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Are you looking for unique things to do in Austin, Texas? On our recent trip to Austin, Abby and I absolutely loved our outing with Austin Duck Adventures! I know, it’s a duck boat tour of Austin, so let’s get this out of the way.
Is it touristy? Yes.
Are we tourists? Yes
Would we do it again? Yes.
I know that when many people travel, they want an authentic experience and to feel like a local, but sometimes you just want to see as much as you can, as easily as possible. And when Abby and I took our quick girl’s trip to Austin, Texas, a few months ago, that was our goal. We were first-time visitors in Austin and wanted to see and do as much as possible in those two days.
Austin, Texas
We chose to spend a couple of days in Austin prior to visiting family up in Dallas, Texas and stayed in the Rainey Street Historic District at the Hotel Van Zandt. Rainey Street is geared more toward the 21+ crowd, so while it’s not the ideal place to stay with kids or teenagers, it proved to be a nice central location, and we really enjoyed the hotel and the food truck park!
My dad lives in the Texas Hill Country and came up to spend a day with us. He loves Austin, Texas, and took a lot of pride in wanting to show us around, but I have to admit I was a little skeptical when he said that we were going to go on a duck boat tour of Austin. It turns out that it was a highlight of our trip. Of course, nothing can top our experience viewing the bats coming out from under the Congress Street Bridge, but it was a solid second place.
Austin Duck Adventures
If you are looking for a fun way to see Austin, Texas, pay attention because the Austin Duck Boat Tour is a (not so hidden) gem. This 75-minute Austin sightseeing tour takes you through the downtown area, including the Sixth Street district, to the Texas State Capitol Building and Governor’s Mansion, the State History Museum, the University of Texas, and even into Lake Austin. The knowledgeable guides share many fun facts and point out so many interesting places, including natural springs, the Google building, and more. They narrate the entire tour, so you just sit back and enjoy the ride!
Their US coast guard inspected Hydra Terra vehicles (the DUCK) can seamlessly transition from dry land to water. I have to say that it was such a cool experience to make that transition. If you haven’t done one of these tours – add it to your list!
You can check out an Instagram reel that I made sharing our trip here.
Plan Your Austin Duck Adventures Outing
If you would like to experience the Austin duck boats for yourself, here is everything you will need to know!
Austin Duck Adventures Tickets
It is recommended that you buy your Austin Duck Adventures tickets online and in advance. Tours operate seven days and week, and there are 1-3 tours per day. At times, multiple even head out at the same time.
Adults: $39.50
Students: $36.50
Seniors (55+): $36.50
Military: $36.50
Children (3-12): $ 25.50
Children (2 and under): FREE
To check availability or purchase tickets click here: AUSTIN DUCK ADVENTURES TICKETS
Austin Visitor Center (even more unique things to do in Austin)
The meet-up point for the tours is actually at the Austin Visitor’s Center (right next to the Hilton Austin), so if you arrive early, which is recommended, you are able to shop their gift shop. This is also a great opportunity to grab brochures and find some other fun and unique things to do in Austin. This is why I would recommend that you do this outing on the first day of your trip. Not only does it give you a chance to explore the Visitor’s Center before or after, but you will probably see several places or areas on the tour that you’d like to revisit during your trip.
One of my favorite travel tips is to always visit the welcome center on your first trip. The kids love to browse the brochures, and oftentimes you can get coupons, maps, and other fun goodies at them.
The Austin Visitor Center and meeting point are located at 602 E 4th Street, Austin, Texas 78701. In fact, several other tours meet here as well, including the Austin Double Decker Bus Tour, which is a great option if you don’t care for the Lake Austin tour.
What Should You Expect on the Austin Duck Adventure?
On this 75-minute tour, you can expect to cover a lot of ground. We sat in the front row, and I actually enjoyed seeing how the DUCK actually worked. Bring yourself a bottle of water and sunscreen in the summer.
The DUCK does hold 44 people, and I have to prepare you in advance for one thing. They hand our “QUAKERS,” which are yellow duck whistles, and people are not afraid to use them – especially kids. It makes it extra fun but can get a little noisy.
FAQ: Austin Duck Adventures
Where Do You Park?
You can always look for the street market first, but the nearest parking garage is the 5th Street Garage, located at 601 E. 5th Street. The meetup location is also right next to the Capital MetroRail Downtown Station, making public transportation very easy.
Will I Get Wet on the Austin Duck Adventures Tour?
The greatest chance you will have of getting wet is if it is raining. You will not get wet when you are touring Lake Austin on the duck boat, which lasts about 20 minutes.
Where Can I Find Austin Duck Adventures Reviews?
I would recommend reading through the unbiased reviews on Trip Advisor. Of the 620 reviews there, this outing holds 4.5 stars, and there are a lot of great written reviews from people just like me. Also, this post is NOT SPONSORED. We just enjoyed this outing so much that I wanted to share it here on my blog!
Other Unique Things to do in Austin, Texas
As I mentioned above, I love using TripAdvisor when planning my travel. They have a list of all of the top things to do in Austin, Texas. And if you are looking for a weird and unique thing to do in Austin, check out my blog post, all about our visit to the Museum of the Wierd in downtown Austin.
And as I mentioned above, experiencing the Austin Bats at the Congress Avenue Bridge in late summer is truly a bucket list experience, and doing it from a kayak on Lady Bird Lake is even better! I plan to write a blog post about that in 2023, but if you want to see it now, check out this Instagram reel. We also have our entire trip saved into an Instagram Story Highlight called AUSTIN if you want to see everything we did – including the duck boat outing.
Additionally, Viator offers a number of fun Austin tours via their website, including food-tasting tours, haunted tours, mural tours, and more!
If you visit during the summer, plan to visit the Barton Springs Pool and Zilker Botanical Gardens at Zilker Park. And since Austin is the live music capital of the world, make sure to leave some time to enjoy the music that so many places offer. I would love to be there for Austin City Limits sometime!
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