Great news Bostonians: our beloved Swan Boats are soon to cruise through the Public Garden lagoon once more! The iconic barges return to the pond on Saturday, April 19, ahead of the Boston Marathon, for their 148th season.
About Boston’s Swan Boats
The Swan Boats were first created in 1877 by Irish immigrant and shipbuilder Robert Paget, and his family continues to operate the business nowadays. Paget found inspiration for his barges after attending the opera Lohengrin in NYC, at the end of which the hero crosses a river in a boat drawn by a swan.
Swan Boats are a Boston rite de passage and a must try if you’re in town for Boston Marathon weekend. If you don’t ride the Swan Boats through the Public Garden, did you even go to Boston?
The swan on each boat is made from either copper or fiberglass, depending on the age of the boat, and hides a paddle mechanism that is used to foot propel the boat through the water. Fully loaded, each Swan Boat weighs three tons, as they’re built on oak-framed pontoons sheathed in copper – the same construction originally used in 1877.
Swan Boat schedule
The boats operate from 10 AM to 4 PM daily. From the summer solstice on June 21 through Labor Day, hours extend from 10 AM to 5 PM daily. The season will run through Labor Day.
For more information, you can visit the Swan Boats of Boston website.