Grab your paddle!

Riverfront Park in Downtown Nashville is the starting point for the 4th Annual Nashville Dragon Boat Race and Water Festival. The date is Saturday, August 14, 2010.

The race and festival raise awareness and earns money for the Cumberland River Compact and the Tennessee Scenic Rivers Association. If you kayak or canoe in Tennessee, you’re probably familiar with the great work that these two associations do in the way of conservation and making our river accessible to people to enjoy.

Register your team early to save on fees. Last year there were 38 teams registered to race – so don’t lose your spot, register today!

Dragon Boat Racing is a great team-building experience. Even if you’ve never raced before, this may be the event to consider. Competitive yes, but also a great experience whether you’re racing with friends, family or any group of people. Dragon Boat racing differs from other team sports in that no one person on the team is more important than another. Winning a Dragon Boat race hinges on how well a team works together at paddling in sync at the same time, and how well each paddler perfects the stroke technique. The popularity of Dragon Boat racing has exploded, with an estimated 50 million people participating in the sport around the world annually.

If you’re not a racer, feel free to volunteer or just attend the event. There will be music, art, food and lots of vendors. Watching the race from the downtown banks of the Cumberland River is an exciting way to spend a summer afternoon.

Some info for racers:

• The dragon boat race course is a 250-meter run roughly between the Shelby Street walking bridge and the Woodland Street bridge. Your team will be outfitted with paddles, personal flotation devices, and a Dragon Boat.
• You’ll be racing in a four-boat heat in river water with the current.
• Start and finish lines are marked with buoys. The lanes are not marked but the course is straight.

Find out more about the Nashville Dragon Boat Race and Water Festival, visit our Races and Events Page.

If You Go…Let Us Know! Click here to send us a note about the Nashville Dragon Boat Race and Water Festival and we may publish your report right here on BornToPaddle.com!

Looking for paddling locations in your state?

Search our places to paddle page for places to kayak or canoe for flatwater or whitewater.  Kayaking and canoeing paddling locations are listed by U.S. State

We are lucky here in the Nashville, Tennessee area. We are surrounded by great rivers and lakes – which translates into great opportunities to kayak and canoe – pretty much right out our backdoor.

This week was ideal on the Harpeth River. This historic river is a tributary of the mighty Cumberland River which flows through the heart of Nashville all the way to the Mississippi River.

The water level on the Harpeth this past week was ideal. We’ve had some rain in the past few days that helped to keep the water level near perfect for paddling.

After renting a canoe at Canoe Music City in Kingston Springs (there are several places on Highway 70 that offer canoe and kayak rentals, plus transportation to and from the river) we shuttled our car to the take out at Harris Street Bridge, and dropped off with the canoe at the Narrows of the Harpeth State Park put in.

Going paddling during the week is an excellent option if you can swing it. There were some people on the water, but for the most part it was a very peaceful paddle.

The Harpeth River teems with wildlife. As we paddled along in our canoe we saw huge fish swimming in the shallows, turtles sunning themselves on rocks and branches, and a duckling swam out to us and paddled along for a while!

The day was quite warm, but its almost always cooler on the water. Huge trees hang over the Harpeth offering great amounts of shade just when you need it. The paddling was easy (we had an experienced boat pilot steering), and the current was extremely helpful in moving us along.

At this level, many beach areas exist along the river. It’s great to just pull over and dig out the cooler for some cold drinks and snacks along the way. But the river has its deep parts too, which are easily spotted – just look for rope swings hanging from the trees!

There were some trees down in the water from recent storms, but nothing to impede the way downstream. I had to jump out a couple of times and help the boat over some shallow bits, but we did have three people in the boat. In a canoe the more people you have the lower you sit in the water. Had we been in kayaks, we would have glided right over those spots.

If you’re looking for a place to paddle, kayak or canoe in the Nashville or Middle Tennessee area, it doesn’t get much better than the Harpeth. Once you’re on the water, the rest of the world slips away and you enter a part of nature that has remained virtually untouched for hundreds of years. The Harpeth is a beautiful river and a treasure for locals and visitors alike.

For more information about Tennessee’s Harpeth River, please visit: Harpeth River Watershed website or the Narrows of the Harpeth State Park website.

For more places to paddle, kayak and canoe in Tennessee, see our Places to Paddle in Tennessee page.

To find other places to paddle, kayak and canoe all over the USA, go to our Places to Paddle page and click on any state, or check out nationwide kayak, canoe and paddle events and races on our Paddling Events and Races page.

If you would like us to post your favorite place to paddle, kayak or canoe or your favorite paddling event or race, please use our handy contact form to send us the details.