Nearly 150 years later, the Public Garden swan boats are still a family business

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Last Saturday, while some of us were watching minutemen fire muskets or drawing up funny marathon signs, a beloved fleet — or should I say, flock? — made its first splash of the season on the lagoon in the Public Garden.

That's right, Boston's swan boats are back carrying visitors on the water through the picturesque Public Garden until September. Working behind-the-scenes to make sure each ride happens without a hitch is Lyn Paget, the owner of Boston's swan boats and the great-granddaughter of Robert Paget, who first introduced the pedal pontoons to the garden.

The swan boats have always been a family business, even though they weren't present at the company's inception.

"The story starts with rowboats," said Paget. In the late 1860s, Paget's great-grandfather received a license to rent rowboats on the Public Garden's lagoon. He was inspired to design the swan boats after seeing Richard Wagner's opera Lohengrin with his wife, Julia, in which a soldier rides a swan-drawn boat to save a princess.

"The concept was to make it appear, from a distance, that the swan is actually driving the boat," said Paget. Her great-grandfather worked to craft this illusion using propeller-powered pontoon boats with a driver's box obscured by massive swans molded out of copper — which he then painted to look like the real thing.

The first swan boats hit the lagoon in 1877. But just one year later, while in his early 40s, Robert Paget died of tuberculosis. His wife was pregnant with their fourth child at the time of his death.

Now a widow, Julia decided it was necessary to continue running the business. “And that’s pretty remarkable, because this is 1878 and it was not common at all for women to own a business,” said Paget. She was required to collect signatures and letters of confidence from the male business owners in the vicinity of the Public Garden as a testament to her capability to continue running the operation, Paget added.

“In my book, Julia’s a hero,” said Paget. “And perhaps some of her diligence came from the practical need to feed her family. But I also believe she was committed to her husband’s dream, and that’s never lost on me.”

Julia continued to operate the swan boats until her children — including Paget’s grandfather — could take over. Then, in 1952, Paget’s newlywed parents took their turn at the helm of the company, which they ran for more than 50 years. While Paget's father was in charge, the swans slowly transitioned from copper to more cost-effective fiberglass molds. "Copper's great, but it does get dinged up and you have to replace them," said Paget. Only one copper swan remains in the fleet of six today, with the oldest boat dating back to 1910.

Paget's first job as a teenager was selling tickets to the swan boats. Now, she first woman to head up the company since her great-grandmother, a role she's held since the mid-'90s. In previous generations, leadership was "my grandfather supported by his wife, and my dad supported by his wife," she said. "So yeah, we've kind of come back to a female in the lead. The circle is coming around!"

During the April to September run, Paget is present at the business daily, where she oversees operations alongside her cousin, Philip Paget. As owner, she's also in charge of storing the swan boats at secret locations across the city during the off-season. (“We’ve all got day jobs, too,” she added with a laugh. Paget has a masters' degree in public health and worked with the Centers for Disease Control during the COVID-19 pandemic.)

Some of the younger family members are already beginning to put in time at the swan boats between school and other jobs, too.

“We’ve dipped into the fifth generation," she said. "I don't think [Julia] ever imagined that these boats would've lasted so long."

The swan boats will celebrate their 150th year in the Public Garden in 2027. But you don't have to wait until then to take a ride. The boats are open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. now through June 20; then until the end of the season on Sept. 1, they'll be open a little later, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets cost $4.75 for adults, $3.25 for kids ages 2 to 15 and $4.25 for seniors.

But it's not just the affordable tickets that keeps people coming back.

" I think what most people love about the boats is that sense of time standing still," said Paget. "It's an experience that seems unaffected by the changing times or daily news. When you go there, it's exactly what it was when you were five years old."

P.S. — If you’re looking for more classic Boston fun at the Public Garden, Duckling Day, their annual Mother’s Day celebration, is on May 11. You’ll be able to see the garden’s statues against the spring flowers and admire the recently restored Arlington Street entrance. Register your little duckling for the parade here — just be sure to give a “honk” to the swan boats while you go by!

Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that most of the fleet of boats were converted to fiberglass rather than just the swan molds on top. The boats themselves are still constructed with oak covered in copper.