Winning bidder will receive 10 passes to the Boston Swan Boats in the Public Garden.  These passes can be used all at once or at different times.  There is no expiration date on the passes.

The Swan Boats are open seven days per week, weather permitting. We cannot operate on rainy, windy, or extremely hot days.

2014 Season

Opens mid-April to mid-September, 2014

Hours:  Spring (April to June 20) 10 am to 4 pm
Summer (June 21 to Labor Day) 10 am to 5 pm
Fall (After Labor Day) 12 pm to 4 pm Weekdays
10 am to 4 pm Weekends

Animals (except Seeing eye dogs) are not permitted.  The Swan Boats are wheelchair (non-motorized) accessible.

About the Swan Boats:

For over 130 years, the Swan Boats have been a part of the Boston experience. As a welcome sign of Spring, they grace the waters of the Boston Public Garden, the first botanical garden in the United States. Famed in the stories Make Way for Ducklings and The Trumpet of the Swan, the Swan Boats are the only boats of their kind in the world.

To the delight of the young and old for over 130 years, the Swan Boat tradition has been preserved by the Paget Family to provide our residents and visitors with a unique Boston memory to endure for generations.

Our History:

The Swan Boat story dates back to the 1870's when Robert Paget, whose descendants continue to operate the business, was granted a boat for hire license by the City of Boston.

Rowing a small boat in the Public Garden lagoon was a favorite summer pastime for city residents during the day and evening.

In 1877, Robert and others introduced a new kind of boat to the waters of the lagoon. With the popularity of the bicycle expanding, he developed a catamaran which housed a paddle wheel arrangement that was foot-propelled. To cover the captain, Robert suggested a swan.

The idea came to him from his familiarity with the opera Lohengrin. The opera is based on a medieval German story in which Lohengrin, a knight of the Grail crosses a river in a boat drawn by a swan to defend the innocence of his heroine, Princess Elsa.

Initially, the fleet was comprised of single-seaters that could carry eight. The present boats are replicas of the originals, but have five or six benches, carrying up to 20 passengers.

Robert Paget lived only one year after the first Swan Boats were launched. He died in 1878 at the age of 42 and his wife Julia, a young widow with four children, assumed full management of the new enterprise.

From 1878 through the early 1900’s, Julia persevered to keep the family business alive. Because she was a woman, she was required for many years to gather signatures from local business owners in the Back Bay to provide testimony to her ability to run her business.

In 1914, Julia's youngest son, John carried on the tradition for the Paget family.

With increasing popularity of the Swan Boats, John started work on larger vessels with five benches on each boat.

The current fleet consists of six boats, the oldest of which was built by John in 1918. John and his wife Ella raised six children, all of whom spent many summers working on the boats.

Along with his father and mother, John loved nature and wildlife. To him, the Public Garden was a very special spot.  After 50 years of commanding the tiny fleet, John Paget died in 1969 and his son, Paul took over the helm.

The tradition, which began over 120 years ago, has grown to become a symbol of Boston and the city's unique blend of history and beauty. Paul and his wife Marilyn maintain the charm and integrity of a vision that became a reality for a young boat builder and his wife many years ago.

Link is www.swanboats.com