Ride Aboard Sweet Breeze
Ride aboard Sweet Breeze, Fort Wayne’s authentic canal boat replica.
Travel Fort Wayne's rivers on Sweet Breeze. This is not just a boat ride-it's an experience you won't soon forget!
Thank you for a great 2021 season! See you next year! Check back in late spring for booking information.
Promenade Park, South Boat Dock
202 West Superior Street
All Ages Welcome
$27/person for a 90 Minute Tour and $17/person for a 45 minute tour
(children 2 and under can sit on an adults lap for no charge)
Please note, 2022 pricing information will be posted in the spring.
Relax and enjoy a guided cruise on the Fort Wayne Rivers. Sweet Breeze, Fort Wayne’s authentic canal boat replica is offering 45 and 90 minute tour lengths. This fully accessible tour will be a fun experience for everyone! Each tour provides an opportunity to learn something new about Fort Wayne through its riverfront.
Tickets will be available next spring. 
Purchase tickets next spring! In the spring you will be able to purchase tickets via phone (260) 427-6000 or at 705 E. State Blvd., Fort Wayne, Indiana 46805
Basic tour information:
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Tours will be available next spring.
- The boat can acccommodate up to 38 riders
- You can now purchase single tickets or schedule a full-boat group tour
- Restroom facilities are available. The boat is fully accessible.
- For parking information CLICK HERE
- Information on Private group rentals is now available. Check out the Sweet Breeze Private Rental Agreement to learn more!
- Information on Educational group tours will be coming soon.
- Do you have additional questions? E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Additional videos are available on the Friends of the Rivers link under River Views!
A special thanks to Mark Jones, Friends of the Rivers, for this photo!
A Little Background Information:
Sweet Breeze was built by Scarano Boat Builders out of Albany, NY. It is flat-bottomed, aluminum hulled boat which is 54’ long, has a draft of 2.75’ and an air draft of 8.5’. The new build was modeled after 1840s canal boat, but in order to better fit our waterways, was scaled back to ¾ the size of the historic canal boats. It is powered by a single 55 HP Marine Diesel Volvo Penta engine. It was delivered by a lowboy trailer in January 2017, craned into the Maumee River on May 20th and christened on June 5th. The Sweet Breeze is wheelchair accessible.
Above is a video of Sweet Breeze riding along the river. Get your tickets today to ride Fort Wayne's replica canal boat along our rivers.
A Brief History
Fort Wayne’s history is tied to canal boats and to the Wabash and Erie Canal. The Canal was a shipping canal that linked the Great Lakes to the Ohio River via an artificial waterway. The canal provided traders with access from the Great Lakes all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. Over 478 miles long, it was the longest canal ever built in North America.The canal began operation in the summer of 1843, yet only operated for a decade before it became apparent that it was not economically viable. Even when the canal boats were operated at extremely slow speeds, the banks rapidly eroded, and the canal had to be constantly dredged to be operable. The last canal boat on the Wabash Canal made its last docking in 1874 in Huntington, Indiana. Sweet Breeze recreates the mystery and excitement of what was to be a new era of commerce and travel in the Midwest. Fort Wayne was the highest point on the canal (i.e. the summit), so Fort Wayne earned the name “Summit City”. Canal boats carried people and goods on our rivers and canals from 1843-1874 which was much faster than burdensome wagons. Drafts animals, usually mules, pulled long, narrow canal boats by a rope on a path next to the canal, called a towpath.
Testimonials
Yesterday I had the pleasure to take the Sweet Breeze boat tour. Absolutely everyone involved from tickets to disembarking was a great representative of FTW Parks Dept. Mark also was a delight and knowledgeable of the history. It was a wonderful 90 minute boat ride. Thank you, Carolyn T.
Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation is offering Sweet Breeze Boat Tours through a partnership with Friends of the Rivers.
School Group Field Trips on Sweet Breeze
Friends of the Rivers will again be offering on-river school group field trips that meet Indiana DOE Standards for Social Studies (Indiana and Regional History) for grades 3, 4 & 5 and Science (Ecology) for grades 4 – 11. All field trips are open for all abilities on our fully accessible boat. The 45 minute field trips will again have a discounted cost of $5 per student with school staff free underwritten by Friends of the Rivers. All others will be charged $17. Please see www.forfw.org/field-trips/ for additional educational information. The Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation Department is taking School Group Field Trip Reservations for trips occurring September 13 – 30 at 10 AM, 11 AM and 12 PM from the South Dock of Promenade Park. Please call the Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation Department at 260- 427-6000 to reserve your topic, time and receive additional trip details.
AWS Foundation fully funds our Adaptive Education tours. Friends of the Rivers underwrites a limited number of field trips. Please call soon to reserve a discounted field trip for your school.
