Winona Tour Boat
Winona Tour Boat
5
Full view
About
View Wildlife, the City of Winona, the magnificent bluffs of south east Minnesota and the mighty Mississippi River from aboard our fully enclosed tour boat. Check availability on our website as cruise length, time and prices vary in relation to cruise highlights. We offer private charters as well as regularly sceduled tours and can configure the boat to accomodate up to 64 people. Most tours are narrated by the knowledgable captain and crew and offer a unique view of the Mississippi River that only decades of navigation can bring. Other "themed tours" offer a relaxing and peaceful venue to reconnect with family and friends. We offer wine/beer tasting tours, pizza cruises, fall color cruises, and many holiday and specialty events so please check our website or call to see what's available.
Winona, Minnesota
Awards
Travelers' Choice
2024
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
5.0
412 reviews
Excellent
404
Very good
9
Average
0
Poor
0
Terrible
0
Sheila S
4 contributions
Jul 2020
What a great addition to our weekend get away in Winona. The Captain shared all kinds of interesting and entertaining information as we moved along the river for this
1 1/2 hour tour. My family ranging in ages 12 - 50 enjoyed the trip tremendously, and would highly recommend it. Enjoy!
1 1/2 hour tour. My family ranging in ages 12 - 50 enjoyed the trip tremendously, and would highly recommend it. Enjoy!
Written July 10, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Michele H
1 contribution
Oct 2020
Aaron, our Captain, was very knowledgeable about the Mississippi, not only in the Winona area, but all up and down this beautiful, majestic river. Many questions were asked by the passengers, and he was able to not only answer all, but injecting a lot of humor along with it. It was a beautiful sunny day, and we relaxed and took it all in!
Written October 12, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
BarbWMinneapolis
Minneapolis76 contributions
Sep 2020
If you have limited time or a lot of time in Winona it would be totally worth your while to take the 90 minute sightseeing tour with Winona Tour Boats. The Captain, Captain Aaron, knows so much about the river and is also fun to listen to. His son, River, and second mate, Terry, were also aboard to make the trip special. He was a terrific host, making the children feel special (as an educator, I often see children overlooked, so this touched my heart) and teaching us all about tug boats and barges, houseboats vs. boat houses, and showing us the erosion that is happening along the shore. There was so much more and all of what he told us he did in an extremely interesting and fun way. My favorite part was how he was careful to point out the eagles. He would get as close to them as we could, being very quiet, and then he waited while everyone had a chance to get some pictures. When I didn't see where they were, he made a point of pointing them out so I didn't miss them. When we got off the boat my husband even said this was the best tour we have been on, and we have been on tours all over the country.
This is one part of WInona you don't want to miss.
This is one part of WInona you don't want to miss.
Written September 6, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
SPC512
New Jersey5 contributions
Aug 2020
We are a family of 6 with children ranging in age from 11-17. Wonderful experience! Aaron (Captain) was amazing with his humor and knowledge of the wildlife, barges, and homes on the river. He even made it a point to sing to my daughter, who celebrated her 13th birthday that day. The whole boat joined in, and it made my daughter's day! Thank you Aaron and crew for a wonderful, memorable experience!
Written August 28, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
SueHMinneapolis
Minneapolis30 contributions
Aug 2020
This was the best local boat tour we have taken. We've been on boats out of Hudson (Afton Cruise Line), Red Wing (Treasure Island), Stillwater (Andiamo), Harriet Island (Jonathan Padelford, etc.), and Lake Minnetonka. Those tours were boring because the captains never talked about where we were passing or the houses on shore, etc.. Probably more expensive, too.
Aaron talked throughout the cruise and was entertaining and informative. The other cruises were boring because not much was pointed out. Aaron told us about wildlife, pointed out things like water depth, the lock and dam #5.a, the houseboats and people who live in them.
He was funny and we enjoyed our day.
I think 90 minutes was a little long for little kids to remain entertained.
The brochure needs to be updated with current pricing.
It wasn't crowded (16 people). Some people wore masks the whole time, but others never wore a mask. We were well spread out.
Aaron talked throughout the cruise and was entertaining and informative. The other cruises were boring because not much was pointed out. Aaron told us about wildlife, pointed out things like water depth, the lock and dam #5.a, the houseboats and people who live in them.
He was funny and we enjoyed our day.
I think 90 minutes was a little long for little kids to remain entertained.
The brochure needs to be updated with current pricing.
It wasn't crowded (16 people). Some people wore masks the whole time, but others never wore a mask. We were well spread out.
Written August 17, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
J S
1 contribution
Oct 2021
Captain Aaron and crew made the 90 minute Winona Tour Boat experience most informative and enjoyable! My husband and I really appreciate history and the Mississippi so it was great to hear information we hadn't heard before. Aaron's voice was easy to hear, his sense humor was fun, and he has an amazing knowledge of Winona and its people, the river, the lock and dam, flooding, wildlife, etc. that flowed easily so one could even ask questions rather than him following a script. Getting close to see an eagles' nest was extra special as was seeing the photo of floodwaters in relation to a specific house we went by.
Written October 1, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Daniel M
Oak Park, IL200 contributions
Oct 2021
As a photographer, I value a captain who safely gets the boat as close to the eagles in the trees as much as the depth of the backwaters allow. Aaron does just that. He also gives a very entertaining presentation of Winona and the River. Never a dull moment. I have been aboard the boat with Capt. Aaron since the first year he started the river tours. The river tour is always the highlight of my visit to Winona and the Driftless.
Written October 22, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Linda v.
1 contribution
Oct 2021
Winona Boat Tour is an excellent way to spend a lovely day on the great Mississippi River and learn about the area. Captain Aaron makes the ride enjoyable and fun, as well as being very informative about the river, wildlife to be seen, the lock & dam segment, and the great Houseboat Community on Latch Island. Our group thoroughly enjoyed the riverboat tour--and we had the most beautiful day to do so. Kudos to Captain Aaron and his best buddy!
Written October 3, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jim S
Annandale, MN3 contributions
Jul 2022
Captain Aaron and crew provided an excellent tour of the Mississippi River around Winona up to Lock 5A. He offered a great balance between history, wildlife and current events along the river. It was an entertaining and informative tour, better than most that we have had between Winona and the Twin Cities. Captain Aaron demonstrated a genuine caring for his guests, going out of his way to provide good photo opportunities for eagles and offering ways to keep the kids engaged. I would recommend taking the time to let Captain Aaron show you what the river and the area has to offer! You'll be in for a pun time!
Written July 27, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sean M
Winona, MN2 contributions
Jul 2022 • Family
Absolutely outstanding. My wife and two kids are new to the area from Colorado and we’re considering purchasing our own boat and this was by far way more cost effective vs renting a boat to check out the area and we simply booked online and showed up to the boat which was very easy to find and get to the boat and we jumped on the boat and off we went. The tour took us around pool 5a of the Mississippi and we saw tons of eagles and wildlife. The captain explained anything you would want to know about the river and the area. If you had a question you just simply ask. Very informational and the captain and crew were absolutely awesome. Good humor. Good choice of beverages. If your in Winona area this is a must do with the family or even just with your significant other. Great job guys and what a cool experience and great way to spend some time on the 4th of July!!!
Written July 5, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Their web site posts their schedule. You can even buy your tickets online. Can also book boat for private parties.
Written July 13, 2016
resendizleeann
Byron, Minnesota
where do I find prices? Availability? Looking for 7/16/2016
Written July 12, 2016
Search for Winona Tour Boat
Written July 31, 2016
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