Adventures Outdoors rents kayaks, bikes at Oak Ridge Marina

Adventures Outdoors is open again, renting kayaks, bicycles, and stand up paddle boards at the Oak Ridge Marina.

The company has a new, larger, remodeled home inside part of the former New China Palace restaurant on the waterfront and a new five-year lease with the city, said Karen Lloyd, Adventures Outdoors owner.

Adventures Outdoors has 20 kayaks, including boats for one and two people, a new kayak launching dock, and five-person pedal boats. The rentals includes bikes for adults and children, as well as Trikkes, which are three-wheeled “carving vehicles.”

Lloyd said Adventures Outdoors opened for the season on April 1 and will remain open through Oct. 31.

The company says its aim is to “bring new and exciting health and fitness activities to the Oak Ridge area to promote the health and well-being of local and surrounding area residents, as well as visitors.”

Adventures Outdoors had a successful pilot project to lease kayaks and bikes at the Oak Ridge Marina last year. Then, they used temporary space on Houseboat Row at Melton Lake Park as well as the bar area in the former New China Palace to rent and store the recreational equipment.

During an interview Tuesday, Lloyd pointed out the pleasant surprises in store for those who kayak, including a tunnel under Melton Lake Drive, islands in the Clinch River, and nearby quiet, wooded spots that are accessible by water.

“It’s really a neat experience, just playing and exploring around the islands and inlets and coves,” Lloyd said. “It’s super fun, just going through those tunnels.”

The recreational rentals are considered one of the next steps in implementing a waterfront development plan approved by Oak Ridge City Council in December 2009. That plan included key features such as a new picnic pavilion, walking trails, new playground, permanent restrooms, enhanced lighting and landscaping, outdoor casual dining, and recreational equipment rental.

The rental store is located next door to new bathrooms and changing rooms that are now under construction and expected to be completed next month. Those new facilities, including the public bathrooms, are being built in another part of the city-owned building that had been rented to the New China Palace for several decades.

Other changes since the waterfront plan was approved in 2009 include a new pavilion at Melton Lake Park, completion of the fourth phase of Melton Lake Greenway, and the paving of the parking lot at Elza Gate Park a few miles north of Melton Lake Park.

The lease with the New China Palace was not renewed last year, and the restaurant has moved to a new home on Central Avenue in the Jackson Square area.

Lloyd said Adventures Outdoors can continue operating during regattas. Although they can’t put boats in the water during the rowing races at the Oak Ridge Marina, they can ferry kayaks to Solway and meet renters there. There are four regattas remaining this year, including one each in April, May, July, and October.

Adventures Outdoors is closed on Monday. The business is open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday, and from 12 to 4 p.m. Sunday.

For more information, contact Adventures Outdoors at (865) 680-1516 or adventuresoutdoors@comcast.net. You can also visit the company’s website at http://www.adventuresoutdoorsrentals.com.