ICT River Rides: Boat on the Arkansas River

May 19, 2024

Did you know you can ride a Boat down the Arkansas River with ICT River Rides? Thats right! Enjoy the beautiful river view, the iconic Keeper of the Plains, and downtown Wichita from a pontoon boat. This is a unique thing to do in Wichita and a summertime bucket list.

Unfortunately, ICT River Rides at this time will NOT be running for 2025

We took our daughter on the ICT pontoon ride and got to experience our town in a whole new way. Seeing Exploration Place, the Boat House, and the Keeper of the Plains was so cool from a new point of view.

Sherman Padgett started ICT River Rides. He was inspired by the WagonMasters, who give pontoon boat rides during Riverfest. He thought that this would be something fun for the whole summer. He has lived his entire adult life in Wichita, started teaching at Wichita Public Schools in 1990, and currently teaches art at Chester Lewis Alternative High School.

Sherman grew up in Kansas City and spent summers with his grandparents at the Lake of the Ozarks so he has operated boats since he was 14 years old.

He took his family’s old 24ft. Pontoon boat and remodeled the deck to accommodate benches for boat tours. Now, during the summer months, he gives boat rides in the Arkansas River on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

Details on How ICT River Rides:

The boat rides typically start around the middle of May, during which you can ride a boat on the Arkansas River.
ICT Rive Ride is available Friday, Saturday & Sunday from 5 pm – 10 pm.
It’s $5 per rider for 15 min.
Six-person limit
Pick up is under the Douglas Ave. Bridge, East Bank
The schedule is subject to change based on weather and river conditions
It is first come, first serve
Visit ICT RiverRides Facebook page for more info.

Shermans says he will stay a little later if people are in line and have been waiting. The rides cost $5 per person; children under 5 and dogs ride free. We should say “pets are free” because he said he had cats, ferrets, and even a pot-belly pig on the boat.

The boat rides only last about 15 minutes, and he doesn’t take reservations or sell tickets. It’s purely a first come, first served type thing.

Sherman Says, I load and unload under the Douglas Street Bridge on the East bank (the Drury and Century II side and we miter down to the Wichita Boathouse, putter back up to the Keeper of the Plains, and then back to the Douglass Street bridge. The popular time to board is 8:45ish to be onboard as the Keeper Fire Kettles light at 9:00. Again, no reservations taken, so I tell folks that if they want to see the fire, the best trick is to be in line about 8:30 and allow others to go ahead of you as you time the 9:00 ride… as it’s first come first served.