Ride the Ducks facts for kids
Ride the Ducks logo
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| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Tourism |
| Fate | Permanently shut down (except for Guam) |
| Founded | Branson, Missouri, 1977 |
| Founder | Robert McDowell |
| Headquarters | , |
| Services | Duck tours |
| Parent | Ripley Entertainment Baldgya Group (Guam Operations) |
Ride the Ducks was a company that offered special tours using unique vehicles. These vehicles were called "ducks" because they could travel both on land and in water! They were a popular tourist attraction in parts of the United States and Guam.
The company used these amazing amphibious vehicles to give tours of cities. You could ride through the streets and then splash right into a lake or river, all in the same vehicle.
Ride the Ducks was bought by a company called Herschend Family Entertainment Corporation in 2004. Later, in 2012, most of the company was sold to another investor. The part of the business in Branson was then sold to Ripley Entertainment in December 2017. Sadly, in 2019, Ripley announced that the Ride the Ducks tours in Branson would close forever. This decision was made after a serious accident in July 2018 on Table Rock Lake, where 17 people tragically lost their lives.
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How the Tours Worked
The company used special amphibious vehicles for their tours. These vehicles were designed based on the DUKW vehicles from World War II. Some were custom-built "truck ducks," while others were "stretch ducks" made from original DUKW parts that were made longer.
All these vehicles were built with modern safety features for water travel. The drivers were highly trained and certified by the Coast Guard. They also had special licenses to drive commercial vehicles. Every vehicle was equipped with personal flotation devices (life vests) for everyone on board. The company even built these special vehicles for other tour operators.
Where the Tours Operated
Ride the Ducks used to have tours in many places across the United States and one spot in Guam. Here are some of the locations where they operated:
- Branson, Missouri (Opened: 1970, Closed: 2018)
- Boston, Massachusetts (Known as "Boston Duck Tours") (Opened: 1994)
- Seattle, Washington (Known as "Ride the Ducks of Seattle") (Opened: 1997, Closed: 2020)
- Baltimore, Maryland (Opened: 2002, Closed: 2009)
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Opened: 2003, Closed: 2016)
- Stone Mountain, Georgia (Opened: 2003, Closed: 2018)
- Memphis, Tennessee (Opened: 2005, Closed: 2007)
- San Francisco, California (Opened: 2008, Closed: 2015)
- Newport, Kentucky (Opened: 2008, Closed: 2018)
- Tamuning, Guam (Opened: 2014)
- Mobile, Alabama (Known as "Gulf Coast Ducks") (Opened: 2016, Closed: 2019)
Important Incidents
The duck boats used by Ride the Ducks were involved in a few serious incidents.
2010 Accident in Philadelphia
In July 2010, a Ride the Ducks boat stopped working on the Delaware River in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. A large boat being pushed by a tugboat hit the duck boat. The duck boat sank, and two passengers, who were tourists from Hungary, died.
Investigators found that the tugboat operator was not paying attention to his job. This was the main reason for the accident. The tugboat operator was later found responsible for not paying attention, which led to the accident. Ride The Ducks stopped its tours in Philadelphia six years after this event.
2015 Accident in Seattle
On September 24, 2015, a Ride the Ducks vehicle in Seattle had a mechanical problem. Its front axle broke, causing it to cross into another lane. It then crashed into a charter bus on Seattle's Aurora Bridge. Five people died in this accident.
The duck boat had been bought from the company that made it in Missouri. It had not received a recommended repair for its front axle. The Missouri company had to pay a large fine of $1 million. In 2019, a jury decided that Ride the Ducks International was largely responsible for the accident. They were ordered to pay a significant amount of money to those affected.
2018 Accident in Table Rock Lake
On July 19, 2018, a Ride the Ducks boat overturned and sank. This happened in Table Rock Lake near Branson, Missouri. Strong winds from nearby thunderstorms caused the accident. There were 31 people on board, and 17 of them died.
The day after the accident, Ride the Ducks announced that their Branson tours would stop. This was done to allow for an investigation and to show respect for the victims' families. The boat involved in this accident was an original DUKW from World War II, built in 1944. In March 2019, Ride The Ducks announced they would permanently close their Branson operations. This was due to the ongoing investigation and many legal challenges after the incident. A new attraction called Top Ops opened in June 2019 at the same location.
