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!

We've been on two cruises with Milwaukee boat Line and thoroughly enjoyed both!!…read moreWe sailed up the river to get to Lake Michigan and learned how to correctly use the phrases 'port' and 'starboard'. We learned about the different types of bridges used, and what Native American tribes lived in the area. Both tours were very relaxing and we even had a Lake Front beer and a seltzer! You can't go wrong there!

My friends and I booked this last minute and overall our experience was great! They were able to…read moreaccommodate us with short notice. The only couple of downfall things: if you sign the waiver online it doesn't really matter that much, you still have to be at the doc to sign in and sign another waiver so you can't pick up friends along the milwaukee river. Parking is absolutely atrocious... we all paid about $50 each in lots that are near by. There's no really place for you to drop off your stuff for boating either. You have to pay for the parking and walk with your stuff. You also cannot at any point get in the water out in the harbor or the river( not that you'd want to anyway). You also can't dock at certain places. Make sure you have your boating license available because you will need to show it and they'll take a picture of it. Something that was really nice was they were able to extend our time when we were out on the water for a couple of hours. Overall the staff was really nice and made sure we knew that rules to follow. I would rent again from this place! The price makes it worth it.

Awesome crew to walk you through the operations of the pontoon (we took the self captain option),…read morethey don't change the rates for prime time rentals like some places do. Boats are in great working order and after 4 rentals in 2 years, I have no complaints.

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.

Incredible sailing experience. Matt let me take the wheel much of the time. Nice strong breeze made…read morefor a great time for all. Matt is the best!! The Lake Michigan venue was beautiful.

Totally excellent. Rentals are on the pricey side for sure but the boats are super cool and easy…read moreto drive. We had a blast cruising around and would definitely do it again!

Got a gift certificate for our anniversary, used it for hub's birthday. Very easy to book! And,…read morestreet parking right near pier- bonus. Drank wine, listened to Tony Bennet(RIP), and cruised the river. A wonderful way to spend an eve.

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.

Highly recommend renting a Duffy boat if you're looking for a fun and relaxing way to spend time on…read morethe river in Milwaukee. The rental prices were actually pretty reasonable compared to a lot of other river activities, and I really liked that you get to take the boat out on your own instead of being stuck on a crowded tour with strangers. It's perfect for a laid-back Milwaukee river day with friends or family. The back seating area is great for relaxing in the sun, while the covered section with the table makes it easy to bring drinks and snacks along for the ride. Overall, it felt much more private and enjoyable than some of the bigger group boat experiences around the city, and I'd definitely do it again.

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.

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.

Love this place! I've bought a season pass for the last 4 years, I can go whenever I want from May…read moreto October. Love Beth and all the fantastic teens she has working each summer. Love the guided sunrise kayak times, we go out past the Hoan bridge into Lake Michigan it's gorgeous!!