To Do Today: Take a Ride on the Iconic Swan Boats in Boston’s Public Garden
The 15-minute pedal-powered Swan Boat ride takes passengers on a leisurely tour around the Public Garden lagoon. Photo by Patrick Morrissey Photo/iStock
To Do Today: Take a Ride on the Iconic Swan Boats in Boston’s Public Garden
What says summer in Boston better than a ride on the Public Garden’s world-famous Swan Boats?
The pedal-powered boat takes riders on a leisurely tour around the garden’s lagoon, giving a unique glimpse of its 24 acres of blooming flowers and lush lawns.
As well as enjoying nature, passengers are supporting a long-standing family business. Robert Paget launched the first Swan Boats in 1877. Lore has it that he was inspired by the Richard Wagner opera Lohengrin, where a knight crosses a river in a boat drawn by a swan.
While the design of the fleet of boats (there are six) has evolved through the decades, the Swan Boats continue to be operated by the Paget family. The newest boat in operation is 25 years old, the oldest is 109.
The Swan Boats are not just a Boston institution. They are featured in Robert McCloskey’s beloved classic children’s picture book Make Way for Ducklings, which won a Caldecott Medal in 1942 and has never been out of print since it was first published in 1941. The book has sold over two million copies and has made the Swan Boats famous to readers across the globe.
So hop in line, buy a ticket (no reservations necessary), and find out, or reacquaint yourself with, why thousands of people are drawn to the Public Garden every summer.
The Swan Boats are at the Boston Public Garden, a four-minute walk from the MBTA Green Line Arlington stop, and are open seven days a week from April 13 through September 2 (Labor Day). Tickets can be purchased at the dock and are $4 for adults, $2.50 for children ages 2 to 15, $3.50 for seniors, and free for children under 2 years. The Swan Boats do not operate on rainy, windy, or extremely hot days. More information on seasonal hours is available here.
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