Paddle your way through Seattle — and don’t forget the margarita.

As the tour guides at Agua Verde Café & Paddle Club will tell you, the best way to get the full effect of both Seattle’s skyline and our recent sunshine is from the water.

Agua Verde is named after a beautiful bay in the Sea of Cortez, which separates California’s Baja Peninsula from mainland Mexico. Located on Portage Bay between Lake Union and Lake Washington, Agua Verde offers hourly kayak and stand-up paddleboard rentals and guided tours through the surrounding marshes and waterways.

Some of the tours allow paddlers to head east into Lake Washington and explore the Arboretum and Foster Island. The natural beauty of this area showcases an array of animals such as bald eagles, great blue herons, beavers and muskrats. Paddlers can also head west toward Lake Union, where they can see the Seattle skyline, Space Needle, Portage Bay houseboats and Gas Works Park. Continuing past Fremont, paddlers can make their way toward the Ballard locks.

Upcoming summer tours include Brian’s Brisket Tour (date TBA), which allows paddlers to kayak through the Ballard locks and enjoy Brian’s Famous Brisket as the sun sets over the Sound; and the Sunday Sunset Tour for Clean Air (July 24), which will donate all proceeds to The American Lung Association of Washington. Agua Verde also offers weekly kayak tours on Tuesday and Thursday mornings.

Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, the café offers drinks, natural foods and live music with casual waterfront dining. Lunch is served cafeteria style, while dinner features a more extensive menu with table service. House-made salsas, soft drinks, desserts, a variety of margaritas, Mexican beers and wine will all be available to paddlers to complement their meals.

Paddlers must be at least 18 years old to rent equipment, and minors must be in a boat with a parent or guardian. Agua Verde’s hours, rates and other general information can be found on the company’s website.

With all the great weather the Northwest has seen recently, Seattleites will want to take advantage of the opportunity to explore the city via the area’s many waterways.

Agua Verde Café & Paddle Club | 1303 N.E. Boat Street, Seattle  |  (206) 545-8570 x 23