Swan Boats of Boston

Why pick a run-of-the-mill boat when you can hop on a swan and float majestically across a lagoon? It's not a real swan, of course, a boat you can ride with friends while the driver pedals you around. The Swan Boats have been a Boston tradition since 1877 and you can't visit the city without trying them out.

Enjoy a serene glide across the lagoon, in the heart of the Public Garden, the nation's first botanical garden. This cherished tradition is a must-do for every visitor.

The Boston tradition of the Swan Boats dates back to the 1870s when Robert Paget was granted a boat-for-hire license by the city. In 1877, he capitalized on the technology of the newly-popular bicycle and, with the help of others, developed a catamaran that housed a foot-propelled paddle wheel arrangement. To cover the mechanism, Paget suggested a swan, such as the one that guided the knight to Princess Elsa in the opera Lohengrin.

The Swan Boats have become a Boston tradition and are still run by Paget's descendants more than 145 years later. Made famous in stories like Make Way for Ducklings and The Trumpet of the Swan, the Swan Boats are the only vessels of their kind in the world.