Coriander Kitchen and Farm.
Coriander Kitchen and Farm is in pop-up patio form until their building is completed. This chef-farmer team known as Gwen Meyer and Alison Heeres create seasonal menus of locally sourced ingredients from their farm (located just east of Eastern Market) and other local farms. We waited for a table to open up by sitting in the outdoor lounge area with our masks reviewing the online menu. Once we got a table on the patio we ordered from our phones. Our food (the burger, lamb skewer, whitefish sandwich and grilled carrots with shishito peppers) was delicious! The ginger lemonade was also full of amazing flavors. Follow Coriander on Facebook and Instagram, and check the website for the daily menu.
This tour was a super fun thing to do on the weekend with friends. The cost was $45 per person, but the price comes down to $31 when you BYOK (bring your own kayak). Choose from a morning, afternoon or sunset tour Thursdays-Sundays! Book your tour at www.detroitriversports.com and follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
Written By Let’s Detroit’s Katherine Brown
