Duck boat tours are a unique and entertaining way to experience any city. Nashville Music City Duck Tours adds a special twist to their tours by using an authentic World War II era DUKW boat. On the tour, the Tour Ducktor guides provide a glimpse into both historic and modern Nashville.
Duck boats are at home on land or water like your average duck, but the name is actually a military acronym, not a reference to the animal. DUKW boats, as they were originally called, were designed during World War II to allow soldiers to transport cargo and enter areas with no boat dock or where the docks had been destroyed. Each boat seats 28 guests.
The duck tours in Nashville last just over an hour. As of 2010, from March 1 to May 14, there are three tours a day scheduled on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. and Sunday at 12:30 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.
In the summer, from May 15 through Labor Day, Nashville Duck Tours operates five tours a day from Tuesday through Saturday departing at 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 2 p.m., 3:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. On Sunday, the are four tours on the same schedule, without the 11 a.m. trip.
Duck tours continue into the fall, weather permitting, until November 30. The tour group offers four tours Thursday through Saturday departing at 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., and the Sunday schedule includes the last three tours of the normal fall times.
Standard adult tickets cost $19.50 and senior tickets are available for $17.50 with appropriate identification. You need to purchase a ticket for any child two years or older. For two to five year olds, tickets are $7.50, and for six to twelve year old children, tickets are $15.50.
Tours often sell out through pre-sales, so purchasing tickets in advance is recommended. You can reserve tickets online and phone reservations are accepted for groups of 10 or more. The group rate is $15.50 per person.
You can pick up your duck tour tickets at 110 2nd Ave. North inside the Charlie Daniels Museum. The tour travels down Broadway and describes landmarks that previously existed downtown, such as the the Symphony Center and Firehall. After passing the Stahlman Building and the Courthouse, the duck boat splashes into the Cumberland river and passes under the Woodland Street Bridge and the Walking Bridge.
