Kayak-iti-Yat Kayaking Tours

A snowy egret watches cagily from the banks of Bayou St. John, strutting with his over sized yellow feet like a clown on parade. Maybe he's not used to seeing humans kayaking in his urban waterway, a sight that's becoming increasingly common, thanks to Kayak-iti-yat, a business owned by local partners Sara Howard and Sonny Averett. Founded in 2011, Kayak-iti-yat (a paddling riff on the local query, where y'at?) sheds new light on the city's charming Mid-City neighborhood bounded by the historic canal, once a vibrant transportation waterway connecting to Lake Ponchartrain. Sara and Sonny take turns leading the tours, which are geared mostly to novices, unless a wind whips chop into the usually placid canal. Bits of history and lore are shouted into the breeze, historic homes are identified and a growing confluence of birds remarked upon, from great blue herons to beady-eyed pelicans.