John K. Flores: Franklin tourism could get boost from kayaking venture

In 2015 the Coleman Company and Outdoor Foundation published a report titled, “Special Report on Paddle Sports.” The report revealed in 2014, 21.7 million Americans participated in paddle sports that included canoeing, kayaking, rafting, and standup paddling. What’s more, that number was up 6.8% from the previous year.

The report went on to say those participating in paddle sports, on the average, made at least seven outings per year for an estimated 215.8 million annually.

Of those nearly 216 million outings, 105.2 million were those who participated in kayaking, the most popular form of paddling.

Those statistics came from a nearly 8-year-old report, where latest statistics seem to indicate that participation in kayaking continues to grow at roughly a 2% annual rate. Additionally, kayaking appeals to all age groups and is equally enjoyed by both men and women, where 51% of kayakers in all age groups are male and 49% female.

Last week, during an evening ribbon- cutting ceremony held under the live oak trees behind Shadowlawn in Franklin, Steven Mora, owner/operator of “Tours by Steven,” and Chad Boutte, owner/operator of Fifolet Candle Makers, announced the opening of their new kayaking venture.

Tours by Steven is a New Orleans-based small business that offers a variety of walking and jogging tours around the city.

With the fitting backdrop of Bayou Teche behind him, Mora said, “We came to Franklin to try to revitalize with the program that the mayor and some other people have, to provide some tourism down here. We thought that we could help and be part of that with our expertise and our background. So, we started out with ghost tours and what we found is people want to do things regionally. They want to get out.”

Once up and running, the kayak tours will launch at the city-provided main dock along Bayou Teche that Mora recognized Franklin Mayor Eugene Foulcard, as being helpful with.

Mora explained how Bayou Teche was once known as a “bayuk,” meaning slow moving water, by native Americans and how it starts at Port Barre and runs 135 miles down to the Atchafalaya River.

Mora said, “We’re excited to utilize these under-utilized waterways and just really show people everything about Louisiana’s Sportsman’s Paradise, because that’s what we have here.”

Initially tours will be approximately 2½ hours long. Kayakers will launch from the dock in Franklin and paddle towards the sugar mill. Mora says everyone, whether an expert or novice, will be taught how to use a kayak, how to use the oar, and how to be safe on the water.

“So, we’re going to take the tour and go straight out to the sugar mill and talk about the importance of sugar to the survival of this state,” Mora said. “We’re going to talk about New Orleans because that was a big part of it as well. We’ll make our way back and talk about City Hall, we’ll talk about the cemetery, and we’ll talk about the different houses along the way. And, we’ll talk about how in the old days the water side would have been the front side of the home, because that was the main highway.”

The two partners have their sights set on growing the venture by eventually offering bike tours and rentals. Additionally, their goal is to enter New Iberia with similar tours next year.

Boutte said, “We definitely have room to wake up this waterway just a little bit. So we’re super, super excited about this venture. There’s a lot of support. There’s a lot of hotels, bed and breakfasts, and Airbnbs, who are already calling for guests that are wanting to do such an experience.”

Boutte thanked and recognized St. Mary Land-marks, the Shadowlawn Committee, and the City of Franklin for their support in helping Tours by Steven with their new business venture.

Citing his slogan, “It’s all here under the lampposts,” Foulcard said, “it’s always very uplifting and very exciting when we think about all the businesses that have opened in the Franklin area since the pandemic. I’m very excited about that.”

With nearly 18.6 million Americans kayaking at least once in 2021, no doubt Tours by Steven will add more participants to that total in the coming years. And that will happen in the City of Franklin, thanks to Mora and Boutte.

John Flores is the Morgan City Review’s outdoor writer. He can be contacted at gowiththeflo@cox.net.