This weekend, I did something for the very first time.
I rode a duck.
Every time we have out of town guests, they always have a few things on their to-do-list:
1) Eat a Philly Cheese Steak
2) Check out Philadelphia's Independence Hall & The Liberty Bell
3) Run up the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum just like Rocky.
One thing we've never done was Ride the Ducks. If you've never heard of Ride the Ducks before, they offer sight-seeing tours in Philadelphia and the following U.S. cities: Branson, San Francisco, Newport, KY and Stone Mountain Park, GA.
The Ride the Ducks tour in Philadelphia begins in the heart of the Independence Mall area across from the Liberty Bell. It's about 70 minutes long and includes about 10 minutes in the Delaware River. It's very family friendly tour and is a nice combination of education and entertainment.
During the Ride the DucksPhiladelphia tour, we saw many local attractions, including: Betsy Ross's House, South Street, Ben Franklin's Gravesite, and Penn's Landing. I've been exploring this city since I was a kid, but I still learned quite a bit during the tour which was led by our cheerful guide, nick-named the "Philly Fanatic."
We were learning and laughing throughout the entire tour. As a mom, I was really happy that everything was very family friendly and all of the guide's humor was completely appropriate for even my four year old.
The duck was very comfortable. There was no air conditioning, but it was almost completely open on the sides which provided a nice breeze as we cruised around the city. We were encouraged to quack at passers-by as we enjoyed the music of Philadelphia bred artists.
Planning on Riding the Ducks in Philadelphia? Here are a few tips:
- These tickets can really add up when you're paying for your family, so check for discounts or special offers. Ride the Ducks Special Offers. For a family of four, it cost a little more than I would have liked to spend, but, in my opinion, it was worth it.
- Children under 3 are free, but you need to let the ticket agent know that you'll be taking your infant/toddler on the tour. The boat can only have a certain number of passengers when it slips into the Delaware, and must not exceed the limit.
- Don't be panicked about the boat ride. Before we went into the Delaware River, our lovely guide, stepped aside and let a captain from the U.S. Coast Guard come on board to take control. This made me feel much more comfortable about the boat ride and it really was a lot of fun.
Have you ever done a Ride the Ducks sight-seeing tour? Would you recommend it?
Note: This post is not sponsored by Ride the Ducks. It's just my opinion.