I celebrated my bday on Memorial Day and we were shocked to find the city mostly empty. I was determined to be on the water for the big day and called the sister company to book a captain and boat but was told I'd have to give 48hrs to procure a captain for a private tour. They directed me to a Chicago Cycleboats public tour instead. I was skeptical about this kind of boat. Would there be a lot of people? Were the bikes plus size friendly? But I was happy that we could bring our own food and drink. I had a hunch we might be the only people on the boat and I WAS RIGHT. My festive party of 5 had the whole boat to ourselves. In the end I got a private tour for a fraction of the price!! Better yet, the seats and cycles were fat friendly and comfortable. When folks get tired of paddling, the captain just flicks the electric on and the boat continues on. Monica was an outstanding captain. She let us do our thing, made sure we were safe, and had interesting stories to tell us about her boating career. Champagne, charcuterie, music, and a riverboat. A perfect way to spend a warm Chicago day! read more

Chicago Cycleboats - Bday on the river. - Boating Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

My group of friends I booked one of the Friday night public tours and enjoyed our trip out on the boat. We really lucked out and ended up having the whole boat to ourselves. I think it is a fun activity to do with a group of friends or family members. The 90 minutes really flew by. read more

Celebrating our dual birthday bash on the Cycle Boat was such a fantastic experience! The weather was perfect and everything went smoothly. We are already looking forward to doing it again! read more

Amanda and John were great hosts and made the ride a great experience! Definitely recommend doing this boat tour for a fun afternoon!

Captain Corey and Gigi made our excursion on the cycleboat so much fun! Corey's energy is 2nd to none and Gigi kept us together! We plan on doing this again and will request that these two take us down the river again. Thanks Captain Corey & Gigi! read more

Chicago Cycleboats - Beautiful day for a trip down the Chicago River on a Cycleboat! - Boating Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Chicago Cycleboats is a great way to celebrate special occasions Our group of sixteen had the absolute 90 minute boat ride. Reservations were easy and questions were answered promptly. Cory and Austin loaded our food and beverage items on the boat, we connected our blue tooth and sailed. Cory and Austin stopped the boat and took a photo of our group with the Chicago skyline in the background. We decided this will be an annual event for us. read more

Michael and Brady were awesome, I had so much fun. They were very personable and let us have a great time. I enjoyed my time. I plan to visit again since I am from NC and will definitely put this on my itinerary for my next group of travel friends read more

I would definitely go again, the captain was so nice! It was byob, so we bought 2 bottles of wine from the city winery right in front from where it docks off. My husband and i had a marvelous time, we accompanied a bachelorette party which was fun. read more

Chicago Cycleboats - View from boat, such a nice nice experience. - Boating Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Great way to experience the city! I recently rented the full boat to take my cousins who were visiting Chicago and their kids on a Saturday morning. We were a little worried by how much work we would need to do to keep the boat moving, but it was actually really easy; we barely even pedaled on the way back. The kids loved the experience and the boat was perfect with the built in coolers. The staff was helpful and just wanted to make sure we had a good time...and helped that Captain Sam was easy on the eyes:) Definitely recommend to others. read more

Great time on the boat. BYOB and play your own music. Elizabeth and Monica were the best captains!

Chicago CycleBoats made my brothers birthday an amazing experience for everyone! From the beginning customer service was amazing and even when there was a glitch on their website management quickly resolved the issue. Our captain Monica was absolutely amazing and made sure we all had a great time while staying safe. This was my first time and I can't wait to come back! read more

If there was zero stars... I would probably give this company no stars! My mother was so excited to ride this boat for her birthday... we arrived early and checked in with the boat attendants! We had 7 people in our party! Kendra & Ken were great individuals Two additional groups (bachelorette parties) arrived late. Management over book the two cycle boats they owned. One of their attendants came to use rudely and said we would have to split our group up. We were shocked and in awe. Back story our entire group was African American and the other two groups were white (not trying to pull the race card but that's exactly what it was)! Management was not understanding! They insisted that we split our group! Since we were celebrating my mother birthday we separated our group. The customer service was terrible the the boat on the river was a great experience! read more

Awesome idea. A new and unique way to further enjoy Chicago. The captains are very accommodating and helped me show my clients a great time. The speakers are very good too. Highly recommend. read more

Chicago Cycleboats - Boating Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

We had the most fantastic time on the river, celebrating a birthday! Captain Monica was a delight, and we were extremely happy with our experience. Thank you Captain Monica, and thank you Chicago Cycleboats! We had an amazing time! read more

Great time this Saturday. I'd recommend this fun "tour" of Chicago river. 90 minute ride, you pedal 45 mins then circle back for a 5 minute potty break then head back for the remaining time heading towards the other end of the river. We traveled a decent ways down the river and had great scenery. Love the built in coolers for drinks. Liked that we could use Bluetooth speakers to play music. Suggestions would be a spot to stow our purses at instead of at our feet near pedals which seems likely to get tangled. Also FYI they sell 16 spaces but there are only 10 pedals so you may have to take turns. Had a fun time and would do it again. read more

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I kayaked with my 7 year old today and we stopped at the dock outside of Sweet Home gelato. I spent 10 minutes convincing my child to get out of the kayak to do a first transaction on own, child braved to get out of the kayak finally, found a customer to help make sure child would be safe -- just in time for the manager of Chicago Cycleboats to come and tell my kiddo we had to get back in our kayak and that we could not use their dock (yeah, the only dock) to get ice cream (the highlight of our 3 hour kayak excursion). The lady manager finally said she would charge us to get out of our kayak at her dock. WTF? What is wrong with people?!?! I know I will never recommend these idiots. read more

Took my staff for an office bonding experience, and we had a BLAST! Sam and Dixie were our fearless leaders and made the experience fun and safe. The whole process is very well thought out. I love that this is now an option! Between the 6 of us, we brought beer, sangria, rose' and mimosa fixings, as well as some cheese and meat trays. Taking my Mom when she's out here visiting in 2 weeks. read more

This is such a fun time! If you have a couple hours I'd stop by with a group of friends. It's a great place to pre game-it's BYOB!! And the views of the city are spectacular. You even feel like you're burning the calories you drink or eat! We had Sam as our guide and he was very cool and fun! And cute! Lol I'd highly recommend this as a short excursion for your time downtown. Well worth the money! read more

Recently did this with a small group on a Sunday. We ended up having the whole boat to ourselves on the public tour and had an amazing time. The driver was awesome and they had Bluetooth so we could connect our music. It was BYOB and they had a cooler in the middle of the table filled with ice. We also brought some light snacks with us. You didn't actually have to pedal but it was a blast! We pedaled to one end but then we just sat on the seats and chilled the rest of the way. Would absolutely do this again and recommend it to anyone! read more

This was super fun! Wouldve been more fun with a not so reserved crew. Only issue was they didnt have ice. I was able to grab some from city winery though. We took turns playing our music with the other patrons. I would definitely do this again! read more

We had so much fun on our cycleboat! Monica was a fantastic captain- highly recommend!!!

SO FUN. Had a bunch of Chicago natives with me to celebrate a birthday, and everyone had a blast. A great new way to experience getting on the water. Would recommend to anyone! Coolers, ice, cups, speakers included. Easy to stop at a restaurant on the riverwalk afterwards for a bite. read more

We thoroughly enjoyed our Cycleboat trip. It was an overcast day on the river but our boat captain was terrific. We discussed the history of the water way and the fact that he is a real boat Captain for larger vessels. I would suggest this trip to anyone. Would be fabulous with a large group! read more

Great time, went on a public cruise for a day out, for two people going definitely bring a 12 pack! We made the mistake and had to run to 7-11 during the bathroom break. They have subs on the boat ie they over sell the seats so if you get tired of pedaling you can switch and go sit and enjoy the ride. Couldn't recommend a better time and just to break up the routine. Tip to management: I'd be nice to email a promo code discount after a cruiser rides, I'd love to get more people involved! read more

This was so much fun! I highly recommend getting a fun group together and spending an hour and a half playing on the river. Our guides were super chill and really nice. There's a Bluetooth speaker so you can play your own music and they provide ice and coolers. We kicked off a bachelorette party with this and it was perfect. read more

Such a fun experience! The staff were amazing and such down to earth girls, and very accommodating! Another party of 4 were actually late to our trip, but instead of making us sit at the dock and wait for them they took us out on the river until that party arrived. You're able to play your own music, but we had the first mate use a playlist off of her phone which had some fun beats. Would definitely do again!! read more

Thank you to Sam, Jason, and Ron for the amazing customer service shown to my group. Yesterday we had the pleasure of sailing with Lauren she was amazing. The weather was perfect and the fireworks show was awesome. I appreciate you guys going over and beyond to make sure we're happy. Thanks again read more

If you are looking for a fun way to see the city go by from a river point of view this is it! We started out pedaling away but as the drinks were flowing and the music was cranking we danced and shouted out to all the passing boaters and the pedal boat kept going. Great crew, speakers were loud and sound was good quality, plenty of ice for your drinks in the huge ice bins, BYOB is the best! Our group had a blast! P.S. thank you for waiting for one of our friends who was late getting to the boat. You were very accommodating! read more

Loved this boat ride!!! Had an absolutely amazing time both times I've gone. The staff is wonderful, very attentive by cleaning up trash, taking pictures, and answering questions. It was such a cool way to see the city, plus everyone got a bit of exercise. The boat fits 16, but only 12 pedal at a time so there's a chance for breaks (plus they give you a break halfway). They let you bring your own snacks and drinks, along with music to plug in. Would highly recommend for a group outing or party! read more

A great day out on the river - everything you need for a leisurely paddle, the cups, the ice and the bluetooth speakers, and a great photo op at the locks. We did a team outing with 12 people and had a fabulous time! Just about every person we saw on the banks and in other boats took our picture because we were having such a great time! read more

Great staff, fun experience, and beautiful views. We had so much fun. Highly Recommend!

Highly recommend!!! We were lucky enough to have 16 girls that wanted to join the fun so we have the entire boat to ourselves! It was a blast and would definitely do it again... soon!!! read more

Such a great time!! We had a group of 12 and it was a blast to take the tour of the city and get some exercise while you're at it. Definitely recommend! read more

The cycle boat was a lot of fun and great way to see the city!! The driver and staff were very nice! The driver takes you all up and down the river and the views are awesome! Some cons I must mention: the check-in waiver process was a disaster. The woman required all riders to show the email we received showing we signed the waiver. As most people did this weeks prior the email was no longer available/deleted, so everyone had to pull out their phones and re-sign the waiver. It was a pain. The company should have a list provided to them of everyone who has signed the waiver and then just check ID's or have paper copies of the waiver available to sign--as some people had trouble getting a signal, etc to sign the online one at the riverwalk. I had also printed out my email confirmation of signed/completed waiver and she wouldn't even accept that! Said it had to be the email on your phone. Not a fun way to start the tour. The other con is the seats are actual bicycle seats with small cushions, so not the most comfortable. Once the waiver situation was resolved and the ride started we had a great time and it was a beautiful tour of the city! My group had fun and if the check-in process was smoother we may do it again. Thanks! read more