Such a fun experience. Really cool to see Milwaukee from the river/lake. Our driver was awesome and very 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 read more

Paddle Tavern - So fun paddling around Lake Michigan on the Paddle Tavern - Boat Tours Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

On a whim, my friend and I booked a 10 am tour. We thought it would be a fun way to see the city. 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. read more

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Fun activity to take friends visiting Milwaukee! We started at the Harp and then worked our way out to Lake Michigan and then Boone and Crocket. The weather was iffy on the day we went so we had a smaller group. There needs to be at least 6 people signed up for a tour for it to run so keep that in mind when you book since things might change day of based on the number of people on the tour signed up for that time slot. We had a smaller tour but we had fun in our group. The guides were knowledgeable and asked us what we wanted to see and we were able to walk around the boat. Make sure you pick a good DJ in your group since it can make or break your tour. Also, If given the option, choose to go towards Lake Michigan since there is much more to see on that side of the river. read more

Paddle Tavern - Boat Tours Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Heck yes! Paddle Tavern was legit. I booked a group of six us for a Sunday tour. Super slick online reservations. Pricing was on point. Folks working the boat were professional. A few days prior to our reservation another friend wanted to come but online it said our time slot was full. I texted Paddle Tavern and inquired on changing times or what they'd recommend to accommodate the new addition. They were very responsive and were able to keep us at the slot we were scheduled. We packed up our own beers and headed over to Harp Irish Pub about a half hour prior to our tour to load up on the Paddle Tavern. We spent a couple hours on the Milwaukee River with a pit stop. We saw the Hoan Bridge, Bronze Fonz Statue and of course the beautiful city skyline-- it was so crazy seeing Milwaukee from the Milwaukee River. Totally different vantage point. What a great experience! Absolutely no complaints. read more

Paddle Tavern - Boat Tours Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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Gary the captain and Susan the first mate were awesome! They were so kind and helpful for my sister in law's birthday. We all had a blast!

Great time, friendly staff. Very accommodating. We celebrated my daughter's 21st birthday with some of her college friends. Everyone had a great time. read more

We had a great day out on the water with the Paddle Tavern. The staff was excellent and organized and I appreciated their attention to safety. They also had the coolers stocked with ice as soon as we boarded. The trip took us south on the river all the way to the lake. We made a pit stop at a bar for cocktails (we had our own on board) and bathroom. There was a motor on the boat when people were tired of peddling. The Paddle Tavern was a great way to spend a few hours with friends! I highly recommend this for any group read more

Paddle Tavern - Boat Tours Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Took a trip down to MKE to see a buddy to have a Sunday Funday on the Paddle Tavern. You can book a private or public tour on the boat. We were part of a public tour so there was several groups on the boat. It's BYOB and when you check in, you give them your beer and they will put it in one of the coolers on the boat. When getting on the boat they will tell you the area you should sit so you can easily grab your beer during the tour. They let us choose which way we go on the river and how many stops we could make. We only made one stop, which was 20 minutes. That didn't feel very long, but at least we could buy a drink and bring it on the boat. Boy I wonder how long we would get if we made two stops! The experience is super fun! Hanging out and drinking on a boat for a couple of hours. The pedaling helps power the boat, but they do have a motor to assist, so you can stop pedaling anytime and take a break, or let someone have a chance. They supply a driver and a first mate, and they were helpful and friendly. This is something fun to do with a group of friends. read more

Paddle Tavern - The boats! - Boat Tours Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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We did a private tour with 10 of us. Loved Captain Jacob!!! loved seeing the city in the daylight and then city lights at night. It was a terrific way party and be downtown but still have privacy. read more

Paddle Tavern - Milwaukee city lights! - Boat Tours Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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We booked the duffy which is part of paddle tavern. It was super easy to set up, they supplied all the information we needed, and responded to email very quickly. The day of it was easy to find and the guys there helped us out and got us on our way quickly. They answered any questions we had before we left. The duffy itself was a lot bigger than I thought it would be - plenty plenty of room for 12 people! It was a great time! Very reasonably priced and easy to drive. read more

Captain Tim and First Mate Mason are the bestest!!! 20/10 recommend, an experience like no other

We had the pleasure of being among the first to experience the Milwaukee PADDLE Tavern this Wednesday night. The launch is located behind the Harp bar downtown on Juneau. You can access through the restaurant and down the stairs, but if you go through the parking lot area on the left of the restaurant you will be dumped right there. They hook you up with waivers to sign and dole out some wristbands (which get you discounts at the bars you can stop at.) The boat is equipped with pedals under each seat, and guests will manually power the boat. There are seats enough for ten people to pedal, then there is a bench up front for extras to sit on and tag in and out of the work. I kept sliding forward on my seat, but the first mate was very helpful with adjusting people's seats. Don't worry, there is a motor on the boat, but they will keep it in neutral and let you do the work, that's for emergencies. In between the seats is a bar height counter with built-in coolers. They do not provide ice, so if that matters to you be sure and bring some. The roof has a tarp and they offer open or closed, and were really kind about us wanting to start open and close later. Recommendation here -- install some purse hooks under the bar. There was nowhere to keep your belongings while you were perched up at the bar, so we tucked most things into the life jacket bins. We cruised at a good speed for a bunch of people drinking and pedaling at the same time. We stopped at Rivalry for the first drink, and for Paddlers they offered two-for-one sangrias and a free shot of Bulleit if you bought a beer. Unfortunately while we were enjoying our drinks the lightning came and the clouds started to threaten us. Captain Jim ran down and tucked all our belongings away and battened up the roof (tarp.) We laid low at Rivalry for a bit and enjoyed some apps, then when the sky allowed we all head back down to the boat and head back. It was a bummer that the weather caused us to only hit one bar, but that is no fault of the crew. They were friendly and accomodatingg, this is a lot more fun than the pedal tavern, and it doesn't affect traffic nearly as much ;) read more

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We had a wonderful night on the Paddle Tavern. The crew, Captain Tim and Jeremy, were accommodating. read more

Paddle Tavern - Boat Tours Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

capt. Tim is literally amazing. and First Mate Mason is sexy as fuck!! Tip them them well

This was one of the best activities we've done in Milwaukee. In fact we had so much fun the first time in June that we brought back more of the family and did it again in August!! Super fun. Nothing negative to say. read more

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SO MUCH FUN!! Got to the Harp this past Sunday Funday while visiting Milwaukee and Paddle Tavern is always a must for me when in town! They were sold out but had cancellation and managed to get our group of 4 onto the last boat ride of the day! We made friends with the other people on the boat (Go Army!) and had so much fun! Will be back for more boat trips in the future! read more

Not following any Covid restrictions. Business as usual during a deadly pandemic. No social distancing. People packed on boats shoulder to shoulder. When I went on one of these last year before the DEADLY PANDEMIC the service was awful. Beer on boat was stale and reeked. read more

We loved our time with Jeremy and Kiara! They were super fun and made our time even better! We loved how accommodating they were to our groups preferences. read more

Our group was in Milwaukee for a wedding. We came from different parts of the country. This is definitely one of the highlights of our trip. There were at least 20 of us, and we needed 2 boats. If you have large party like us, don't you worry. They eventually tie the boats together and it cruise together on the river and float onto the Lake. You get to see the vast lake and view of Milwaukee Skyline. You can bring your own food and beverage, cooler and cups are available to use. For the pit stop they dock at Milwaukee Sail Loft for 15 min, where in you can use the restroom or hit the bar for a special $5 margarita if you are with Paddle tavern. If you are feeling sea sick, this is good place to get off the boat and end the trip. The crew we have on our boat was amazing. Jeremy and Matt were very accommodating and friendly. If you are visiting Milwaukee, this is definitely a must thing to do. You wont regret it. It was so much fun! I saw some comments that the boat is not following covid precautions, I think that is B.S. First of all its a floating bar, and you have been probably hanging out with the same people you are with on the boat. I think its a lot safer than hanging out in the restaurant. 2nd, we can't drink with a mask on. read more

Had a great time. Captain Tim and Mate Dawn were awesome. We had a great time on the river!! Highly suggest.

Booked a Duffy Boat through the Paddle Tavern and hired a captain for the ride. We had THE BEST TIME! The captain we hired was through a company they recommended and he was fantastic. The boat was so clean and so nice. My friends who came along send me thank you notes... I seriously did nothing but showed up! If you want to get someone a fun present for a day out, or need a team builder that won't break the bank, this is a great option! 10/10 read more

Ok so I have to admit that I was sceptical. We were a smaller group so we got paired with another small group as we embarked on our paddle journey. Aaaaaannnddddd.....it was a total blast, our crew totally kicked butt they were laid back but still on point with safety. Every one on the water was happy to see us, and us them. The crew took us on a really nice scenic tour of the Milwaukee river and even though it was late they made sure that we got our full tour in. read more

We did the Paddle Tavern for my bachelorette party, what an amazing time! Both the captain and co captain were so chill and fun too! This will definitely become a summer tradition from now on. read more

The paddle tavern was incredible. From a few days full of festivities, this was surely one of the best things my family and I did! Our captain, Chad, was remarkable and so helpful whenever we needed something or had a question. Wonderful experience! read more

Had a paddle tavern booked for my bachelorette. Was told that our boat had a mechanical issue and that in 20 minutes we would be told if the boat would be working or not. After 2 hours of waiting for an answer we were told we could not get on the green boat. Instead of putting us on another boat, which two came in while we were waiting, they canceled us all together. It was very upsetting and a major let down as the whole bachelorette party was looking forward to this most. Horrible customer service and the guy at the dock had a horrible attitude. Best of luck but I wouldn't go here. read more

Captain Tim and his crew do a great job. Really fun activity for out of town company. A chance to see some MIlwaukee architecture and learn a little about the city's history. read more