Las Colinas Urban Center is known for its bustling business atmosphere, but businesses hope commuters and residents will stick around after work hours to enjoy new water recreational activites.
Pedal boats and paddle boarding are making an appearance around the Las Colinas' Urban Center.
Gondola Adventures Manager Derrick Johnson said they added eight of the recreational pedal boat vehicles after receiving numerous requests for them.
"It was a need for pedal boats,” Johnson said. “Something different and unique, and so, here we are today.”
Johnson said the propeller-driven boats are smoother and easier to pedal than an average pedal boat.
"You have one level on the three-seater, and on the singles, you have two levels, including pedaling," Johnson said.
Another addition to Lake Carolyn is paddle boarding. Kevan Burt, owner of Stand Up Paddle North Texas, said he picked the location strategically.
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"Right now all the residents are leaving," he said. "You cannot find them on a Saturday and Sunday, Las Colinas, just disappears. The residents take off, and we don't know where they go, so we're trying to capture them and bring them here."
Burt hopes the new entertainment options will build a sense of community to those who call this place their home.
Las Colinas Resident Damon Tackett said he's been looking to take advantage of his backyard lake since moving to the area nearly four years ago.
"It's a beautiful body of water outside of a beautiful neighborhood, and we haven't been able to do much on it," Tackett said.
Tackett said the new boats represent the changes taking place in the urban center. He says he's noticed a lot of development in the area over the past year.
"I called it the land that time forgot," Tackett said. "But now there's a ton of activity, there is a lot more people, there's businesses coming out here, there's more activities on the waters, so it's turning into a really fun location."
