How about a fun date night! The waterfront at Tempe Town Lake is pretty happening, even after dark. When we arrived it was a bit confusing because the parking area was packed and people were heading in 10 different directions. We assumed that there was a parking lot for the specific activity we were focused on, and that was not the case. People show up to the town lake to then rent scooters and cruise along the river, or wander into town on foot, or venture to the water for a quick paddle about. That was our objective! To prepare, we went online to the Tempe Tourism website, then clicked around for the Boat Rentals of America page (which seems really confusing) to reserve a boat. We clicked on Pedal Boats and were taken to the reservation page where you can then scroll down to pick the boat you want, then click BOOK NOW to pick the date and time, THEN pick the length of time and finally check out. When we showed up there were plenty of pedal boats, but I would imagine that during any holidays or weekends the boats may book up, so a reservation would be advised. A quick check-in at the booth down by the mini-marina and we were on our way!

We went with a Swan which appeared to be the Rolls Royce of pedal boats. It could easily fit 4 people, but tonight it would just be the two of us. We came prepared with a small cooler and a bluetooth speaker. Nothing is more romantic than blasting the Beastie Boys and swigging beers with the aroma of the Salt River curling your nostrils. It may not have been "romantic," but it was still a great time.

The energy level to move the giant swan around the lake was a bit more than we were expecting. It had only cooled to around 95 degrees so we were both a wee bit sweaty from the horizontal biking. A quick note, Tempe Town Lake is not really a lake, just a section of the river where dams have been put in place to reduce the current. The water was nice and calm and they allow you to travel far enough that you can always have your own space out on the water. We were visited by a number of ducks that were hoping we had something other than beer on board. The bridges are all lit up and give a nice festive feel as well as provide a small amount of light on the water.

The lake is accessible to people with their own boats, as well. There was a group of scullers??? Doing their sculling??? Also plenty of people walking and biking along the paths that line both shorelines.

We would highly recommend the Tempe Town Lake for an evening out. During the summer months it would be unbearably hot during the day and I would not recommend being stranded out in a plastic duck. The boats were clean and the staff was friendly. We look forward to future visits and to check out the other activities available at the Tempe Town Lake!