The origins of the Winter Park Scenic Boat Tour date back to the post-World War II era, though earlier informal tours had already been offered by local boat owners during the 1930s and 1940s. At that time, tourism in Florida was undergoing rapid transformation. The development of highways and the increasing popularity of the automobile opened new travel possibilities for middle-class Americans seeking sunshine and recreation.
In 1953, Captain Joe Phipps, a local entrepreneur with a passion for the water, formally established the Winter Park Scenic Boat Tour. He began offering daily excursions across the lakes and canals, using small open-air pontoon boats that could carry several passengers at a time. The idea was simple yet elegant: to provide visitors with a peaceful, informative, and scenic journey highlighting Winter Park’s natural and cultural heritage.
The tour quickly gained popularity among locals and tourists alike. Unlike the theme parks that would later dominate Central Florida’s tourism scene, the boat tour offered something authentic and intimate—a chance to slow down, breathe in the tropical air, and glide through a living museum of Florida’s past shutdown123