During a two-hour lesson, accredited instructors teach hands-on sailing techniques in waters frequented by manatees and ospreys

Tours run 8 a.m.–4 p.m., traveling to the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, home to blue, gray, and humpback whales

Students complete the first half of the American Sailing Association certification during a two-day course mostly on the water

Trees, fields, and waterfront houses backdrop tranquil City Park Lake, where human-powered, single- and two-person boats coast across waters

After an orientation, drive pontoon boats, fishing boats, or runabout boats across seven different lakes

Groups of up to four skim across undisturbed wetlands, admiring diverse wildlife or fishing for large-mouth bass

Captains whisk away up to three passengers on a one-hour BYOB evening ride down the Indianapolis canal

Watercraft rentals near Tempe Beach Park let guests cruise Tempe Town Lake

All-day excursion charts a course through three states and rivers as Coast Guard–certified captain highlights canyon’s history and geology

Captains teach basic nautical terminology, steering, and navigation or set customers out on the water for a full day aboard a pontoon boat