Best boat tours in Indianapolis: find options near you

Me and my wife went here as part of our anniversary celebration and we had a great time! The water was pretty low in spots on our trip, but there is nothing anyone could have done about that! The reservation & check in was easy, the staff members were kind, the man who drove us to start our trip told us the whole rundown of the river to help us have the best trip, and did all of the kayak pulling for us! Great trip!

This was the first time we ever used a canoe so I told the young man helping us launch and he was very nice and gave us some tips. All employees were nice from check in, bus driver, launchers, and landers. We felt safe and would definitely do this again! There were a couple other larger groups that floated. They hooked together in their own large circles with cooler floats in the middle. That would be fun for groups. Great experience and highly recommend.

Friendly staff and a great trip. My 13 year old daughter and I did the Rusty Oar trip. We have canoed before, but we are no experts. It was a perfect day. It took us about 4 hours, 15 minutes with little actual paddling, just steering. We stopped for lunch along the way and found cool shells. We also stopped at Potters Bridge to explore and use the facilities. We saw tons of wildlife – geese, ducks, fish, turtles, squirrels and one snake. We got lots of sun and had a wonderful time! The only down side to this location is the water quality that doesn’t lend itself to swimming as we do love to cool off in the water on such excursions. This is just one tiny drawback to an otherwise perfect experience.

Place was Awesome!!! Staff was friendly and helpful went above and beyond to help with our kayaks. Will definitely be back next year. There’s a cover bridge that you stop at for bathroom break and eat lunch.

We had a group of 10 and it was a great day. Very relaxing! We took a large cooler that fit perfectly. It was a 72qt and it fit very snug. We got the straps to link all of the tubes. I think you can avoid this cost by just using your life vest. The current was good. The water Depth was about 1ft to 7ft. Everything seemed to be well organized and the staff was easy to work with. The bus driver did a great job. She told jokes and pointed out locations along the drive up to the bridge drop off. Approximately 15 min drive up. Overall I would recommend this company. This is a very relaxing day for the costs and great memories. Bring sun screen and water. It took us around 4 1/2 hours to make it.

PROFIT BEFORE PEOPLE!! This company is so disgusting and money hungry!! My teenage child made us a reservation in the wrong city and as soon as she realized it contacted to cancel the same day BEFORE the reservation. On top of that it started pouring rain but they refuse to offer a refund or any kind of makeup day or anything after telling us that day that I would be refunded in 8-10 business days. TERRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE! They say that “their records” show it was after the time of the reservation although we have proof otherwise. They refused to accommodate me in any way at all. It doesn’t surprise me though in this area where people only care about money and couldn’t care less about humanity and people’s happiness or well being. It really says so much about companies like that. PROFIT BEFORE PEOPLE

We did the campground to River Rd trip. The first third of the trip was awesome. It was quiet and serene, with all kinds of birds and other wildlife. The second half, after the portage, was packed full of large groups of tubers that were drunk and obnoxious. We had to navigate our way through and around them, even dragging our kayak around shallow areas while they stayed in their spot screaming and getting more hammered by the minute. An overall horrible experience. The amount of tubes on the river was ridiculous and needs to be kept in check. If you’re looking for a fun kayaking trip, then this is not your spot. If you want to get stupid drunk and spend your day surrounded by a few hundred obnoxious idiots, then this is the place for you.

A Beautiful Experience at Geist Marina!

I recently visited Geist Marina, and it was a lovely experience. One of the highlights was spotting swans nesting, which added a touch of serenity to the already picturesque surroundings.

The marina itself is well-maintained, and the atmosphere is peaceful. It’s a great spot to enjoy the outdoors and appreciate nature.

Highlights:

– Spotted swans nesting
– Beautiful and peaceful surroundings
– Well-maintained marina

Tips for Future Visitors:

– Keep an eye out for wildlife, especially during nesting season
– Take a stroll around the marina to enjoy the views

Rating Breakdown:

– Scenery: 5/5
– Wildlife spotting: 5/5
– Marina maintenance: 5/5
– Overall: 5/5

Geist Marina is a hidden gem, and I’d highly recommend visiting to enjoy the natural beauty and possibly spot some wildlife!

Getting there is convenient, and I’ll visit again if I have the chance.

Some of the best live music with a marina backdrop.

We love this place.. bathrooms very clean, staff is friendly, great place to whine down and relax. Other boaters are friendly and kind. The gas station worker kiddos are always helpful and polite,

A lovely site with waterfront side-walk – good to walk with family. If weather is also supportive as it was when we went there, it would be so pleasant !! Ice cream, pizza etc are available too. Enjoyable site indeed

멋진곳입니다. 다양한 멋진 집들을 구경할수있고 수영과 선상 파티를 즐길수있습시다.

Great selection of watercraft for use on Geist Reservoir. Nice local shops nearby. Plenty of parking. Good place for a family outing. Swans, fish, and turtles can easily be seen from the causeway.

Passing through Indianapolis and decided to check out the central canal before being on my way. Way more beautiful and clean that I expected. No trash, graffiti, or unsavory elements. Residents walking, or jogging and take it all in like me. I walked pretty far along the canal and enjoyed the relaxation.

I came across the Canal Walk while visiting Indianapolis and exploring the city on foot. It turned out to be one of the highlights of my stroll — a peaceful, well-designed path that winds along the water right through the heart of downtown.

The atmosphere is relaxed, with a mix of locals and tourists enjoying the scenery, public art, and shaded areas. I saw people kayaking and even pedaling around in water bikes, which added a fun, active vibe to the otherwise calm surroundings.

It’s a perfect route for a mindful walk, with plenty of spots to pause, take photos, or just enjoy the blend of nature and city life. If you’re ever in Indy, it’s absolutely worth checking out.

Balade très agréable, beaucoup de travaux sur le chemin en ce moment.

These are a few photos of the beatiful architecture that you get to see while walking along the canal. I really, really enjoy my weekly walks that I take along the canal. I do it for my health and peace of mind.

This river walk seemed cool ! We went on a weekday & it was less crowded. Didn’t feel unsafe. Well maintained, smelled good .
Enjoy beautiful city landscape while walking.
Wanted to have a boat ride across the canal but boat riding service was temporarily closed .

Really enjoyed stopping here and taking in the scenery. Didn’t have the time to rent a kayak, but I think next time I’m here I gotta fit it in. Did see a couple people out on them. This makes a really awesome spot and activity for the city.

Absolutely beautiful place to take the family for a walk. We were very surprised at how nice the walking paths were and the amount of shade trees throughout was very nice.

We’re going back tomorrow morning!

So much fun! Parking was a little hard to find, we ended up in the garage for $15. There was a lot of construction between the garage abe the walk down to the boats. We did the sunset cruise on the swan paddle boats.

This was a nice fairly inexpensive recreational thing to do in downtown Indianapolis. The staff was very helpful and great to work with.

What a great concept! We had lots of fun. Felt like we were rowing in a european city! The price is right. You will be on the goose boat for 1 hour and I do warn you, you have to be in shape to paddle as you will grow tired soon (me). My wife and my daughter enjoyed this!

Wheel of Fun Rentals was such a great experience! The paddle boats were easy to use and a fun way to explore the water. The whole process was smooth, and the staff was super friendly. Lindsay was especially awesome—she was super nice, easy to talk to, and gave us some great recommendations for other fun things to do around Indy. Definitely recommend stopping by if you’re in the area!

Absolutely, I recommend this place!!
Get your lil booty down here!!!
Seriously, why are you still reading this?!?
You could be paddling!!

Okay, I was in downtown Indy with my son celebrating my birthday, yay birthday!
& after a fun filled day, a friend suggested this place to us… I am soooo glad that they did!!

First, the people there are absolutely great! Super friendly and patient! They explain everything you need to know, and then your adventure begins!

Make sure you watch out for the baby ducks!
We had a few ducks following us around. It was adorable!

We had a wonderful time.
It was very beautiful and peaceful.
Everyone on the water was very respectful of one another.
It was a lovely end to a wonderful day, and I look forward to coming back soon!!

Side note: There is Not a restroom facility nearby. So, if you have little ones with you, or just a wee bladder, you might want to stop someplace with a public restroom on the way.

I occasionally walk along the canal, but today I made a special stop at Wheel Fun Rentals to gather information for an upcoming visit with our grandkids. The staff members were friendly and helpful. They are currently open 7 days a week, but recommended checking their website for current hours as the season begins to wind down. I’ve also included a few photos of the canal route and hope this information is helpful for anyone looking to spend some time on the canal. A great place to visit!

Excellent place for a calm and easy kayaking experience. Good place for new comers to get their kayak legs. If you feel someone in your group needs a Personal Flotation Device, bring one. These are not provided here.

Got to experience this event with Individuals from Cedar Lake Park Place! It was an amazing experience, both captins were very full of information and extremely understanding with our individuals and let us get on the boat early, so we wouldn’t be rushed!
The tour was beautiful!
Thank you so much Rockin Thunder River!!
From, Cedar Lake Park Place ❤️

We recently went on the Rockin river boat tour and had a fantastic time! We couldn’t have asked for a friendlier or more informative captain. And as an added bonus, we saw 15 eagles on the trip. I would recommend this tour to anyone!!

My wife and I had a great time on the Scenic River Tour. The boat was clean, and Captain Paul kept it fun with interesting stories. Doug was friendly and engaging, and we even spotted a few bald eagles. We finished about 15–20 minutes shy of the full two hours, and we would have loved more time. Georgia at the ticket booth was fantastic, helping us rebook from last year when the weather was too cold. Highly recommend.

My family went on the two hour tour today and loved it. Everyone was very friendly and full of fun information. The boat was more comfortable than I had expected. Enough so that could have fallen asleep if it wasn’t for the captain’s rousing commentary and the wonderful wildlife. The scenery was beautiful and we saw several eagles. The ride was a perfect way to stay cool while still enjoying the outside. My family is already talking about coming back another time. Thanks for the wonderful morning!

Wow!! So fun and so unexpected. We have lived in Southern Indiana for many years and had no idea that there was a fun, educational and enjoyable boat tour right up the river! We took a ride up to Madison where we got on the jet boat. Then we took a leisurely drive down the Ohio river to Captains Quarters where we had a really really yummy lunch. Then back on the boat up to Madison. Along the way Kaptain Paul told us so many things, and showed us bald eagles, blue, herons, egrets, mansions that boat captains don’t live in. Ha ha ha it was so fun and enjoyable. He made it entertaining the whole way. I especially enjoyed the information about Harlan Hubbard and his home there on the river. I recommend you take some friends and go on one of his jet boat tours

Highly Recommend Rockin Thunder Boat Tour. We took the five hour trip. Had a wonderful lunch Captain Paul to some wonderful stories. See a lot of eagles wildlife. It has been a beautiful day. They did not disappoint at all. Had a wonderful meal and the price is very very reasonable. We will definitely be back.

We took the weekday 5 hour ride on an amazing October day. Captain Paul is not only a talented captain, he is a wonderful story teller. We stopped at various points on the way from Madison to Louisville and he regaled us with stories of river towns, river geography and it wouldn’t be complete without river characters! He was always scanning the trees along the shore for bald eagles and we were fortunate to see nine along the trip. His love of the river comes through with every stop and every story. The restaurant was also fantastic!! A great selection of eats and a wonderful view of the river. I promised myself this would not be my last trip!!

This was so fun. The staff was awesome. It was supposed to be a bad day because it was windy. There was a learning curve but I think cloudy overcast days are the best. I actually liked the roll the lake had going on. It wasn’t too bad but I ended up staying closer to the pickup drop off location than I might have. I will warn you, it could be addicting. But if you are jonesing there are different discounts for your habit.

Superschönes Naturschutzgebiet direkt neben der Interstate. Ich musste beruflich nach Indianapolis und machte diesen kleinen Abstecher auf dem Weg. Sehr lohnenswert. Im Sommer sicher ein Traum.

Such a fun experience!!!!! We had an amazing time!!!!!! The employees were very nice and helpful. The one guy had to help us with our kayak because we got stuck in the rocks We had a very funny and nice experience!!!!!!!

I booked a guided sunset kayak tour which I was looking forward and planning to by taking a day off.
I live almost one hour away from the park and while driving there midway I received a text message saying exactly the following : Your booking for Guided Kayak Paddle Tour on Jul 15 5:15PM has been cancelled. A Store Credit has been issued and can be used at your convenience.

There was no explanation why they did that or any kind of apology.
I can only call customer disrespect.

Took the whole family.Hade a blast watching the grandkids learn to kayak.Saw a lot of cool birds.Everyone was helpful and friendly.Will definitely do it again.Leave the kids a tip.

Great time with friends trying out pedal kayaks. They are a lot easier and faster than normal kayaks. We got to go farther than ever before. Great experience.

It was a good expereince with the rental, the process however could be improved by making to counter readily accessible and reduce wait time. The staff is welcoming and professional.

Love the WRYC. We always have fun here. Celebrating a friends birthday. Food is better than it has been.
The ribs on Friday are absolutely some of the best ribs I have had.
The fish and chips are with thick cod fillets and golden brown.

Kind staff, great prices, and an even better atmosphere. It’s definitely not my first visit, and it will not be my last!

We were here for a 60 year class reunion. Nice outdoor area, by the water. Staff friendly and accomodating.

Always have a good time

This place is so nice. It was a beautiful evening. The food is great. Drinks are a great price.

It’s Members Only but that Prime Rib alone is Worth the Membership…

Good food! Have to be a member or invited by one.

If you’re looking for a romantic escape in the heart of Indianapolis, look no further than Old World Gondoliers! My wife and I had an unforgettable experience on our private gondola ride. The moment we stepped onto the gondola, we were transported to a magical world.

The gondolier serenaded us with beautiful songs that perfectly complemented the serene waters and stunning scenery. It felt like we were in a movie!

From the gentle sway of the gondola to the charming ambiance, every moment was filled with love and laughter. Whether you’re celebrating a special occasion or just want to enjoy a unique experience together, this is a must-do! Thank you, Old World Gondoliers, for making our day extra special! ✨

I’m so glad we booked a trip here. It was an awesome experience. It’s not Italy, but your gondolier makes you feel like it is. Our man Bruno was awesome. He’s an amazing singer. Even though we couldn’t understand what he was singing it was fantastic. He explained what each song meant and also info and history of the canal and surrounding area. The couple we met were really cool and friendly. I totally recommend this to everyone.

Bruno was great! Fantastic voice, knowledgeable and good sense of humor. We had a wonderful time on the cocktail cruise! Highly recommend!

OMG This experience was totally awesome! Casanova really really did his thing, Great Voice very pleasant. We had a great great time

This was such a fun experience! Our gondolier had a beautiful voice and made the whole experience fun. We could even bring a cheese platter and wine one the ride. Highly recommended!

Dreams do come true and it’s here! Husband surprised me on a ride with Monte(deserves a raise!!), one of the best experiences of my life, beautiful,impeccable service all the way around including the booking from what my husband said, his voice is incomparable to opera singers, and he sings in real Italian! This place brought tears to my eyes! Cannot say enough about this place!!!!

Casanova has an amazing voice! The ride was do fun! Will definitely return when in town again.

Amazing experience, Captain Mike is beyond professional but also very versatile and informative plus friendly! I will definitely be one of his regular friends ♥️

This was beyond an experience the owners are extremely friendly, laid-back, and professional. They offer different services for large or small groups at affordable prices. Enjoy the water!

Had a really good time. The paddle wheel boat is unique it has plenty of room and there’s even a kitchen on it!!

Loved our pontoon boat tour! Very friendly and knowledgeable about the area. Highly recommend.

I had the best time here! Rob and Mike are AMAZING PEOPLE!!!

Looks like a fun thing to do, it’s on my to do list

Best boat tours on the White river!