Rowing Adventures on Boathouse Row

Take an exciting new tour of the bustling and competitive world of Philadelphia rowing for an insider’s look at one of the nation’s most impressive community of rowers.

You’ll start with a walking tour of Boathouse Row, where you’ll get a brief history of the Victorian boathouses, designed by famous architects of their day, as well as the champions who made them famous. Then you’ll embark from Lloyd Hall aboard a learn-to-row barge for an hour-long lesson on the Schuylkill River, led by some of Philadelphia’s rowing legends.

Boathouse Row, home to Philadelphia’s rowing community, is a leading epicenter of the nation’s championship aspirations for the sport. To this day, it’s a national magnet for grass roots development of competitive athletes, since the boathouses and the clubs that populate them have long served as training ground for national and world championship medalists, including a long list of Olympians.

The boathouses are home to more high school competitors than any other U.S. city, as well as the nation’s first and largest community of master’s athletes. They host nearly twice as many regattas as the closest competitor city.