Minya James

Contributed Photo Visitors to Chattanooga paddle the Tennessee River through downtown. Outdoor Chattanooga begins today offering weekly tours of downtown on the river.

Beginning today, visitors and residents of Chattanooga will have the opportunity to get a new perspective on downtown. Outdoor Chattanooga began this morning the first of its guided paddling trips on the Tennessee River.

Minya James, recreation specialist for Outdoor Chattanooga, will be leading the tours, which start from Outdoor Chattanooga’s new facility in Coolidge Park. James will then lead paddlers around Maclellan Island.

“Maclellan Island is like this little gem out in the middle of the river that we drive over on the Veterans Bridge all the time but we don’t think twice about it,” she said. “The bird life out there is phenomenal out there and very diverse and very active.”

The tours will begin at 9:30 a.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays through mid-August. Each can accommodate 11 people at a time, including adults and teens 14 and older in individual boats. Boats and gear including a personal flotation device will be provided.

Outdoor Chattanooga has two tandem kayaks that James said would be perfect for kids and parents.

The paddling trip will give residents and visitors to the city a chance to see the abundant wildlife that lives in and along the Tennessee River, said Carol Farmer, assistant curator of fishes at the Tennessee Aquarium.

“The accessibility is unmatched in my opinion. There are so many places along the blueway to put a kayak in and do an hour or more paddle,” she said. “It’s very urban, yet there is so much wildlife.”

There are always great blue herons near the island, since they have a nesting site located at the northeast end of the island, she said.

Two ospreys also have been nesting there, and Canada geese and mallards can be seen all around the island, in addition to other waterfowl such as American coots, sandpipers and grebes, a type of freshwater diving bird.

“If you are lucky you will also see beavers, muskrats, raccoons and foxes, all of whom make their homes on the Island,” Farmer said.

Outdoor Chattanooga is working on a paddling tour for people with their own kayaks. That trip would take place on Tuesdays and might involve going to different spots on the river to do some cleanup work.

If you go

When: 9:30 a.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays through Aug. 15

Where: Outdoor Chattanooga Center in Coolidge Park

Cost: $35 adults/$25 ages 8-13