What’s Your Swan Boat Story?

For nearly 150 years, the Swan Boats have offered generations of Bostonians and visitors something increasingly rare: the chance to experience the city much as their parents, grandparents, and even great-grandparents did. A slow circuit of the Public Garden lagoon, beneath the garden’s weeping willows remains one of Boston’s simplest and most traditional pleasures.

The tradition began in the 1870s, when Robert Paget received a City license to operate boats for hire on the lagoon. In 1877, he introduced a new catamaran-style craft built on two pontoons, with passenger benches arranged before a driver who pedaled a paddle wheel. Robert and his wife, Julia, were opera lovers, and the swan that concealed the paddling mechanism was inspired by Lohengrin, composer Richard Wagner’s tale of a knight who travels in a boat drawn by a swan.

When Robert died in 1878, just a year after launching the new boats, Julia was left with four young children and a fledgling enterprise. She took over its management and kept it going for more than three decades, an unusual achievement for a woman in business long before women had the right to vote.

Successive generations of the Paget family carried the tradition forward, adapting the operation while preserving its essential character. Today, fourth-generation family members and cousins Lyn Paget and Phil Paget oversee a fleet of six boats, the oldest dating to 1910.

The Swan Boats are inseparable from their setting. Established in 1837, the Boston Public Garden was America’s first public botanical garden and was designated a Boston Landmark in 1977. Its landmark study report recognizes just how exceptional the boats are within this protected landscape: swan boating and ice skating are the only recreational facilities and activities permitted. The Swan Boats are not simply an attraction placed in the Garden; they are part of its historic identity.

In 2027, Boston will celebrate the 150th anniversary of both the Swan Boats and the Paget family’s remarkable stewardship. To help shape that celebration, the family is inviting Bostonians, former Bostonians, and visitors from near and far to answer one compelling question: What’s Your Swan Boat Story?

Perhaps your story is about a childhood school outing, a visiting grandparent, a first date, an engagement, a summer spent working on the boats, or the first time you brought your own children or grandchildren to the Public Garden.  

Whatever the memory, the Paget family would like to hear it. You can share a video, an audio recording, a photograph, or all three. These contributions will build a collection of personal stories about a place that is unique to Boston and beloved far beyond it.

Visit swanboats.com to share your story and learn more. And once you complete your  reminiscence, plan your next ride around the lagoon. The Swan Boats close for the season on Labor Day, September 7, and re-open for the 150th time in April 2027.

This article was prepared by Katherine Kottaridis, Director of the Office of Historic Preservation.

All Photographs: 

Photo 1: A historic 1877 photograph of the Swan Boats. Photo courtesy of Swan Boats Boston.

Photo 2: Photograph of Lyn and her cousin Phil, fourth-generation members of the Paget family. Photo courtesy of Swan Boats Boston.

Photo 3: On April 18, 2026, Mayor Michelle Wu and Tynan Elementary School students kicked off spring at the Boston Public Garden's Swan Boat opening ceremony. (Mayor’s Office Photo by Mike Mejia).