Madison Regatta Assn

To obtain tickets was so easy after reading their informative descriptions and therefore ordered their VIP tickets. Then, even though the event is over 4 months away , I had a question and received a response from the VIP director herself almost instantly. That is great PR. I can't wait to see the races there. COMPARE THIS: in 2 days there will be 24 hydroplane races of different classes but including worlds largest the Unlimiteds and loudest the GP's VS in Seattle last year it cost $500 a ticket for VIP and 3 competitive races only to see : Unlimited heats 3a, 3b, and the final. The awesome old vintage ran which was and is always awesome and a crowd favorite but wish there were more. And a small kids race over in front of grandstands we could not view ( and is great for our future fans and drivers to start young). So 24 vs 3..hmmmm easy decision if hydro nut wanting competitive fun in front of you! I wish Seattle would learn to increase competitive heats of hydroplanes and just two different airshows of Blue Angels and then a rotating other plane show! Many others agree with that position. But can't wait for Madison Regatta this year!

I have not been to Madison, Indiana for about 10 years now. I thought it a great idea, because last time I was there on weekend a lot of the stores and shops had sidewalk sales and neat things to look over and buy.We decided to take a drive and view the Hydroplane racers, and enjoy the day. What I first noticed, was the town itself. Littered everywhere with cans, bottles, and trash. This used to be a quaint little town, they did however have hanging baskets of flowers, but most shops were closed.When being denied to the use of bathroom facilities at a service station, where we bought fuel, and drinks, we then proceeded to the River to find out the price of entry was $25 per person!! Entirely too much money to stand around all day when I can watch it on TV. Sorry Madison, but you need a better job promoting this event. We did not feel welcome at this event.

Went to Madison, IN and stayed at a nice B&B in a historic mansion overlooking the river. We could hear the boat races as we made our way down for closer seating. The crowd on both sides of the boat races looked like a lot of 20 somethings who were getting drunk and looking to have good times. I guess this is their local version of the Indy 500, haha. It was a long and hot day. The boats didn't run as much as expected, and not as fun as watching funny car drag races, but still fun, at least the crazy people were fun to watch between races, ha! Worth going to watch once, but not sure if worth seeing twice, ha. Bring plenty of cash, as tickets, food, and drinks are expensive and will add up during the long event.

Awsome great time...un-limited hydroplanes blasting up and down the river !!!too cool for school...and a terrific family friendly event

No matter how old you are...if you haven't been to the Madison Regatta than you haven't lived. Its a must see event.

Kid friendly but nothing for kids to do except watch the race that takes place a total of 3 times a day. Races are timed so it is hard to tell who is winning. Best areas to watch race were blocked off for VIP ($125 admission) & even that didn't seem all that great. Helicopter rides were $35 per person for 1 pass around the track. The air show was neat but saw most of that from outside regatta area. Nice trees along the river to sit under. Found free parking too which is why I gave it 2 stars.

Kind of a joke. We came in from out of town for this "big boat race." We paid $25 a person to sit for 6 hours in the sun to see 4 boats drive around the track 5 times. Not worth it. They can't keep to the schedule! They want you to stay all day to buy from the concessions which are very pricey. Not worth $25/person. We won't be back.

It was a great time on the river on the 4th weekend and a great value, only $25 for 3 days. If you get there early enough you can park within a couple blocks of your entrance and walk in. You can bring your own food and drinks in (no glass is allowed but that wasn'tenforced) and you can sit almost right on the river if you want, away from the main pit area and toward the bridge (one security guy on Saturday wanted us to move behind the thin black rope 50 feet from the shore for "insurance" reasons), but on Sunday about 100 people were standing past the rope where we were cheering on Oh Boy Oberto, the home town unlimited hydroplane. You could see almost the whole course from there. People were shooting off firecrackers on both sides of the river. It was very hot, but that's Regatta weather. There's a midway on the street lined with vendors, food (some overpriced, $8 for rib tips but some reasonable, $2 for slices of Papa Johns Pizza and $1 for bottled water) and souvernirs ($13 for a very nice Oh Boy hat and $15 for an Oh Boy t-shirt; those items at the Indy 500 would be over $20 each). Hydroplane drivers were very accessible and friendly, most would converse with you during autograph session and you could literally run into the biggest names of the sport when they''re going into their RVs parked along the street (stars in many other sports won't give you the time of day or won't go out without bodyguards or posse or whatever). There was also a very good air show during the down times. The only downers were the two accidents during the races, one when a hydro hit a safety boat and 3 people were hurt and the other in the final race. The other heats were cancelled after the first accident and they went to the final after a delay, because the Coast Guard wanted the river opened to barges at 6 pm. It's a 2-hour drive from Indy, the latter half along winding, hilly 2-lane roads, but well worth it. You Gotta Regatta