I'm shocked to see that I haven't written a review for Milwaukee Boat Line…read more I took my first cruise, a private event, shortly after Covid started lifting. It was an evening cruise and the event was lovely. The boats are older, but they have more outdoor capacity than the other cruise line. Why go on a boat on the river and lake shut in by glass? The sights are lovely and it feels great to get onto the lake and feel the breeze on the water. I have since done several happy hour cruises. They are affordable and the DJ, DJ Paul, is awesome. He caters really well to a mixed crowd, playing music everyone can get on board with. Beware the roving bridal showers, who are usually loud and boisterous. I've also done the later cruise, after the happy hour, which really highlights the city at night, the lights of the Hoan and the city's energy. I just tried the architecture and history cruise with a pair of friends. We learned a lot and had fun, but don't forget the sunscreen. I got a wicked burn. The bar staff are very friendly and as fast as they can be in a limited space. They also sell snacks. The boat line parking can be tricky and expensive, which can add some stress to the experience. With pre-paid packages that included parking, MKE Boat Line could be even better. Bonus - special event cruises are varied and intriguing.

This was our favorite thing we did the weekend we visited Milwaukee. It was super easy to book two…read moretickets online which cost about $64 including fees and taxes. We booked a Saturday at 12pm 90 minute tour and were told to arrive at about 11:30am. They let us board at that time - you need to present your online ticket / print out at the ticket booth and then they give you tickets to the boat. The boat itself has a downstairs area with port side with one women's bathroom and starboard side with one women's and one men's bathroom. You'll learn what port/starboard means during the tour. The bar with alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks and snacks is on the first level. The second level has an area with a covered space in the back and seats open to the air on the front. Since it was a hotter day, my husband and I chose to sit on the bottom of the boat. We thought the best view there was at the front where you get a nice 180 degree view through the windows. We enjoyed the information on the tour and all the great views!

Great rental for the price! Loved 4 hours to roam freely. We stopped for lunch at Skipper Buds then…read morecaught the sunset and had a night/cruise cap at The Harp

The experience of renting your own pontoon boat at Riverwalk Boats was like no other! They give you…read morefree rein of 3 rivers and a tiny bit of Lake Michigan. You may not be able to go fast, but you have the opportunity to go wherever you want! Make sure if you were born before 1989, that you take the 4 hour long/$60 Wisconsin boater course and get your license. This was a tremendous adventure for our family.

We celebrated my husband's 70th birthday with an amazing sail with Sea Dog Sailing. Captain Matt…read morewent above and beyond to make the day a precious memory for us. My husband has sailing experience and Captain Matt gave all in his guidance to allow my husband to be at the helm while respecting every moment of our safety. I have very little experience on a sailing vessel, yet always felt very safe under Captain Matt's watchful presence, even when we ventured out into the big waters of Lake Michigan! It was the best way to celebrate my husband's 70th birthday!! Captain Matt was prepared for seasickness (and even showed me how to go down below to gauge my level of tolerance, which thankfully, I didn't experience any seasickness symptoms. It was very reassuring that he knew how to assess my tolerance). He had light snacks and water available if needed. We forgot to bring hats, and were so happy they were available. Other reviews mention that you can bring your own snacks/food/beverages and music. We just wanted a great sail and got more than we expected! Highly, highly recommend!!!

Great time sailing with Captain Matt! Fun for all as we sailed on Lake Michigan. Matt made sure we…read morewere all comfortable. His experience kept us all at ease. Stewart loved being able to take the wheel. Blankets were provided as the weather temperature dropped down a bit.

Booked the 2025 StarCraft Retro on a Thursday in June…read more We parked down the street in a cheap parking lot and walked down to the docks. It was easy to find. We were greeted right away, signed some quick waivers and were out on our own in the boat. We were instructed on where we could go and given suggestions on what to check out along the way. This is not a speed boat, lol. It is a relaxing slow ride. I enjoyed it but when we saw rain clouds rolling in much faster than anticipated we turned around and began to head back to the dock. The rain got to us first, it made for a funny experience. Trying to get back as fast as possible on a boat that doesn't go faster than 7 mph heading back against the current trying to beat the rain did not work. We got soaked!! But, it was still an enjoyable time filled with a lot of laughter. We went to the bars afterwards in our wet clothes, who cares! lol. It was fun. I highly suggest it for a cute date or for a group activity! There were multiple boats and sizes to choose from. The weekday prices didn't seem bad either! I thought it was a good deal! I would book it again!

I rarely leave negative reviews, but I felt it was important to share our experience in hopes of…read morepreventing another group from going through what we did. We rented the Pink Fantail Boat for my sister's bachelorette party, expecting a fun and relaxing 90-minute cruise on the river. The check-in process and safety briefing were handled by the wife, who was friendly, thorough, and answered all of our questions. Unfortunately, once we left the dock, it became clear that the boat was extremely difficult to control. There was a significant delay between turning the steering wheel or shifting gears and the boat actually responding. On a busy river with kayakers, other recreational boats, larger tour boats, and a current, this created what we believed was a genuinely unsafe situation. There were three capable drivers in our group, and none of us were able to confidently control the boat. We found ourselves waving other boaters around us, trying to avoid kayakers, and struggling to keep the boat where we intended. Instead of enjoying the celebration, everyone on board was scared. Eventually, we called BoatMKE because we no longer felt safe continuing. The husband came out to assist us. While he attempted to coach us through operating the boat, the experience was frustrating because even while following his instructions, we still made contact with the bridge bumpers. Ultimately, he had to tow us back to the dock because we were unable to safely operate the boat. Our planned 90-minute cruise ended after about 30 minutes on the water, most of which was spent trying to safely navigate the boat before requesting assistance. We were allowed to remain on the docked boat for the remainder of our reservation, but that wasn't the experience we paid for or planned for our celebration. I'm sharing this because I think future renters should understand what to expect. Our concern wasn't that boating is challenging, it was that in our experience, this particular boat's responsiveness made it feel unsafe to operate in the conditions on the river that day. We left incredibly disappointed after what should have been a memorable celebration.

Want to cruise Lake Michigan affordably and have a boating experience that recreates history? By…read moreall means, get yourself down to Pier Wisconsin pronto and take a sail on the Denis Sullivan. In my mind, this is one of the most amazing experiences the city of Milwaukee offers. Hands down! The Denis Sullivan is a 140-foot sailing vessel that is a recreation of an 1890s cargo vessel. It has space for 50 on its upper deck, three full sails, and three jib sails on the mast. There's a lower compartment that has a head (bathroom), sleeping quarters, kitchen mess, and a gift shop. An exhibit that is part of Discovery World, your ticket buys you a two-hour tour during the summer. Truly, if boating is your thing, this is an amazing must-do. My family and I took the tour recently and we had a blast. The six of us spanned ages from 2 to 73. We all enjoyed it equally. My two year old great niece enjoyed the fact that she had room to roam around to her liking. She wandered everywhere happily. We got pictures of her steering the boat on the rear wheel that controlled the rudder. All of us enjoyed the performance by the ships cast of 8 crew members. They involved all 50 of us on board in a discussion about safety, then gave commands to hoist all of the sails once we had motored comfortably away from the pier and cut the engine. The ropes and sails were neatly and precisely tucked away in a manner any experienced sailor will tell you is proper. Along with other guests, my great niece and her dad helped hoist the sail, and my niece was fascinated with pulling rope for the rest of the trip, "helping" the crew in her own fashion. The crew was on hand to answer questions and quite hospitable with the guests. "This boat is a fiberglass magnet," one crew member told my family, pointing to the boats that pulled up alongside our vessel. They also noted that the boat was weighted in a manner that if it tipped, it would pop back up - a good feature to have on a sailboat that can lean in the wind. A wonderful bonus occurred when two of the crew pulled out a banjo and a fiddle and performed bluegrass music, singing and clapping. My great niece danced and the rest of us enjoyed the performance. The pristine view of Milwaukee's skyline and lakefront is unparalleled. The breeze is cooling and comfortable and the sail is a most enjoyable thing to do on a weekend. Take a trip on the Denis Sullivan. You won't regret it!

A few weeks ago a woman told me the new Pier Wisconsin building adjacent to the Art Museum on the…read morelakefront has the best view of Milwaukee's skyline available without a boat in the city. Intrigued by that and an indoor aquarium, I stopped by this weekend to check it out. Overall, this is a very cool place. The building is beautiful in a modern way that accentuates the Calatrava next door. The lines are clean and nautical and the slat wood floor in the main hallway/promenade was beautiful and different. In general, there is an unfinished feeling to the place despite its having been open more than a month. I can understand the desire to open to the public as soon as possible, but paying $16 for a lot of unfinished exhibits bothered me slightly. That said, there are some wonderful things in this building, which now houses Discovery World, as well as the Pier Wisconsin aquarium and a permanent home for the Denis Sullivan sailboat. The highlight of the aquarium is a tunnel where fish swim a few feet over your head. The glass is so smooth and clear that from certain angles it feels as if you are viewing the image of fish on a hi-definition screen, not actual fish swimming a few feet over your head in a spectacular mega-tank. There is also an open tank for petting small (barbless) stingrays and other fish. We didn't have tons of time to see Discovery World, but needless to say this place is an educational kids heaven. Everything is designed to be touched, felt and understood. In the new (unfinished) techno-jungle area, lots of hip 20-somethings in white lab coats helped kids play and understand a hovering people mover, an inra-red camera, a storm simulator, and best of all, a virtual reality control that led through the streets of Milwaukee. I unfortunately walked right off the bridge over Lincoln Memorial Drive to the Art Museum before surrendering the control to an actual child. Overall, I think Milwaukee has done very well for itself here. The location is amazing, parking easy (underground), the aquarium spectacular and views from the edge of the building are indeed among the best of Milwaukee's lakeside skyline.

Great afternoon and great boat! 10/10 recommend to get you and your 9 friends to join you for an…read moreafternoon of cruising and snacking up and down the river downtown! You won't regret it!

Highly recommend renting a duffy boat if you want to get out on the river in Milwaukee. Rentals are…read moreso affordable and you get to take the boats out all on your own. I love a good Milwaukee river day and Duffy boats provides that without having to go on a paddle tavern or other boat with strangers. It has a great back seat to catch some sun, and also a covered area with a table great for snacks!

Called several times, left voicemail messages, and even sent an email requesting a pricing and…read morenever got any response back. Would love to try their services but it seems as if they don't care to offer them. Better to shop elsewhere for what you're looking for.

What's better than floating down the MKE river on a warm summer evening with 15 of your friends,…read moreall the beer you can drink AND a 2-man polka band? Nothing, my friends - nothing. The Mister and I recently did just this with the Stein Club from OGBH and it was fabulous! Our boat was very clean, our captain was friendly and there was even a tiny bathroom. (I didn't dare try, but it looked ok) This line is run by the same folks who run the Eidelweiss boats, so you can expect that they know what they are doing. If you rent, you can choose to pilot a pontoon yourself, or they'll drive it for you and make stops. The best part is cruising down the river, drink in hand, past all the office buildings - the poor souls inside are most certainly green with envy. (I sure was when my office faced the river)

Such a fun experience. Really cool to see Milwaukee from the river/lake. Our driver was awesome and…read morevery friendly. We opted to make 1 stop (Cooperage) for a bathroom break which was perfect. No need to bring coolers they just put all the drinks in the middle compartment which was nice. Also... secret... you don't need to pedal which is great haha

On a whim, my friend and I booked a 10 am tour. We thought it would be a fun way to see the city…read more The tour is a little under 2 hours, which flew by. This review is for the boat with the tiki covering. We walked from our hotel and entered around the side of the Harp building. When we got there we were greeted by a lovely 4 legged friend, as a dog lover this was lovely. Sadly, the dog did not go on our tour but a different boat. The boat itself has plenty of space for any beverages or snacks. They had ice already ready for our drinks. The seats have a bike seat cushion, but no actual pedals. There was also space at the front of the shop for us to just sit and enjoy the scenery. There are speakers on board so you can hook up to Bluetooth if you want. The captain and his first mate were excellent! They were able to tell us some interesting facts about our surroundings. They took pictures with the background of the bridge and the Milwaukee graffiti. They had a point where you could get a picture wearing the captain's hat behind the steering. It was such a lovely touch to have someone who knew when a good photo opportunity was coming up and was ready to alert us and take our picture. Half way through the trip, we took a break at a restaurant to use the bathroom. We were able to quickly order and receive fries to bring on board. The fries were soooo crispy and delicious. We had booked a public tour and ended up getting along really well the big group that was with us. Everyone was so welcoming and friendly. It helped take the whole experience to another level along with all the other little touches. We would definitely do this again. It was a nice way to see the city and to get out of the heat. I've never done a water tour like this and thoroughly enjoyed this! It was relaxing. I could see how some people would party hard on this so if you're looking for that, it's feasible.

We booked Milwaukee Kayak Company based on price after researching a few kayak companies in MKE. We…read morehad an enjoyable experience kayaking on the Milwaukee river with a guide (Paul, I believe) who provided some narration. He was quite the character! We've kayaked several times before, but it was a unique experience paddling through the center of a city with buildings and bridges all around. We booked easily online prior to our vacation and they were very responsive by text when we asked to change the date. Life jackets and instruction were provided. Porta-potties were availabe for use. The guide was kind enough to take everyone's photo in front of a nearby bridge and e-mail the photos. There were 6 people tandem kayaking the day we did the tour, including us, plus the guide. Look for the signs for Milwaukee Kayak Company as you approach Jerry's Docks. It was easy to find. If I had any feedback, we would have liked a little more in-depth narration. Note: We tipped our guide, as did others on the tour. Helpful?

Milwaukee Kayak Company is a great place to rent a kayak and spend the day on the Milwaukee River…read more Affordable at $10 an hour with a life jacket use included. They have easy in and out access, and parking as well. There are so many fun stops to make on the river too, and exploring by kayak is such a fun experience! Highly recommend for a beautiful summer day.