When you want to get groups out to burn some pent-up energy, the Sunshine State offers everything from paddleboarding and kayaking to Segway excursions. The following operators can help get the blood pumping.
Amelia Island Kayak Excursions goes beyond coastal areas to offer guided tours through local inland waterways, including the St. Marys River, the Okefenokee Swamp and the fabled Suwannee River, with ancient limestone walls and majestic cypress trees recalling a time when native tribes paddled these waters. Groups can overnight in cottages or more rustic screened enclosures with bath facilities. Additional itineraries include Egan's Creek on Amelia, which offers some of the state's best shorebird watching, along with sunset tours and kayaking packages.
EcoMotion Tours recently launched unique "team-bonding" Segway excursions for groups, taking riders on customized journeys through the subtropical vegetation of Fort George Island and exploring the antebellum Kingsley Plantation.
"People are just absolutely amazed by it," says Maren Arnett, owner of EcoMotion. "We're experts in the archaeology there, as well as the history and culture. It appeals to corporate groups and teams because it's something they accomplish together."
Most paddleboarding excursions take place in natural settings, but it's not a must. Urban Kai forgoes the trees and birds to take paddlers along the Hillsborough River in Tampa, surrounded by the downtown skyline.
"It's just a different view. The Hillsborough runs into a channel that opens into Tampa Bay," says Chris Murphy, instructor at Urban Kai. "One unique thing about being on a river is that you're never far away from the shoreline. Being on the ocean, you're dealing with stronger tides and winds."
Murphy says Urban Kai can take up to 30 at a time on urban paddleboarding excursions.
Similarly, Sunrise Paddleboards in Fort Lauderdale offers a Venice of America paddleboarding tour that cruises along the Intracoastal Waterway, taking in the grand homes fronting the water. But you can also skip the city and go for Island City Ecotours that will have groups paddling past nature preserves and through private lagoons.
Anyone can paddle during the day, but how about after dark? A neon sunset tour atop a paddleboard equipped with LED lights that illuminate up to five feet under water and 15 feet around the board is offered by Miami Beach Paddleboard. So bring on the sunset!
