Nola River Adventures opens at height of summer season
BYBEE, Tenn. (WJHL) – In 2022, Jared Bowlin and his wife moved to an 80-acre property in Bybee, Tennessee. The property is located right on the Nolichucky River, which inspired Jared to start a business with the goal of helping others enjoy the river.
“It just seemed like a great shame that people wouldn’t be able to enjoy this beautiful river,” said Bowlin. “And so, we decided let’s open this up and let people enjoy it.”
Nola River Adventures is a kayak rental business run out of the Bowlin property. The business officially opened on Friday. It was started after Bowlin noticed a hole in the kayak rental process.
“[The issue] was you could actually go and rent kayaks at individual places,” Bowlin said. “But you couldn’t necessarily take them where you wanted to be.”
Part of Bowlin’s property was converted into a ramp so customers could enter the river. But the rentals aren’t required to stay on the property, which Bowlin said had people excited.
“I think the fact that they can take it,” said Bowlin. “Take it to the lakes, take it to the other rivers, the French Broad, the Holston. And there’s just a slew of different water adventures you could go on. So I think people have been really excited about that opportunity.”
Currently, Bowlin only rents out kayaks. But he said the couple is already eyeing the possibility of expanding.
“Stand-up paddle boards have been really popular,” Bowlin said. “That’s an easy sort of expansion and one direction that we definitely had our eye on. The other thing is we have 13 acres over here on the river that’s kind of secluded by itself. And we’re actually going to do some cabins or what we’re calling river cottages. Kind of an Airbnb option that will be right here on the river.”
Bowlin said that through his business, he wants to make outdoor water adventures easier for others.
“They get to use the kayaks,” Bowlin said. “But they don’t have to pay that big price for them and they surely don’t have to store them. So it’s a great solution for them.”
Rentals can be made on the Nola River Adventures website.
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