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Kentucky is home to some truly magical places to get on your paddleboard and explore. Not only will you find beautiful bodies of water to traverse, but also plenty of rental options, lessons to learn the basics, and maybe even some paddleboarding yoga. Some of the finest waterways in the nation can be found in the Bluegrass State. So grab your paddle and check out these five awesome spots in Kentucky.
SUP Kentucky in Lexington offers several classes to get your beginner’s training. $50 adult classes are offered by SUP Kentucky, from two teachers, with a combined 12 years of experience. Their intro class is a 1.5-hour introduction to paddleboarding, teaching the techniques of the art form. A Cavern Glow class is offered, where you can maneuver through a flooded limestone mine with LED lights on an hour-long experience. The Grayson Lake Hidden Grotto class will take you through hidden grottos, high cliff walls and alongside waterfalls for a truly exhilarating paddleboard adventure.
SUP classes and SUP yoga classes are both offered by Canoe Kentucky in Frankfort, Kentucky. The fee for registration is $40 which will get you a rental inflatable or hardboard for SUP classes. Both the inflatable and hardboard have different techniques to learn from the wonderful instructors at Canoe Kentucky. Recently, Shaker Village in Harrodsburg, Kentucky, partnered with Canoe Kentucky to offer SUP yoga classes for $50 per person. This is a great place to learn SUP yoga with an affordable fee for the class. Canoe Kentucky began as a canoeing and kayaking business, but after seeing the SUP craze takeoff, they’re now on board with the best of the businesses offering these cool classes.
Bluegrass Board Sports in Benton, Kentucky, offers a $35 per person beginners class for SUP learners. The intro class lasts 15 minutes, with a 45-minute paddle and sightseeing. Paddlefit coaches also have advanced guided tours for those that have done SUP before, which will last approximately 90 minutes. The Paddlefit classes at Bluegrass Board Sports are centered around the fitness techniques to accomplish your weight loss goals, strength and conditioning and overall well-being. Several options are available to serve your needs as a SUP’er. Gain experience or learn the art form of SUP from these wonderful coaches teaching quality skills for paddleboard lovers from all over the state.
Pure Bliss Paddle Boards in Murray, Kentucky, offers SUP rentals with options of two hours, four hours and 12 hours. Their pricing is prorated depending on the number of rentals (people) involved in your SUP adventure. They offer company outings, family bonding, and weekend getaway groups to support your needs as a SUP’er. Their prices range from $36-$52/per person. Murray, Kentucky is home to Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley with a great free-flowing canal creating one of the largest man-made bodies of water in North America. Pure Bliss Paddle Boards is a great way to see this spectacular waterway in Kentucky.
Endless Summer Paddle in Louisville, Kentucky, has some of the best SUP class offerings available. $20 will get you a community paddle with fellow SUP students. $40 will get you a basic course in SUP, lasting two hours, where you will learn all the necessities that come along with paddleboarding. For $35 you can take a SUP yoga course to strengthen your core while learning yoga on a paddleboard. The SUP yoga course is an intense 90-minute course, but well worth your time and energy! $60 will get you the basic SUP course as well as a 60-minute guided yoga session. For your money, this is the best course available at Endless Summer Paddle. Check out this fantastic paddleboard spot to learn the basics, then transition to relaxation with their SUP yoga immersion!