Had a blast paddle boating. Surprisingly, we didn't have trouble finding parking even though it was a sunny Saturday. A bit of a long line to get your boat - if you have a group, you can have someone line up to pay and someone else line up for the actual boat which helps speed it up. Really fun time overall! read more

Blue Heron Boathouse - paddle boat - Boating Near Me - San Francisco, California

We decided to head over to the boat house for an outdoor lunch during the insane heat wave we are having on SF. We weren't about to get in a paddle boat in this heat but it was quite a delight to watch them float around while sitting in the shade. We got hot dogs and they were very tasty! They are cooked to order and served on toasted buns . No steam table dogs here. There is an eating area indoors but we found a bit of shade. I'd like to try their " famous BLT"sometime. They even have wine and beer. All very casual and easy. On a normal day it would be a delight to walk around the lake but we were ready for the AC in the car when we were done. read more

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Came here to try the peddle boat. It was $32.50 an hour. You pay at the register first then you wait in line for the boat as its first come first serve. We didn't wait long at all. It took us about 30 minutes to steadily get around the lake. It was a hotter day around 70 degrees but the weather still felt very nice. One person in your party needs to sign the waiver before you board, and there is a QR code located at the front of the line. The maximum capacity is 3 adults and 2 children. There is also an option to get a row boat for $23.50 an hour. At the register, you can also order food and drinks. I would recommend this activity if you want a day out in nature and relaxing as it's not physically straining. read more

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I'm so glad we were able to fit some paddle boating in our schedule while in the Bay! Blue Heron Boathouse offers pedal boat & row boat rentals, $32.50/hr pedal boats & $26/hr for row boats. It was definitely more tiring than I thought! Both the row & pedal boats fit 1-4 passengers, super cute group daytime activity at the Blue Heron Lake. There was a bunch of ducks & geese here and they added to the beauty of the lake ! We didn't try any of the food since we decided to hold off & find dinner elsewhere. Highly recommend adding this to your itinerary if you're out in the Bay! They also have some food options available & public restrooms to use, + free parking. read more

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Definitely an experience at about $32/hr for pedal boats. I wasn't trying to row haha but luckily leg day pays off with these boats. We were trucking around the pond and getting close ups of the wildlife; while enjoying the beautiful sunshine and each others company on our couples day out! Not from this state but we did check out things to do in the area and I'm glad we came thru! The parking is pretty easy you just have to keep driving and find a spot on the sides haha. They have food and snacks where you buy your boat tickets! Would do again to relax! read more

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GGP is one of the best places to do pedal boating. The scenery, the greenery, and the weather is all perfect. We did go on a day with a lot of overcast, but the activity does warm you up a bit, so it was good we didn't do it in such sunny weather. For 2 people, we paid $32.50 per person per hour for the pedal boat that could fit 3 adults and 2 children. 1 hour is the perfect amount of time as we finished the first loop in 20 minutes and went around a 2nd time to use up the whole hour. The pedal boat is alot more relaxing compared to the paddle boat as we saw numerous people struggle to maneuver without getting stuck. To purchase tickets, you go to the wooden booth that also serves as a quick food stop, life jackets are optional, you sign a waiver on your phone, and then you show the employee your ticket purchase and they put you on the next available boat. read more

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For $32.50/hr for pedal boat, I'd say it's affordable and a fun hangout with your friends/family. My friends and I spent almost an hour pedaling around while taking a bazillion pictures. Definitely go on a sunny day because the lighting here can be very good in certain areas. Overall, it was a great and fun little exercise, and we made many great memories here. read more

Blue Heron Boathouse - Boating Near Me - San Francisco, California

MADE TO ORDER FOOD STAND Sandwiches such as Ham and Brie (highly recommended). Lots of seating with bench seating available. Fast and friendly workers French fries really good! Thick cut made from real potatoes. Self serve condiments. Relaxing wooden water cabin feeling with a view of the lake. Restrooms across the parking lot. Old looking public restrooms. Free park shuttle in parking lot. Comes every 15 minutes on weekends and 20 minutes on weekdays. Goes up and down the JFK promenade. read more

Blue Heron Boathouse - Ham and Brie sandwich - Boating Near Me - San Francisco, California

Great place to bring family or have fun date night. The staff were great. They do have snack and drinks. They have life vests if you need. Great for small children. Highly recommend this place . Great memories read more

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This is one of my favorite activities to do with my family when I am visiting San Francisco. San Francisco natives will know this area as Stow Lake, but I have just learned that they changed the name to Blue Heron Lake. The boathouse is located midway on the loop around the lake when you come from the main road into the park from Lincon Ave. If you are coming on a weekday then definitely give yourself the luxury of parking closer, on a Saturday or Sunday just park anywhere you find parking first because that can be a challenge. Once you get to the boathouse, you can get your ticket to get on the boats. You have 2 options, and pedal boat or row boat. Both are fun, it just depends who you are with. The pedal boats are our family favorite because the kids love the experience of leading the tour. It's 32.50 for an hour around the lake in a pedal boat, and you can have up to 5 people. They do have rules about #of adults ratio to kids so pay attention to that. The service has always been fantastic. Everyone is very kind and helpful. You can also get drinks and light snacks at the boathouse shop. As well as order food items that you can enjoy before or after your ride inside the Cafe area. The sweet potato fries are delicious. This area is absolutely beautiful. Even just to go and sit on one of the park benches and enjoy some bird watching and taking in the fresh air is worth a visit. Definitely add it your list on your next family outing! It's a wonderful experience. read more

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On Summer stroll inside my favorite place in San Francisco which is Golden Gate Park. I come here often and in many different areas of the park.The Blue Heron Boat House is located in the Stowe Lake area of Golden Gate Park. This is the place I play the role of San Francisco tourist advisor in the dinning hall and on the outside as boats pass by. This is also the spot I be schooling the Tourist about hidden gems to go to in San Francisco. Today I got the chicken wrap. This chicken wrap was better than the typical catered chicken wrap rolls served during lunches or happy hours at conferences and meetings. The chicken was tender and spinach wrap was soft. I got tourist premium priced but you pay for the view. They also sell drinks like Fort Point Animal and other refreshments ( I usually bring my own ). Golden Gate Park is my favorite San Francisco Tourist Trap Enjoy a Summer stroll and try their chicken wrap read more

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If you are hiking through GG park, this is a great place to stop, have a drink and sit a bit. You can also hire a row or paddle boat. There are birds in the lake and some turtles too. In the Spring, Blue Herons next in a tall tree directly across from the boat house. Bring your binoculars. read more

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Fun little day activity :-) you can do the loop in about 20 minutes, came towards the end of the day and did a 30 min rental and it was great read more

The BEST grilled chicken sandwich in the city! We've been coming here for years. Such a hidden gem! Your typical bar/boathouse food, but somehow doesn't feel heavy. Sandwiches, salads, fries, ice cream. It's SO tasty! As an added bonus, the boathouse faces beautiful Blue Heron Lake and you'll likely see Blue Herons! read more

Ambiance is great. Food is slightly overpriced for what you get. It's a decent stopover for food if you're in the park, but wouldn't consider it a destination. Kinda like carnival food. read more

A check off of my bucket list! Although I am a Bay Area native, there is an abundance of things I haven't done located in my own backyard. I stumbled upon this place by accident. And I'm sure happy I did. The ambiance is incredible. You feel like you are somewhere far far away. You also get some views of the Japanese Tea garden! I really enjoyed the close proximity of the ducks. They were unbothered by the paddle boat and waddled right on by. I am tall! And my child is small, of course. The paddle boats were two sizes (from my observation). One for 'adults' or one for shorter stature people/youth. Of course we needed the smaller length peddles so my son could peddle the boat. Have mercy on my legs!!! They were so crunched up. We would have stayed on the water a little longer if my legs weren't hurting. I would definitely do it again, just in the bigger vessel. read more

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One of the best kept secrets in San Francisco is this little restaurant and paddle boat rental at Blue Heron Lake. The food is absolutely fantastic. Onion Rings, quesadillas, burgers, & sandwiches & beer & wine. One of my favorites. read more

Blue Heron Boathouse - The Boathouse & restaurant. - Boating Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Stow Lake is not very big, and the water is not clean. The pedal boat is $32.5 per boat per hour. It's a little bit expensive considering the water condition. It is surrounded by a lot of beautiful trees and plants though. We even picked up several tiny cute plums during the pedaling since the fruits on the branches are hanging so low. It was a good family time indeed. read more

We went to this establishment to enjoy the music of our good friend, Tom Catanzaro's Jazz Quartet. We weren't disappointed! Great jazz music - Coltrane, as would be expected of Tom Cat and crew. The establishment was a quaint and cozy old boathouse perfect for music in an intimate setting. The FIVE star rating for the Tom Cat Jazz quartet...worth every Star! read more

This boathouse brings back fond memories growing up and going on dates on the paddle boat. However, this review is specific to the jazz sessions (iykyk). Loved the intimate setting and jazz improv. The host was really great - so funny and quirky. Felt like I got to listen to some good jazz and with a side of comedic relief. Good times, good vibes. read more

NOT SAFE!! BEWARE! Everyone, including adults, should be required to wear a life vest and 4 adults should NOT be allowed to get on one pedal boat. We were told that our family of 4 plus our 1 year old could safely get on a 4-person pedal boat. 5 mins into departing the dock, our boat started SINKING so we had to quickly pedal our way back to the dock. Water started pooling at the back of the boat and under one side of the pedals and the water kept rising. Thankfully we weren't too far, otherwise we would have gone down with the boat. None of us were required to wear life vests other than our 1 year old and not everyone in our family knows how to swim. The employees don't care about your safety. We had to ask them how to put the vest on our daughter correctly. They didn't ask us how much we weigh or anything. I later saw signage stating that the boat has a 600 pound weight limit but I looked it up online and most pedal boats have a 400-500 pound weight limit. The staff all seems checked out and when we returned to the dock we were told "something is seriously wrong with this boat." They offered to give us another boat but we opted for a refund instead. It's insane to think that our family could have been in serious danger if we had gone a bit further out from the dock!! Their boats are rundown and they take no safety precautions whatsoever. Be careful out there. read more

Blue Heron Boathouse - Boating Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Experience (5/5) Such a fun time!! The sights are beautiful and it's a good way to get some movement in as well. From the ducks to passerby to natural landmarks, there's a lot to see and take in. For the hour you get, it's more than enough time to circle around, and we even made several mini circles before finishing the loop around. Price (5/5) We got the pedal boat and it was ~$30-$40 an hour. A little pricey but more than worth it for the experience. Wait Time (5/5) We came on a weekend afternoon and there was no wait. Ambiance (4/5) We got the pedal boat but there are two types - a colorful green or blue kind where the seats are lower, and a white kind where the seats are higher. Our green pedal boat was pretty uncomfortable on the bottoms because of the position, so next time I would try the white pedal boat where you get to be in a higher seated position. Service (5/5) Employees were nice and friendly. I wish I had brought some cash on me for tip (there's a tip can by the podium where the staff are). Parking/Access (5/5) In Golden Gate Park, pretty accessible. read more

Blue Heron Boathouse - Bridge - Boating Near Me - San Francisco, California

O M G... how come I have never heard about this place? As a surprise, my BF brought me here to take me on a little boat ride around the lake. We really luck out with beautiful weather and due to the pandemic, there was no line. If you want to tour around the lake with less work, opt for the row boat rather than the paddle boat. They do have lifejackets available if you chose to wear one but it's not mandatory. This place is like a hidden gem in San Francisco. My BF knows I love turtles and there were a lot of turtles just sunbathing on the logs. Lots of different ducks and other birds to be seen, and if you look up into the trees, you see lots of birds' nest. As you make turn onto Stow Lake Drive, don't fear there will be no parking, keep driving ahead, plenty of side parking near the Boat House. The main building and restrooms are closed due to the pandemic but you can still order some snacks, drinks and beer. If you don't feel like paddling around the lake, there are lots of benches along the lake where you can bring a picnic basket and enjoy a nice lunch and just enjoy the beautiful scenery. Beautiful little romantic place to take your boo. I think the turtles were the biggest surprise for me. read more

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The grilled chicken sandwich was restaurant grade and had fresh avocado and a nice bun. Whoever is making it takes pride. :) Delicious read more

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A couple weeks ago my boyfriend and I decided to rent a pedal boat "aka" water bike after seeing sweet couples on them our last visit to Golden Gate Park. We waited in line for 30 minutes which wasn't bad for a weekend and for $30 an hour it was a decent price as well! Our legs were sore pedaling, but it was worth it for a romantic boat ride, from the beautiful waterfall, to the Chinese Pagoda and the view when we pedaled under the bridge! We also enjoyed seeing the beautiful flowers and turtles, ducks and geese gracefully glide their wings through the water! I would definitely recommend renting their pedal boats, each boat holds 4 people, 2 pedal in the front and 2 relax in the back. Life jackets are provided for children and the staff are both friendly and helpful! Not to mention they have a cafe if you get hungry from burning all those calories from all that water biking! When my daughter gets a bit older we'd love to take her here as well for her to experience pedal boating for the first time! read more

This is such a hidden gem in Golden Gate park!! Tucked somewhere in the middle of the park is a beautiful lake where you can go rowing or pedal boating. My husband and I opted for the pedal boating so "he wouldn't do all the work". Hahah. You purchase your ticket at the snack bar and lines can get long depending on the time you get there. Once you've purchased which boat you would like you wait in line to get your boat. With a lovely sunny day in California you want to relax on the lake and enjoy the scenery. HOWEVER, the pedal boat we got was so loud and obnoxious!! You can hear us peddling for who knows how far. Let's say that people who were sitting on park benches or on other boats a miles away would look up from their phones or the other direction to see where the noise was coming from. It's us, it's the boat we're on while pedaling! Sorry to disturb your peace while enjoying the park. It was our first time doing this in a while, but with the loud boat it made the whole experience not worth it. Since it was our first time we weren't sure if the loud noise was normal or not or it would eventually stop. We did one lap or so around the lake because we couldn't stand it anymore. No way we were finishing our hour with it. read more

A visit to The Stow Lake Boathouse on a beautiful day is required when visiting Golden Gate Park. The atmosphere, clean park benches and super helpful employees made our first time visit amazing. Kendall greeted us with a smile at the concession stand and was able to guide us on food choices and drinks. Highly recommend! read more

The boathouse is located on the edge of Stow Lake on the same street name along John F. Kennedy Drive entrance in Golden Gate Park. I've spent a lot of time here at this man-made lake, but this review is specifically for the boathouse. On a clear, sunny day, the boathouse is magnificently picturesque against a blue sky. It is gorgeous and the boathouse offers sandwiches, burgers, salads, coffee and even wine if your in the mood. Plenty of people do bring cheese and bread and have a picnic right by the tables along the lake. Mind you, they don't offer the best food you will ever have, but it's satisfactory and appropriate for the area. Whether it's a flock of tourists who just wants a quick snack or locals out for a quick bite after a stroll around the lake, it serves its purpose. As for me, I'll spend a couple of hours just walking the area and maybe even feed the ducks and squirrels while having a cup of Joe, that won't cost you an arm and a leg. Oh, and if you want to rent a paddle or row boat, the boathouse is the place to go. read more

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Beautiful experience nestled within Golden Gate Park. We rented a paddleboat for an hour and grabbed some brews to drink as we floated along. I absolutely loved all the scenery, including many wild birds! This would be the perfect occasion for a day in the city, girls trip, or a date. You really get to immerse yourself in the calm, serene side of San Francisco which many don't even know exist. Can't wait to try this again soon! read more

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Always excellent food. Crispy fries and onion rings and excellent sandwiches as well as fantastic ambiance

Hidden gem. Bomb homemade cheeseburgers and super fly onion rings. Family-owned vibes. read more

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Great place to enjoy laid back water activity. Perfect for girls trip/couples/family all alike. Lake is only 4 ft deep and you boat around and is a circle back to the docking area. read more

Blue Heron Boathouse - Boating Near Me - San Francisco, California

Super fun weekend adventure. I can't believe I hadn't done this before. There's quite a bit of parking near the boathouse either on the driving path or there's a small parking lot right next to it. We didn't have any issues finding a spot on a Saturday early morning. We rented the paddle boat for 1 hr and that was plenty of time to go around the entire lake. There's boats with two seats, four seats and there's also a boat option. We ended up renting the two person paddle boats and it was really easy to paddle around the lake. In the hour we had, we actually had some extra time so we went around the half again for fun. We saw some really cool turtles and ducks as we paddled around. We actually brought our own breakfast pastries to eat as we were paddling along the water which was really nice. I highly recommend bringing sunscreen because there isn't much shade while you're paddling around but it's worth the experience. The hour is plenty of time but this is a super fun experience in Golden Gate Park. Highly recommend for a fun date or family outing. read more

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I love that there is a boathouse at Stow Lake! It's nice having the option to choose between peddle boating or row boating. My friend and I chose the peddle boat since we weren't sure how difficult row boating would be. It's also a great time to visit this area of the park because of COVID-19 since it's an outdoor park activity, instead of having trouble finding out what's still open. Peddle boating is $28.50 for one boat, but can fit up to 4 people on the boat we chose. We chose the peddle boat and at least 2 people needs to be on this type of boat. He steered the boat and we peddled for about 45 minutes since we took our time to stop and look at things around this lake from a different perspective, but mainly because we only wanted to pay for 1 hour of boating. I'd recommend this place! It's not tiring peddling around this lake and it's fun way to get some exercise too! read more

Blue Heron Boathouse - The boats near the boathouse - Boating Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Good wholesome vibes at the GGP! Many elderly gentlemens and ladies having good days here enjoying their hot coffee. Immaculate vibes here absolutey. The ducks here are funny to watch, so are the turtles. read more

Blue Heron Boathouse - Erected for so long! - Boating Near Me - San Francisco, California

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My friend surprised me with a boat ride here but was closed when we arrived. We were confused because we saw people in the lake riding the boats. We were confused if there was another entrance but asked the gardeners to see if they had any information. They said this boathouse closes whenever the weather looks bad or about to rain. So apparently we came on a day where they decided to close and not post any information about it, not a voicemail or a notice on their social media. My friend and I came back a few days later and they were open. $24 for a row paddle boat, $30 if you want to paddle with your feet. We did the row paddle boat and was able to do 2 laps. The gentlemen assisted us with getting on and off the boat. It was a fun activity but recommend planning ahead and come when the weather is nice so you won't show up to a closed location like how I did read more

Blue Heron Boathouse - Boating Near Me - San Francisco, California

Childhood nostalgia. Five stars for that. Stars off for charging full price even though more than half the course is blocked by large fallen trees. read more

I love this place so much! A great place for friends, family, & dates! Very mystical and romantic. The scenery is spectacular and overall our experience was relaxing and tranquil. I've paddled and rowed and both experiences are doable :) read more

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One of the most peaceful and serene hour I've spent was pedal boating around Stow Lake. On a nice sunny day it really is a vibe. There's lots of nature sights like the ducks swimming along your boat, trees, the sun glistening on the lake. Going through the little bridges was super scenic I felt like I was in a movie! Signing up was a super chill process I went up to the cashier, paid, hopped on a boat and pedaled away all within 5 mins. An hour was more than enough time to do a lap around the lake. I've done many activities in SF and this is top 3 for sure. read more

Blue Heron Boathouse - Boating Near Me - San Francisco, California

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We had such a lovely day out on Stow Lake in a pedal boat. There were three of us and we purchased the 1 hour pedal boat ride which was so lovely. Highly recommend coming out here and just enjoying the nature. Tons of different birds and trees to view. read more

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