Canoeing is the activity of paddling a canoe for the purpose of recreation (also called a float trip), sport, or transportation. Canoeing usually refers exclusively to using a paddle to propel oneself with only human muscle power. A kayak is propelled using a paddle with two blades where the paddler sits with their legs mostly extended in front of them. Kayaks are usually closed-decked boats with a spray deck. Canoes are usually open boats.

Kayaks are also made as sit-on-tops. Traditional kayaks typically accommodate one, two or occasionally three paddlers who sit facing forward in one or more cockpits below the deck of the boat. Kayaks were originally developed by indigenous people living in the Arctic regions, who used the boats to hunt on inland lakes, rivers and the coastal waters of the Arctic Ocean, North Atlantic, Bering Sea and North Pacific oceans. These first kayaks were constructed from stitched animal skins such as seal stretched over a wooden frame made from collected driftwood, as many of the areas of their construction were treeless. Evidence indicating that kayaks are at least 4000 years old have been found by archaeologists. The oldest still existing kayaks are exhibited in the North America department of the State Museum of Ethnology in Munich. Canoes were developed over the course of thousands of years primarily by the native people of North America. “Canoe" originated from the word Kenu meaning "dugout." The word canoe also comes from the word "canoa", which is said to originally come from the native people in the Caribbean via Columbus to Europe. These dugout canoes, essentially large tree trunks that were shaped and hollowed, were used by the Caribs to travel between islands.

Canoeing began to meet the simple needs of transportation across and along waterways. Canoeing was the primary mode of long-distance transportation at one time throughout much of North America, the Amazon Basin, and Polynesia, among other locations. Canoes have generally been replaced by motorized boats, airplanes, railroads and roads with increasing industrialization, although they remain popular as recreational or sporting watercraft.

The Caney Fork River is a beautiful river. Canoeing and kayaking is very popular on this river. The area around the Caney Fork is absolutely stunning. There are many things to see and do around the river. Several restaurants are in the area, specifically the restaurants at the marinas. There are several places of interest in the surrounding area. The Appalachian Center for Craft, a satellite campus of Tennessee Tech University (TTU), is an 87,000 square foot facility located on more than 500 wooded acres overlooking Center Hill Lake in scenic Middle Tennessee near the town of Smithville. The facility includes spacious studios, retail gallery, exhibitions, administrative offices, library, cafe, student housing and meeting/audio visual rooms. The Inn at Evins Mill is a unique country inn and getaway located in Smithville, Tennessee, near Center Hill Lake. The inn provides guests all the amenities of a resort in the intimate setting of a bed & breakfast. Lakeside Resort is situated amid 139 acres, in Smithville, Tennessee, over-looking Center Hill Lake, one of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers most beautiful lakes.