Paddle Boat Rides

$ 8 — paddle boat for 4 people for 20 minutes
$ 10 — paddle boat for 4 people for 40 minutes
Kayak rental also available (single kayaks only)
Cheap and relaxing way to spend 20 or 40 minutes with family or a date with whom you would like to have alone time.
1 star subtracted for NO REFUNDS PROVIDED. Staff received lightning warnings as soon as we got in the paddle boat so our family had to come back to shore and disembark. We were told they did not provide refunds. We could either come back to the paddle boat area after 30 minutes or we could get a voucher to use next time we come back. A BIG SIGN OF ‘NO REFUNDS’ BY THE CASHIER WOULD HAVE BEEN HELPFUL.

The paddle boats at the Riverwalk are a great time and probably the cheapest fun you can have in Downtown Naperville. For $ 8 you can take four people out for 20 minutes, or for another $ 2 bucks you can go out for 40 minutes. I believe some of the boats are covered with a canopy and some are not, it’s really your choice.
It is extremely relaxing and can be romantic… that is until you get stuck in the tree line! Then it can become a little scary. Stay towards the center of the pond! The pond itself is a decent size, and you could easily get around the entire thing in less than 40 minutes.
If you haven’t been, you need to go! It is cheap and lots of fun. A great activity to do with friends or the fam.

So much fun!!!
The only paddle boats I’ve been in (that I remember anyway) are the ones in the tidal basin in DC that we’d always patronize during childhood family vacations there.
We ended up in Naperville kind of on accident — we took the Metra out to Geneva the day before and bought the weekend pass. Determind to get my money’s worth, I was trying to plan a travel route for the following day and I decided Naperville would be the destination. I’d heard of the Riverwalk but never been. Thinking it may be nice and quaint like San Antonio’s, I was interested in checking it out.
The weekend, despite it being the last one in July, was freezing. I was worried that the paddle boat place would be closed due to weather but thankfully it wasn’t. The paddle boats were really the main draw for this trip.
We paid like $ 10 for a 40 minute ride! It was so fun. I kept my feet on the pedals but only actually pretended to pedal, letting the husband put forth all of the effort. I wanted to take a leisurely paddle and he wanted to see how fast the thing could make it from one side to another. *eyeroll*
He’d never been in a paddle boat before. Come to think of it, there are so many «normal» childhood activities that he’s never experienced. Culturally, we are quite different so it always shocks me when these things we do that are so nostalgic to me yet completely new to him. We mutually enjoy them though, and I guess that’s all that matters.
For example, he’d never seen A Christmas Story until he met me. I think I questioned him intensely for like 30 minutes about it because I just couldn’t believe it. He told me it must be a «white people» thing. Haha. Then again, I’ve never seen someone get shot on a neighborhood street corner like he has so I guess it’s all relative…
Anyway, if the day would’ve been just 5 or 10 degrees warmer, it would’ve been absolutely perfect. Our paddle boat had a canopy over it so even if it was sunny, I would’ve been protected from the nasty UV rays!

4 person paddle boats on a small pond near Naperville’s river walk. A nice break for the kids. The pond is small, so no more than 20 min needed. At $ 8, that’s not so bad for 4 people. The two back seats face backwards. Life vests are included.

Took a walk in downtown Naperville tonight and explored the Riverwalk. As we walked, we came across the paddle boats, which we didn’t know anything about beforehand… and they were awesome.
It’s $ 8 for 20 mins or $ 10 for 40 mins for one boat that seats four (or, if there’s a small child as the fifth, they can ride too, as a lap child or on the «bump» in between the two front seats — the total weight limit is 955 lbs. per boat.) They technically close at 7, but that means they sell their last boat ride at 7 — so at 6:30, we decided to try it out with a 20-​minute ride. NO WAIT. Plenty of life vests — everyone wears one — in plenty of sizes for adults and kids.
You pay for the ride in the paddle boat shop and then walk down the steps to the dock. (You can get food there, too, although after dinner we weren’t really for more eats. Quite a few people were taking advantage of their ice cream, though!) You can take your pick from the boats, shade or no shade. And then you’re off! The entire process was super quick and super easy. And did I mention NO WAIT? We all had a total blast.
The boats were in excellent shape — far better than previous experiences we’ve had in other places — and we had a lovely little family ride around the lake at sunset. We will DEFINITELY go again — this was such a fun, random little find in our new city!

This is such a fun thing to do DT Naperville. If you are looking for a lazy 20 – 40 mins. in the sun, then this is perfect!
They offer 20 or 40 minutes and you can choose a paddle boat with or without a shade on it. If you want to sit on the (tiny) lake and catch some sun, I would suggest the 40 minute ride. If you are looking to roam around paddling the whole time, I would suggest the 20 minute ride as you can finish exploring the lake in about 10 minutes.
Bring your bottle of water, sunscreen and enjoy!

The ONLY reason I am not giving 4 stars is because we were a bit disappointed the paddle boat area was so restricted! Ha… I guess we thought we would get to paddle boat down the rocky river of the River Walk! :)
You can’t beat the price! $ 8 for 20 and $ 10 for 40 minutes… and thats PER boat! We had four people, so that price was awesome to us! We decided to do the 40 minutes… but barely lasted the 20! Oh well… we can handle our lost $ 2!
You can chose a boat with our without a canopy, which was very nice. The young men that were running the gig were great! My girlfriend and I asked if they could watch our purses for us, and they were very sweet about it (and of course teased as about how they wouldn’t float when we got back!). It was a bunch of teenagers running the paddle boat and little icecream shop, but they were awesome! Very impressed I must say!
I definately suggest you check it out! Fun for the family and for couples/​double date! Great way to break the ice! ;)

Top down. Top up. Your choice.
$ 8 for 20 min or $ 10 for 40 min per boat which can seat 4. Just step into the Naperville Eatery to pay (they accept credit cards too). Pick up a snack for the ride or bring your own cold beverage. Take your slip and bring it down to one of the attendants by the paddle boats and then you’re off to explore the quarry.
Don’t forget to slow it down and just put your legs up and drift a bit. Just don’t turn it into bumper paddle boats. They frown on that.
Life vests are required for all paddle boaters.