What a great tour! We had an amazing time. Thank you to the team for giving us a great first visit. read more

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Been lucky enough to ride along for a tour a few times. Most recently July 26. As expected, it was another relaxing and informative excursion at The Soo. It has been said that "A Captain is only as good as his crew" The people of OSLBT have proven this EVERY time. My only "wish"....More Interlake swag available for purchase in the gift shop. read more

We had a small group, so the tour guide was very personal and answered a lot of questions for us. The boat ride was very smooth, professional captain and crew. Would highly recommend! The water can get chilly fast so take a jacket and plan at least two hours. read more

So much information and great staff Explained everything every step of the way Would do this again read more

Excellent tour of the Soo Locks at Sault Ste. Marie. Excellent information along the way by staff. We went through the U.S. locks, toured all along the Canadian steel mill and then came back through the Canadian locks. Big bucket list item - learned a lot. Great tour, great staff. read more

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Informative, relaxing tour. Easy experience booking to exiting the boat. Friendly staff. read more

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went on the boat tour through the locks in Sept. Really interesting and lovely scenery. Going through the lock was really interesting to see how the water raises you up. Saw the American lock and then you go through the Canadian lock. You might see some big ships when you go. Lots of industry along the tour. Relaxing way to see the lake and the locks. read more

Our boat tour was fun and informative. It went longer than the 90 minutes. Their website talks about, that, but that was beyond their control. read more

This was one of the highlights of our trip! The ride was fascinating and informative. The crew and staff were friendly. Ordered tickets online and then picked the best day that worked for us to go. Highly recommend! read more

Great ride. Very well explained about things in the area. The price was right. Did the package for the museum, tour and Loch tour.

I would recommend the ferry tour of the Soo Locks. The crew is friendly and very informative as we cruised along. Getting to be "locked in the Soo" was a neat experience. They offer snacks during the tour of course not free. So right now (2022) the prices are $30 per adult. Children 5-16 $10 and children under 5 are free. Our son did well on the trip and was not bothered when the ships honked the horn to greet each other. The crew will explain what each sounds represents. Overall, the ferry tour was a great experience and we were able to capture some awesome photos and make new memories. read more

Went on the Original Soo Locks Boat Tour today. There was an older gentleman who was 81 years old that was part of the crew. He has been working with that company for 9 years. There weren't many passengers onboard for our tour, and he spent a lot of time telling me about the history of the Soo Locks, and even showing me many photos he has collected over the years. He explained that Interlake Maritime Services now owns the tour boats, and the past history of the tour boat company. It was exciting to hear him tell the story of the locks, and the tour boats. Hat's off to this fine gentleman! You went above and beyond and represented your tour company in a most excellent and professional manner! I just wish I could have found out your name. read more

Staff were extremely friendly and knowledgeable. The two hour trip was the perfect amount of time on the river. The active locks were incredible to travel through. All in all a great experience. However, I would not recommend for small children. My youngest is 10 and was the perfect minimum age as he started to get antsy at the end. We had small children on the trip that did not do well. The price may not be conducive for larger families ($30 per adult with a coupon). read more

Original Soo Locks Boat Tours - Lock doors closing - Boat Tours Near Me - Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan

One of the most enjoyable boat rides and informative tours we've ever taken. Highly recommend!

Such a great experience! The crew was super informative and kind. We felt like they were giving us special treatment, but really they give the same to all. I learned so much during this (close to) 2 hour trip. We were able to go through the locks! So stinking cool! We will do this again! Thank you to the crew for a fabulous experience! read more

Original Soo Locks Boat Tours - Boat Tours Near Me - Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan

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This was an amazing tour. The crew was very friendly, information was good and they made the trip fun. Highly recommend this tour of the locks. read more

Original Soo Locks Boat Tours - SOO locks. - Boat Tours Near Me - Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan

We had a great time on this tour. We enjoyed all the history and how iron is made. The crew is friendly and answered everyone's questions. Thank you for a great afternoon tour. read more

Our family visits Mackinac and the UP at least once a year for the last 6 years, and we always have to take the Soo Lock Tour, friendly staff and a fun time, except today we also got to listen to the captain complain about the US and Canadian government, and got all political, on a tourist boat tour... as long as you are good listening to the captain vent, you'll have a great time, seriously put a damper on the trip, but we will be back next year anyways read more

Original Soo Locks Boat Tours - Boat Tours Near Me - Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan

It was great except there was so many boats we were delayed coming back for about 2 hours- bonus time on the water

This was a lot of fun! We ended up having to wait an incredibly long time before our boat was ready, which is the only reason I took off a star- over an hour sitting outdoors in almost 90 degree heat wasn't super fun (and I ended up getting pretty sunburnt from the extra time out there). But once we got on board we had a great time. It was really cool to actually go through the locks! read more

Really enjoyed this 10:00 am locks tour. The narration was great. I heard about several things I was unaware of until now. It is windy. And today it was cold too. So be prepared for that. I was right at two hours to do the tour. read more

Plenty of outdoor seating on the upper deck for the two hour trip through the big American lock, around the bend past a steel mill and then back through the small Canadian lock. Due to COVID, the museum and observation deck were closed so the boat tour allowed us to see and learn what was really happening...right alongside a 1013' Great Lakes freighter. Adults totally geeked out! Teenagers were less enthusiastic but, thankfully, we had brought snacks. read more

Original Soo Locks Boat Tours - Alongside 1013' Great Lakes freighter - Boat Tours Near Me - Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan

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Awesome informative tour. Nice clean boat. Staff was very friendly. It was cold out, but the inside was heated and comfortable.

This tourist destination was worth the drive. It is very interesting to see how the Soo locks work and you can call and find out the schedule on a daily basis to see a boat in the Soo locks. We took a tour through the locks which told the history and also got to experience the water going up or down in the boat. read more

Original Soo Locks Boat Tours - A ship in one of the Locks from the observation stand. - Boat Tours Near Me - Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan

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I am a group leader and brought 81 people to this location. Although we were unable to go in the canal due to a large ship and the restriction on the Canadian entrance we did receive a top rate tour of the canal. I appreciate the Captain and the narrator in giving me this opportunity and would highly recommend this company to anyone who wants a memorable experience. read more

We had a great time! Very clean grounds and boat, free kennels for dogs, and very informative tour host who obviously loves sharing his knowledge of the locks and waters. Great, friendly staff as well. read more

Loved the tour! Unless you have a Panama Canal tour coming up in the near future, this is a must visit. It is a sign of man's engineering expertise. There are four locks in American side and one on Canada side. We went up the Canada side with intention to come down the American side. Out of 4 American locks, one was closed, the order had some issues that they're working on. Only two were working and there was alone of ships waiting to cross before us. So we went back and came down the Canada side. Price seems high, but then all tourism related places charge high only. I enjoyed the tour so would say it was worth it. read more

Original Soo Locks Boat Tours - Tour boat - Boat Tours Near Me - Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan

The tour was alright and the price was in-line with other 2-house cruises. Look for the flyers they put out at hotels for tourists, as ours had a coupon for children. The tour had some really good information, but once you go up the locks on the US side then you have already seen what you needed. The tour did take us over to the Canadian side, which I thought looked much nicer and the city is many times larger than the MI side. People on the ship were not doing well with social distancing, even with the boat around half capacity due to COVID. There were also a lot of annoying people (one Florida family kept just standing next to people that were clearly trying to stay 6ft apart from others, another lady and her kid kept getting too close to others, and one kid asked a ship crewmember for free food) that didn't help my experience. I ended up heading to the lower deck and found one other person there. The view has you at water level and the airflow was great, so I stayed there for the second half of the tour. The staff was friendly and the tour is worth doing once. read more

Great tour and worth every penny. 2 hour tour pointing out items of interest along the way. You get to lock through the U.S. and Canadian locks. If you are lucky enough you will get to see some freighters close up. Small snack bar on board and bathrooms. read more

Original Soo Locks Boat Tours - Boat Tours Near Me - Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan

We decided that we wanted to do one tour while vacationing in Mackinaw this past July. I was interested in taking a tour of the Straits of Mackinac, my sister-in-law was interested in the Toonerville Wilderness Train and my wife wanted to take this two hour tour of the Soo Locks. I wasn't very interested, but after it was over, I would totally do it again. What a cool experience. We went on a cool, rainy Tuesday and we got there just in time to take the first tour of the day, so we didn't have much time to poke around the dock. We left promptly and headed straight up the St. Mary River. Our captain explained the various points of interest along the way before we made our way into the MacArthur Lock on the American side. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! My kids and I were in awe as we watched from the upper deck of the boat. So, so cool. After exiting the lock we continued up the river and enjoyed a snack from the concession stand, which was relatively reasonably priced. I believe it was $1 for a bag of pretzels or cookies. The return took us through the much older Canadian lock and along the Canadian shoreline, which is much nicer looking than the American shoreline (condos on the water, a nice harbor, beautiful convention center, etc.). I was trying to figure out why Slt. St. Marie, Ontario is so much more commercialized than Slt. St. Marie, Michigan. Then it hit me that Slt. St. Marie, Ontario is the Canadian equivalent of the Florida Keyes. Anyway, great tour. Very informative, not too short, not too long. Check it out if you get a chance. read more

Original Soo Locks Boat Tours - Boat Tours Near Me - Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan

As others have stated, the regular cruise takes a LONG time. It was 2 1/2 hours long on a cramped and uncomfortable ferry boat that putzed along very slowly. After boarding the boat, we had to stop for 20 more minutes at the other dock to pick up more passengers. I'm not sure why they had two separate docks and slow boarding process for a regular cruise. We had to wait again on the way back since we used the first dock. Most of the time, you're floating around the river listening to the most unenthusiastic narrator. You do get to go on the Canadian side, but I wasn't sure why about 30 minutes of our cruise slowly coasted by the Alcona Steel plant, which resembled a cleaner version of Zug Island near Detroit. That was boring. Obviously, you can't control how fast the locks go, but on the return through the American side, we sat in the lock and waited for almost 45 minute for the water to go down and to be cleared to pass. It was just me and my wife, and the cruise did serve as a great chance for photos of the locks and bridges. If you don't get an outside seat, you're going to have a hard time taking photos. The mom in front of us tried her hardest to keep her three kids interested, and the old couple behind us could be heard constantly complaining about how slow the boat was going since it was very hot out that day. It was worth the $30 apiece to go on the cruise, but it's probably not something I would plan to do again. read more

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We signed up for the 8:30 am Lighthouse Tour. We were told to arrive at 8:00 am. It's not 9:25 and we haven't go e anywhere!!! Virtually no communication. Don't recommend this tour! read more

Today we took the lighthouse tour. We were very disappointed that we really didn't see too many lighthouses. One location was where one use to be, one was definitely a house and the other was concret in the middle of the water. It was very vague as to what we were to see, but I thought for $65 I would have seen more or even learned more. It was a nice ride if you want to go for a boat cruise, but for the money it was not worth it. read more

If you are in Sault Ste Marie you must do this tour. Worth every penny. Get there early and go to the top level. Take the front seats. read more

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Keep expectations of food at a school cafeteria level and you will be alright. I liked it but it wont suite the taste of someone expecting a memorable dinner. So Dont go for the dinner. Go for the boat ride and tour. They have a well organized tour setup that I really enjoyed. Spend about 3hrs going through both the locks of Canada and US as different points of interests are pointed out before during and after. Great time out on the water. No complaints from the service either. read more

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The dinner cruise was awesome ! Food was really good and you could even go back for seconds! We really enjoyed going through the locks ! This trip was Werth every penny , and good service ! Highly recommend . read more

I'll be the bearer of bad news because my experience on the locks tour was not the highlight of my 10 day trip to the UP. When starting off, the person who sold the tickets was cold and rude and didn't explain anything about where to wait, boarding times, etc. We went outside 30 minutes before the leave time and were 10th in line, so we should have grabbed some of the best seats. However, there is no line or organization to get on the boat as the waiting area was one big mosh pit with no order. Needless to say, the early birds did not get the worm. The trip: Yeah, you get to go through a lock, see the Canadian side, & go through another lock. However, 75% of the experience was boring filler. The narration included a 15 minute stretch of an open Canadian factory and what each pile contained. Each building that was a condo or apartments was also discussed (really)? They may not be able to change the scenery or the route, but this was the most dull thing we did on the trip. If you're going to the U.P. and are budgeting for time or cash, do a Pictured Rocks cruise or tour an old mine. I would have been happier spending 2 hours at ShopKo. At least they are friendly, have lines, and contain interesting items to look at. read more

The directions to get to this place are a little unclear, both via GPS and by calling and asking for directions. I think the issue is that Portage actually curves around, but we cut down Water and ran into it. Either way, leave yourself a few extra minutes to figure it out! We bought our tickets and we were told that that there would be an announcement 5 minutes prior to boarding and where to go. We wanted to get good seats so we headed outside early to stand by the boarding area. Everyone else ended up doing this too, so I'm glad we did. We got really good seats on top and in front. Our tour guide, Dave, was great! He was such a charismatic story teller and happily answered any questions we had. This is definitely worth the money for the two hour tour and everything you learn and going through the locks is something to experience! read more

Was privileged to have the author of a Shakelton book give a presentation before we had our dinner cruise. (Sorry, I will have to look up author/book title later.) Dinner was delicious and there was enough for people to make THREE trips to the buffet and still leftovers!! The tour was excellent. Captain gave a fantastic presentation of the area, locks, and factories along the way. The tugboats were decorated for Canada Days and we were able to see them up close as we passed by. It was more than worth the price and I was so impressed with the food that I asked who catered - FRANKS! Will review that one next!!! read more

I had to be talked into spending the $26x2, but I'm glad I went. Try to get front and center on the top deck to catch all the action. Our all girl crew was professional, knowledgeable, and friendly. Through two sets of locks and past a steel plant. We watched as one of the largest ore boats on the Great Lakes squeezed into the lock with only inches to spare on both sides. Later when we passed that same ship on the river, our captain tooted one long and two short toots. They answered back with blasts that almost knocked us over. Fun! Have your video camera ready in case you're lucky enough for a similar encounter. read more

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