The Original Wisconsin Ducks

Since we didn't go to a major water park, we decided it would be fun to ride the duck boats.  There are a couple of companies doing duck boat rides and we ended up riding The Original Wisconsin Ducks.  The duck boats are vehicles that drive on land and water.  These vehicles were used in World War II and were purchased as war surplus.  We got a one hour ride that included land trails and entry into the water twice, once on the Wisconsin River, then on Lake Delton.  A duck boat is pictured in the logo at the top of the page and can be seen behind Allen and Bob in the picture at right.

We really enjoyed the ride.  It was a little pricey - $16 per adult, $8.75 per child, but it was worth it.  They own most of the land the tour goes through so they can drive pretty hard down a twisting, winding, hilly course without fear of hitting a car coming the other way.  Early in the ride, Allen gripped the seat and said, "Does this thing have seatbelts!"  He had a blast.  

In addition to it being an exciting ride, it is a very scenic trip.  We also saw many cool rock formations along the Wisconsin River.  The formation on the right looks like a hawk.  His head with an open mouth/beak is at the top right.  The large piece of rock to the right of that is his shoulder and wing.   Another cool formation on the trip is Pulpit Rock and the Baby Grand Piano.   The trip also features fern gully, an area where 27 different species of ferns are known to grow.  You are almost certain to see wildlife on the trip too.  We saw a few deer, several wild turkeys and a couple of turtles.

 

One of the coolest things about the trip was each of the kids got the chance to drive the duck on Lake Delton.  Allen was the first to go and loved it.  The tour guide points them in the right direction, and lets each child on the trip take a turn driving for a couple of minutes.  It is something I'm sure Allen and the rest of the kids on board will remember for a long time.

Recommendations:

It is a very fun ride that we thought was worth the price.  Take your camera and enjoy the ride.  It is not very often you get to ride in a vehicle that goes on land and water during the same trip.