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    Old World Gondoliers

    4.9 (22 reviews)
    Open 12:00 pm - 8:00 PM

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    Indiana Central Canal and Fresco Cafe near where you check in and board
    Ann C.

    We scheduled a gondola ride with two other couples for our anniversary weekend. Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate but Jeff from Old World Gondoliers called us that morning to work with us on our options. He gave us choices on rescheduling for the gondola or we could take the covered cocktail yacht. We choose the yacht. We arrived early and because of the approaching inclement weather they were able to board us right away. Massimo was our gondolier and he was an excellent host with an amazing voice! The scenery combined with Massimo's serenades was so relaxing. Everyone with Old World Gondoliers was friendly and accommodating and we all had a great time. What a unique experience in the middle of Indiana! On a side note, Fresco cafe is located near the boarding area and you can purchase Italian beer or drinks to take on board if you choose.

    Hannah H.

    What a fun and unique experience! My family came to Indy for the weekend, and we booked an afternoon ride. We were nervous it would be canceled due to a forecast of rain/wind, and we were thrilled that they called us in the morning to ask if we would like to move our ride to earlier in the day to have better weather. Great service! Massimo was our gondolier, and he had an absolutely incredible voice. We loved the ride, and I would 10/10 recommend requesting Massimo!

    Christin C.

    5/5 stars for the time spent learning some history and listening to Mossimo's beautiful voice. He even sang Happy Birthday to me and my sisters. The views on the canal can't be beat.

    Our afternoon view
    Matt S.

    Absolutely incredible. Unique and entertaining, yet also romantic and with such an authentic Italian feel, we almost forgot we were still here in Indiana. The ride was perfect and 60 minutes provided just the right amount of time to enjoy each other's company and a bottle of wine. Customer service from the entire team went far beyond my expectations. This will become a new summer tradition for us and I hope others take advantage of this Indy experience. We were fortunate to have Matteo and wouldn't have changed anything about our afternoon with Old World Gondoliers.

    Riding on the Gondola

    Dante was absolutely amazing. He really made the experience live not only with the singing of songs but the history of the canal and area. I've lived in Indianapolis my whole life and didn't know the interesting facts he mentioned. Very easy access to the Gondola and parking close by. Would recommend to friends and family for special occasions. Truly made my wife and I day special.

    Brian M.

    I was able to check this company out today durning a Yelp event. Didja know that there use to be 10000 gondoliers in Italy and now there are only 600 around the world? Didja know that only about 60 of those gondoliers will still sing that beautiful Italian music? Didja know that some of those singing gondoliers are right here in Indianapolis Indiana? Yep, we got'em and the trip is awesome, peaceful, informative, friendly, comfortable. It is an awesome date night thing to do in Indy! I want to one back with my wife for a romantic trip down the canal!

    View from our boat on the Canal in Indy
    Jane B.

    What a lovely evening we had celebrating with friends their engagement. Floating on the boat on the Canal in Indy was a real treat. Romantic, Festive and Fun. Our captain had an amazing voice and was very personable. We took the 75 minute ride with 8 other friends. A nice night celebrating and making memories. Highly recommended.

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    Paul H.

    Thank you so much for coming and we’re glad you had a wonderful time.

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    Ask the Community - Old World Gondoliers

    Review Highlights - Old World Gondoliers

    He really made the experience live not only with the singing of songs but the history of the canal and area.

    Mentioned in 7 reviews

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    Morse Lake Marina

    Morse Lake Marina

    3.4
    (11 reviews)

    Did you know you can rent pontoon for 8 hours for $600? Um. You can. Just pop online and make a…read morereservation. I was shocked by how updated our boat was! I was envisioning an old school square pontoon for that cost point but this was next level nice! Plenty of room for up to 10 people. We had a great day on the water and plan to do it again!

    It's unfortunate to write this because we had high hopes, but it is what it is. We rented a boat on…read morethe 4th of July and we're told we have the newest boat they own. Perfect....until we took it out. Boat number 3 had engine issues. I'm not a mechanic, but, I know their pontoons are supposed to go at least 10 mph. We even raced a kayaker and lost. Not kidding. The RPM's would run high but we wouldn't go any faster than 7-8mph. So, therefore we had to deal with large wake from other boats because we were basically idle the whole time. We then were stuck due to the engine not starting. After about 10 min of fiddling with everything trying to figure out the issue, we got lucky and the engine started so we could return in a timely manner. Once returned, we reported the issue and their own employee admitted that something was wrong. We were told to call the next day to figure out if there could be some sort of compensation due to not being able to use the boat like we wanted to. Once I called I was told they couldn't do anything because the boat went above 10 mph when they "tested it out". Absolutely unacceptable. The manager told me that since we "didn't bring the boat back to replace with another one, there's nothing we can do". The reason why is because before we left one of the employees said they booked all of their boats. Stating that it was going to be a very busy day. All in all we were a little dissatisfied with the boat, but more importantly the lack of customer service. We made sure to return the boat in better shape than when we received it (mind you we found bottle caps in the cup holders and mud on the seats). I hope the next customers has a better experience. Happy 4th of July!

    White River Canoe Company

    White River Canoe Company

    3.2
    (93 reviews)

    Alright y'all.... If you're looking for a chill fun afternoon on a warm summer day you have got to…read moretake a float down the river. We rallied a few of us girls and our kiddos, packed up a cooler, snagged a portable speaker and off we went. We chose the longer float which was about 4 hours and got the cooler tube to go with (which was an up charge, ties to connect the tubes to one another is an additional charge as well which we didn't love) The rafts were super comfy with nice headrests. This made for a nice chill afternoon. A summer must for us.

    We brought our summer camp here for a field trip with 50 campers, and unfortunately our experience…read morewas extremely disappointing. 1. Check-In Process The woman working the front desk (I believe her name was Cali) was kind and did her best to help us. This review is not about her. The check-in system, however, was incredibly inefficient. Every camper had to come to the desk individually, Cali had to look up their waiver, and they then had to have their name written down by hand. Checking in our group of 50 campers took approximately 35-40 minutes. As a camp, we take trips to many local attractions that require waivers, and we've never had a check-in process take more than about 10 minutes. This system felt unnecessarily slow and completely unprepared for groups. 2. Communication Before our visit, we clearly communicated that we needed to leave by 2:30 p.m. to return to camp for dismissal and that we were looking for roughly a 1.5-hour boat ride. After finally checking in, we were put on a shuttle bus for nearly 20 minutes. During the ride, I asked the driver how long the boat trip would be back to our starting point. She told us it was a three-hour trip. At that point, it was obvious there was no way we'd make it back in time. We had to turn around, ride the bus back, wait while boats were rearranged, and then be transported to another launch point. In total, we arrived around 1:10 p.m. but didn't get onto the water until approximately 3:30 p.m.--over two hours spent waiting with 50 campers in 90-degree heat. We ultimately had to notify parents that camp dismissal would be delayed by about an hour. 3. Customer Service This section is directed specifically at the owner, Andy. The employees we interacted with--the front desk staff, the people helping with the boats, and the bus driver--were all friendly and helpful. They were not the problem. After explaining what had happened, we respectfully requested a 50% refund on our $500+ reservation since a large portion of our day had been spent waiting because of issues that were outside of our control. Rather than showing any understanding or attempting to work with us, Andy was hostile and dismissive. Judging by other reviews mentioning similar interactions, this unfortunately does not appear to be an isolated incident. Overall The boating itself was fun, and the campers enjoyed the time they actually spent on the water. Unfortunately, everything surrounding that experience overshadowed it. Between the inefficient check-in process, the poor communication about scheduling, and the owner's response when we raised legitimate concerns, this ended up being the worst field trip we've had in over five years of running our camp. I would not recommend this location for large groups, and we will not be returning.

    Eagle Creek Outfitters

    Eagle Creek Outfitters

    4.6
    (16 reviews)
    $$$

    We took a two-hour pontoon rental and had a great time! The staff are friendly, knowledgeable, and…read morehelpful. Definitely recommend!

    Rented a Pontoon boat with friends to take out on Eagle Creek to have a birthday celebration. With…read moreit being Labor Day, we had a bit of a wait. Honestly it didn't seem horrible to me,of course that could be because we were told to arrive once the boat was secured for the day. When my husband and I arrived the computer system was down so the attendant said we were to enter free for the day since he couldn't take payments. The day just got better from here. Our friend, whose birthday it was only had a short wait, but to him it seemed long he said. Once he got to the front he was told we had a wait of approximately twenty minutes. During this time, my husband and I found front parking next to our friend's car, thanks to his wife. When we got in touch with our friends car he had us to bring our coolers and sunblock and we all met up at the restrooms where there were a few picnic tables as well as an awning to block the sun. We took the wait time to play a card game and snack. After a few hands of cards we were called back to check in and we got our life vests and saw a short video as well as signed waivers. Nikko was very helpful in getting us onto our boat and with a 'have a great time!' We were off! Peaceful waters for the day and we even saw friends which was a surprise as they were put with their sailboats. All in all it was a great way to spend the day and we would definitely go again!

    Wheel Fun Rentals - Canal Walk

    Wheel Fun Rentals - Canal Walk

    4.0
    (29 reviews)

    So they only have a 60 minute option available but they give you 2 choices. One is 15 mins there…read moreand back and the other is more like 20 ton25 mins there and back... so why dont they offer a 30 minute option? Anyway had a nice paddle boat ride but it started pouring down rain out of nowhere. Bring an umbrella. There is a pullover cover on the paddleboat that works well but hey better to have an umbrella rain or shine. NOTE: There is NO bathroom available!! Maybe they should try to make a deal with a restaurant along the canal that you can bring your receipt and be able to use the bathroom The staff was nice. Price is OK $44 for an hour if you have someone to split it with. Having a 30 minute option would be a plus.

    We rented a swan. The renting process was organized and…read morestraightforward. Paid $44 for an hour. It was a warm day and I liked that they had cold soft drinks and ice cream at the stand. I am only 5' and I felt like short people like me were not taken into account when this swan was designed :( I sat in the front to pedal, but i felt like I was too short for it. Had to kinda lean back to stretch my legs more to be able to pedal, which wasn't very comfortable to keep doing for an hour. If you are much taller than me, you'd have more fun comfortably for sure. So I probably won't do it again unless I am with someone who's willing to pedal. They do however have kayaks as well, which I am interested in trying. Overall, good customer service and fun downtown experience.

    Old World Gondoliers - tours - Updated August 2026

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