Jump to: Reviews | Effects of Canoe- and Kayak-Based Transportation Systems
Kayaking is an environmentally friendly alternative to gas-guzzling jet skis, manatee-mangling speedboats, and polyurethane-leeching styrofoam noodles. Today's Groupon gets you five two-hour trips aboard a canoe, single kayak, or double kayak on the Potomac River for $50 with Jack's Boathouse (a $100 value). The Potomac will surprise you as a convenient way to get out of the city. When you're calmly observing the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, and Adam Dunn from the water, you'll know why a kayak trip from Jack's Boathouse was featured on the Travel Channel and written up in National Geographic Adventure.
Jack's, which is tucked away under the Key Bridge at 3500 K. St., is a hidden gem and a local favorite for its low rates and friendly service (it's family owned and operated.) You can rent single kayaks, tandem kayaks, two-person canoes, three-person canoes, and single kayaks mounted to two-person canoes stuffed into a schooner (for the right price). This Groupon is for five two-hour rentals; use all your trips at once to go on a 10-hour endurance run, have multiple water adventures, or give them to your friends and family so you have people to bump your boat. You can even make a daycation out of it, and take advantage of free use of the gas grill in Jack's picnic area overlooking the water. Use your Groupon anytime during business hours: Mondays, noon to 8:30 p.m.; Tuesdays through Fridays, 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.; Saturdays and Sundays, 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Reviews
National Geographic Adventure and the Travel Channel featured Jack's Boathouse:
- In under a mile, the Potomac morphs from a silent, tree-tunneled river into a bustling urban waterway. Jack’s Boathouse, by the Key Bridge in Georgetown, is a convenient jumping-off point for forays in either direction. Paddle upstream into what co-owner Paul Simkin calls the “wilds of Virginia” (watch for bald eagles), or ride the current a half hour downstream to take in the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial. – Catherine Price, National Geographic Adventure
Yelpers give it an average of 4.5 stars:
- Jack's is an awesome little mom and pop type kayak/canoe rental spot tucked away at the end of K Street under the Key Bridge. The people who work there are laid back and friendly...nothing better knowing that within minutes you can grab a kayak on a nice day... – Mimi L.
- the only place i kayak in dc. you would think georgetown wouldn't be the ideal place to find a cheap, laid back, fun place to be, but jack's figured it out. – aubri o.
- Picture yourself in a boat on a river, with tangerine trees and magnolia vines...Roosevelt island, pillars of grey, towering over your head...It's the key bridge, and you are floating downstream in a kayak. – John B.
Effects of Canoe- and Kayak-Based Transportation Systems
Coinciding with the scheduled digital television conversion in 2014, the US government intends to roll out a brand new transportation infrastructure. Highways, streets, and country roads will be replaced by waterways for canoe and kayak transportation, a change that experts in certain fields believe will greatly affect many aspects of society:
- Murky water will be upgraded to slightly less-murky water.
- Environmentally unfriendly cars will be disposed of in a giant Nebraska bonfire.
- Holes in the ozone will immediately reseal, trapping thousands of hot air balloon riders outside the ozone forever.
- Door-to-door environmental activists will look for new work with the Jehovah's Witnesses.
