About Us
Duck's Eye View
Ride The Ducks is the nation's largest amphibious tour operator and amphibious vehicle manufacturer. Our mission is to "create Quack-tastic℠ memories worth repeating" by offering our guests an entertainment sightseeing experience that is fun, informative and engaging.
Our fleet exceeds 90 vehicles, carrying over 1,200,000 guests each year around the United States.
Ride The Ducks is headquartered just outside Atlanta in Norcross, Georgia.
Our Migration
We hatched this business in 1977 in Branson, Missouri when local entrepreneur Bob McDowell acquired a small sightseeing business and quickly adopted the mission to build a better guest experience.
- 1977 - The McDowell's launch Ride The Ducks in Branson, MO
- 1994 - Ride The Ducks agrees to provide vehicles to Boston Duck Tours, a relationship that continues today
- 1999 - RTD subsidiary Amphibious Vehicle Manufacturing receives USCG approval for patented "Stretch Duck," significantly improving the classic WWII DUKW
- 2003 - Ride The Ducks of Philadelphia opens
- 2003 - Ride The Ducks of Stone Mountain Park (Georgia) opens
- 2004 - Herschend Family Entertainment acquires Ride The Ducks International
- 2006 - Amphibious Vehicle Manufacturing receives USCG approval for patented "Truck Duck," an entirely new and modern design based on nearly 30 years of operating experience
- 2008 - Ride The Ducks launches in San Francisco and Newport, KY (across the river from Cincinnati)
- 2012 - Ride The Ducks becomes an independent company.