Your Best Wisconsin Summer Experience Isn’t By Car, It’s on a Duck Boat

I don't remember how old I was the first time I rode a duck boat in the Wisconsin Dells. We spent time there every summer, so the Dells comprise a lot of my childhood in Wisconsin. But, to me, the Original Wisconsin Ducks are as emblematic of the Dells as waterparks, fudge, and kitsch. No matter where you are in the area, you're bound to see a duck boat plodding about among the throngs of area tours.

There is no shortage of ways to sightsee around the Dells. You have the dreamy Wisconsin Boat Tours for a more traditional, scenic view of the incredible nature around the area. You can hit the trail on horseback for an entirely different point of view among the area's enchanting forests. You can even get on the Dells' spooky side with a haunted history trolley tour. But I think the pièce de résistance of a Wisconsin summer is cruising around in a duck boat.

Don't worry, I know the scenic magic of a duck boat isn't unique to Wisconsin. You also have the Chattanooga Ducks and Boston Duck Tours, for example. Yet, Wisconsin has its own ducky claim to fame—the Original Wisconsin Ducks was the first duck boat tour! Since 1946, these amphibious vehicles have been cruising around Lake Delton and the Dells.

These vehicles take you along the Wisconsin River, where you can marvel at the craggy rock faces and lush forests, and along earthy roads to show off their amphibious prowess. Of all the different sightseeing tours I've done in the Dells, the duck boats remain my favorite. They are so unique, it's hard to resist them. And if you're going to do a duck boat tour, you can't beat the Original Wisconsin Ducks. Why? Because their fleet is all authentic World War II-era duck boats.

The Original Wisconsin Ducks has the largest fleet of WWII tour ducks. When they were created, these boat-cars were used to shuttle people and supplies across land and water. Although their name makes sense because ducks can also venture between land and water, that's not why they're called duck boats. Their proper name is DUKW boats. The acronym is derived from manufacturing code: "D" for their production year of 1942, "U" for amphibious utility vehicle, "K" to indicate all-wheel drive, and "W" for dual rear axles. But duck is a fitting name.

After the war, a lot of the DUKW boats were decommissioned. That's when Bob Unger of Original Wisconsin Ducks quacked the code by offering tours in his army-surplus duck boat. From there, the fleet expanded, and other tour companies began to emerge. To this day, the Original Wisconsin Ducks tour company continues to use decommissioned DUKW boats, even if it means refurbishing them.

Knowing that these vehicles are relics of a bygone era makes them even more special to me. Because that also means many of the authentic ones are likely disappearing or on their way out. Although companies can probably commission replicas of these old war ducks, you can't help but be amazed by the ones that stick around. So, the next time you're in the Dells, I can't recommend a tour with the Original Wisconsin Ducks enough. Just wing it and be a part of history.