One of the more irritating parts of the tour is the obligation to "quack quack" at other ducks you pass, and sometimes at pedestrians. I'm a grumpy so and so.

The whale watch is something else. Take care with your choice of operator. There are numerous stalls for different operators and I'm sure they are all reputable, but some offer some serious advantages (they are all about $25/$30 per person).
1. Some operators give you a free ride on another day if you don't see whales.
2. The half-day tours are not necessarily better than the two-hour tours. It might just mean a slower boat and a longer ride out to the Stellwegen Bank. I'd take a faster boat. If the whales are moving around, you have a better chance of a good view.

When we went, we saw quite a few humpback and some finback whales. These are big ones. They may not surface near to the boat, so if you want good pictures, your camera needs to be up to the job. Ours wasn't, so even though we had good firsthand views (which was every bit as good as you'd think), our photos were rubbish.

The tour is led by a guide who stands out front with his/her binoculars (a useful thing to have to hand) and points out whales when he/she spots them. This means you are invariably dashing from one side of the boat to the other. All part of the fun.

The tour guides are all fantastic and really make the experience. All people on the trip have to quack; however, the most amazing thing is that the locals, including a police car we passed, quack back!

If you are staying in Boston for a few days, I would higly recommend this trip as it lets you get around the city, learn about the history, and get a wacky feel of Boston within a couple of hours.

Many visitors and new residents enjoy the Duck Tour of Boston, something most people choose to do only once. At US$23 per adult, it is quite expensive. However, group admission allowed our company to offer the tours for $10/person.

Each amphibious vehicle holds 32 people. The duck travels around Boston on land before returning to the Charles and touring the water. The tour encircles the Boston Commons and Gardens, goes past the Pru, and through Fanueil Hall and the North End.

Tickets and more information is available at the Boston Duck Tours website.

Duck tours are the best way to see the sites of Boston in a short time – even if city tours remind you of 6th grade social studies. Although the ConDUCKtors know everything about Boston, it’s their stage skills that keep me bringing out-of-town guests back for a ride. Where else can you quack at strangers in public without people wondering if you’ve just been released from a psychiatric institution?

So what’s a Duck? A Duck is an amphibious vehicle the military invented and used to move supplies and people from ship to shore during World War II. On land they’re trucks, in the water they’re boats. Not only do you get a tour of Boston, but also a taste of what the Greatest Generation was working with in WWII. You really have to wonder how America managed to win a war by storming the beaches of Normandy in these things. Someone discovered these relics in a junkyard somewhere and the idea of Duck Tours was born. (I wish I had thought of it first!)

The Duck Tours start at the Prudential Center. As you board the Duck, you’re greeted by the conDUCKtor. Ours was "The Sarge," a burly, but lovable guy whose territorial dispute with a real duck had our Duck in stitches. As the tour wound through Beacon Hill and the West End, Sarge narrated the sites and history of Boston in such an entertaining way that I wished he had been my 6th grade history teacher. In addition to Cheers, the Common, the Fleet Center, the State House and other major sites, you’ll learn about the "Taj MaJail" and the Harvard Bridge that is 364.4 Smoots plus one ear long.

The best moment is "the Big Splash." The Duck transforms from bus to boat and splashes into the Charles River. The Duck swims up the river as far as the Hatch Shell. Better yet, they let you drive the Duck! Not on the streets of Boston of course but on the river. (Driving in Boston is crazy enough in a car!) Even kids can drive! Don’t worry. The Ducks don’t move very fast and there’s not much to hit in the river. You even get a sticker to prove that you drove! Don't be shy. Drive the duck!

After about a ½ hour on the river, the Duck storms the beaches of the Charles River and the land part of the tour continues through Charlestown, the North End, the Theater District and back to the Prudential Center. (OK, there’s no storming of beaches, but I’m still wondering how we fought a war with these things.)

Tours run rain or shine from April 1 to December 1. Tickets sell out quickly in summer and on weekends. Unless you have a group of 16 or more, you can’t make reservations but you can buy tickets up to two days in advance online or in person. Check out www.bostonducktours.com for full details.