Wilmette Kayak Adventure

Thank you keith.  We've had such happy feedback from everyone! You and John had the perfect touch. You allowed everyone to feel safe and confident. People wanted to keep paddling! -Lauria, Glencoe, Illinois  

I just wanted to send this email and tell you that me and my daughter had a wonderful, blessing of an experience with your guides as well.  They were fun, and informative and just put us at ease - I can't wait to do this again one day soon. Thank you soooo very much for opening up our horizons to do more adventurous things like this.......it was AWESOME!!
-Jacqueline, Chicago, IL   

I went on the paddle Friday AM and only have the most amazing things to say about your staff. Professional and lots of fun. They were able to relate to kids and adults well and made a simple Friday AM paddle something I will remember for a while. 
-Sam, Chicago, IL  

My name is Veronica. I went Kayaking on Saturday, July 20 from 3-5. My trip was fun and safe thanks to the staff. The staff were friendly, helpful, and very accommodating. Thank you for a great trip.
-Veronica, Chicago, IL  

I went on your Crete trip last August, so decided to start paddling this summer. I just want to let you know that Ben, one of the guides, was absolutely wonderful...He was thoughtful, kept teaching us little tidbits and was extremely personable. He was a real plus even for just the simple two hour paddle!

-Carla Goldstein, Chicago, IL

We had a great time, thank's for the adventure, we really enjoyed it!!! 

-Kathleen & Brian, Gurnee, IL

Went on the 2 hour sunset kayaking with a bunch of girlfriends recently and had an awesome time.  Even though they provided maps as to where the boat launch would be--I still went to the wrong area--boo for me and directions.  They provided all the equipment: lifejacket, oar, and kayak. I recommend water shoes just because Im not a huge fan of sand or rocks in between my toes. The fabulous trip leader gave us some instruction/safety and then we were off and paddling--ok maybe not at first :)

The staff was so patient and nice---especially because I felt like the first half of the trip I definitely needed special attention--since we were veering in the opposite direction of the group---geesh who would've thought it would be so difficult to turn or keep going straight--but with the proper instruction and a little special ed tugging from one of the trip leaders---we were on our way to cruising on lake michigan.

Being that this was my first time and I didn't fall out or become traumatized--I definitley will be doing this again.

-Alvania C., Wheaton, IL  (taken from Yelp.com)

Loved my [2- hour Chicago Day Kayaking program].  We were supposed to be on Lake Michigan but riptides and high wind forced us to Skokie Lagoons.  Nevertheless, we loved it.  In fact, it was fun to get off the bike path and see the other side of this peaceful greenland/wetland just outside of Chicago.  This was our third time kayaking and second with instructors.  First time with this company.  My husband and I are not exactly athletes so I feel a little bit better knowing there is some young 20something presumably with First Aid training available to drag my butt out of the water - just in case.

Kayaking is so peaceful and the instruction was just enough to tell us how to do it and get us out on the water as soon as possible.  One and a half hours of kayaking is just the right amount of time for me.  I will save the weekend trips for the youngsters.

-Heather L., Des Plaines, IL   

Keith and his staff were awesome - very patient, friendly, approachable and willing to teach. They started with a 15mins talk about basic on kayaking, strokes to use (he demonstrated them and had us practice on dry land first). He also talked about safety and other stuff. They did a good job getting us settled in our kayaks and making us comfortable.

We then split into different groups and the instructor to student ratio was good. Not that this was a class as such, being reasonably new to kayaking, I felt comfortable approaching the staff for tips and questions. They were happy to review my strokes and help me improve.

Although the primary location for this sea-scape kayaking session was on the lake in Gilson Park in Wilmette, we kayaked at the Skokie Lagoons due to high winds and rip currents. We were notified ahead of time and it wasn't an issue. The lagoons were actually pretty cool, much warmer water and the river type formation felt like a course or a track compared to kayaking in a big open space (the lake).

In all, my companion and I enjoyed a Sunday afternoon with good weather. We kayaked for about 90mins out of the 120min package. It did seem we wouldnt get enough time in the water, but after about an hour, i was tired and felt like taking a break. So the 90mins was more than enough to enjoy kayaking.

-Raghav C., Chicago, IL  

Thanks again from a pleasantly pooped kayaking newbie. As requested, here are some of the birds we saw tonight-- lots of fledglings demanding a bedtime snack from parents--
-- great blue heron-- I've never seen so many
-- black-crowned night heron-- long white plumes from the head-- lots of these too
-- green heron-- chestnut colored chest
-- American bittern
-- common tern-- graceful gull-like birds following us for awhile
-- mallards-- in the duckweed of course
-- red-winged blackbirds
-- goldfinches
-- double-crested cormorants and greedy children in the big dead tree
-- rough-winged swallows and barn swallows and their demanding children skimming the water and roosting all together in a smaller tree
A lovely magical perspective to drift in so close. Looking forward to August!
Linda K., Highland Park,  IL.