With the COVID-19 pandemic wreaking havoc on many families' summer vacation plans, we want to provide you with a plethora of options to make your summer the best it can be right in your own neighborhoods. Yes, maybe your flight to Florida was canceled, but we have so much to offer right here in Annapolis and Edgewater to make your summer break memorable. Stick with Macaroni Kid Annapolis each week for more Summer Staycation ideas!
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I wish we lived right on the water. I really do. My kids are total water babies and would spend the entire day in and on the water if we let them. So this year, my husband and I decided to give them as many water experiences as we could. After all of the mayhem with online learning and their school year being interrupted, they deserve the summer of their life.
We decided to start with stand up paddleboarding at Pier 7 with Sunrise SUP. We could be responsibly socially distant with other paddleboarders, plus it's on the water, requires a good amount of physical activity, and a new thing no one in our family has ever done!
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Sunrise SUP is a perfect spot to paddleboard with the whole family. Not only is the water calm, but you launch from a beach. Have you ever seen someone launch from a dock? It’s doable, but maybe not super graceful without a lot of practice. And we have had no practice. Let me just make sure that's clear (hehe) - we were total newbies, which makes the fact that Kate (the owner of Sunrise SUP) was so patient with us extra brag-worthy.
We were a group of three adults, a teen, and two young kids. They provided life jackets and boards with our session and gave us full instruction on what the heck we were about to embark on. Kate was great with the little ones, even pausing her instruction as they chose to focus on the ducks and jet ski over her safety briefing. (Kids!) When we were ready to go, boy did we get started! Our group seemed like we'd done this before (aside from a few fall-ins of course). We were able to "tow" the two smaller kids, but my oldest even ended up standing and paddling his own board halfway through, proving that it may look difficult but anyone can do it!
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We toured a little bit of Warehouse creek, where we passed gorgeous homes, cool boats, ducks, and other paddleboarders. We got to swim for a bit and were pleasantly surprised that the water was warm! Toward the end of our visit, Kate surprised the boys with a short kayaking experience after she heard about how they're dying to get out on the water in kayaks.
To say this was the single best afternoon I've had with my family in a while is an understatement. Everyone was well behaved, had a great time, left in good moods, and had the time of their lives.
If you want to try something a bit more challenging, Sunrise SUP also offers SUP Yoga. They also offer group paddles and summer camp, so there is truly something offered for everyone in the family!
I’m challenging you to continue to enjoy this summer weather before fall rolls in. Soak up the sun and savor this awesome area we live in. To book your SUP experience, visit Sunrise SUP online here. Be sure to follow Sunrise SUP on Instagram here. Make sure to tell them Macaroni Kid sent you!
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My group was provided a complimentary SUP experience for consideration for this review. All opinions are my own.
