HOUSTON — It’s not exactly a river cruise, but did you know you can take a boat tour of Houston’s Buffalo Bayou? Offered by the Buffalo Bayou Partnership (or BBP), the tour will give you a completely different perspective of the city.
"There’s a whole lot to see from down here on the water that you would never see from up on the roads," said Karen Farber, BBP's vice president of external affairs.
Lined by trees, trails and animal tracks, this stretch of Buffalo Bayou makes it easy to forget you’re in the middle of America’s fourth-largest city.
"We look up and just kind of can’t believe where we are because we’re right in the center of downtown right now, but you’d never know it," Farber said.
The nonprofit BBP wants more people to see the world – or at least Houston – this way. That’s why it launched the Osprey, a tour boat complete with captain and deckhand.
"You can get right on the boat in downtown Houston. It’s easy," said Farber. "Boat rides are about a half an hour to an hour and a half depending on how long you have and which tour you book."
Public tours, which start around $15, highlight the bayou’s history, bridges, bats and other wildlife.
"I was floored by how many animals are along this waterway in the middle of giant historic downtown," said Rosemarie Croll, BBP's Cistern coordinator.
You can also book the boat and its crew for private tours along Buffalo Bayou.
"It’s the mother of all bayous in Houston and, of course, bayous are one of the things that distinguishes Houston from other places," Farber said.
"I think if more people know about Buffalo Bayou being this historic waterway in the middle of downtown Houston, many more people would become involved or come and visit if nothing else," added Croll.
The boat rides are a chance to escape the city without ever leaving the loop.
"It’s one of the ways we, as Houstonians, have access to a whole bunch of natural resources: wildlife, plants and a lot of natural beauty and greenspace," Farber said.
For more information about the BBP boat tours, click here.
Content sponsored by Dairy Queen.