I have been a tour docent for Thomas Point Lighthouse going on 4 years now. We have always used the Sharp's Island with Chesapeake Lights. Captain Mike, and now Captain Gary, have always been fantastic at keeping all passengers safe and happy. They are very knowledgeable about the bay, the lighthouses and history. Doing the tours and being on the water is my most favorite thing to do. Captain Gary is super kind and funny as well. My boyfriend and I hope to do one of his other tours soon. I highly recommend this Captain and his boat. I was blessed to be on the surprise wedding tour and posted a few pics. I would have to say it was one of the best tours ever. read more

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We spent a long, splendid day on the Northern Lights Expedition! This was our second trip with Chesapeake Lighthouses, so we had seen the first couple, but after lunch we went all the way up to Pooles Island to see the oldest lighthouse on the bay! We went into the Baltimore area and saw range lights and a veterans hospital that was spooky but cool! We passed a bunch of ships on the way back and loved a long day on the bay! read more

Before we left the dock, Captain Gary greeted us all and asked us to share our experiences with lighthouses which was a nice personal touch. Then he gave us a full overview of the day with charts showing us where we were going. Our first lighthouse was Sharps Island and then we went to Thomas Point and under the Bay bridge. We saw two more lighthouses above the bridge and then we visited Bloody Point. At one point, there were lots of huge cargo ships around and Captain Gary made sure we stayed a safe distance but we were able to get a close look at the hulls and even see people on the ships!! First Mate Makenna shared all kinds of information about the lighthouses and we had a great day!!!! read more

I've booked a few trips for groups of lifelong learners, and Captain Gary is outstanding! He's so personable with the passengers, he's charming and funny, and he had everyone at ease and engaged. read more

This past weekend, we celebrated my cousin's 45th birthday. Her husband planned a boat cruise with Chesapeake Lights and it was phenomenal!! Upon arrival, I needed some directions and Captain Gary answered immediately. He was funny and lighthearted, telling me exactly where to go. Once boarded, his family crew were some of the nicest people we've ever met! They made sure we had everything we needed the entire night. The tour was beautiful and Captain Gary helped us take lots of amazing pictures. The scenery was breathtaking - light houses, ships, and an unbelievable sunset! Thank you so much to the crew for the wonderful evening. I hope there's another chance for us to come back. It was tons of fun! Many thanks to you and your lovely family! read more

Through a series of fortunate events and connections, my husband and I were lucky enough to be able to have our wedding on the Thomas Point Lighthouse in October of 2017, in the company of our parents and siblings. Captain Gary and the lighthouse volunteers were so incredibly helpful, friendly, and flexible throughout the whole process, and everyone had a fantastic day! One example of their flexibility and kindness: we were supposed to get married on a Sunday, but the weather forecast was looking really terrible, so on Friday I called Captain Gary to see if there was any possibility of switching the trip to Saturday. He said, "I have a full schedule tomorrow, but let me see what I can do." About 30 minutes later, he called me back and said, "So, do you want to get married tomorrow?" We were ecstatic! The day was beyond perfect. Captain Gary's wife and daughter had decorated the boat for our wedding, and we had such a great time on the way to and from the lighthouse, enjoying champagne and hanging out with our family while taking in the beautiful views of our hometown and the Bay. Our dream for the wedding was to have a small ceremony in a place with meaning for me and my husband, and I could not have imagined a more beautiful way to celebrate our marriage. Captain Gary is a fantastically kind, genuine, and all-around fun person. I cannot recommend his tours more highly. Thank you so much, Captain Gary! We look forward to taking some of your other lighthouse tours in the future (sans wedding dress and tux)! read more

While staying in St Michaels we decided to book a boat tour... Chesapeake Lights offers multiple boat tours in the Chesapeake Bay... we chose the Northern Lights tour which is an ALL DAY boat tour. It's easy to find and get to, only about 15 minutes from St Michaels. The boat is sufficient, definitely not luxurious, but sufficient. It could probably hold about 25 people, our tour had 14 plus a crew (normally 2, but we had a capt in training with us too so we had 3). The back part of the boat was covered with a canopy and had plastic "walls" to shield you from the bay spray. We rode in the front. We got wet. We got sunburned. (Note: DO bring a change of clothes in a water proof bag with you and honestly, rain gear is not a bad idea. You won't get continuously soaked, but it can be uncomfortable. DO bring sunscreen - and use it. Even if you wouldn't need it on land, remember the water is reflecting back at you from all angles... ALL DAY). The boat does not have seats... it has benches - hard benches that you bounce on constantly for 8 hours. (Note: Bring one of those stadium cushions). There is a "head"... but my husband used it and said I wouldn't, so I didn't check it out... it's "down below", but apparently there are no doors, just a curtain. (Note: Do not down a bunch of coffee before getting on the boat. And do use the restroom before you get onboard.) It couldn't have been a more beautiful day to be on the boat. I romantize about lighthouses and so I thought the tour was fabulous. You go under the Ches Bay Bridge, pass enormous ships, see a trillion sailboats, learn about efforts to "build islands" in the bay (seriously). The Capt is quite knowledgeable. "Jane-O" the mate was less so... she knew some stuff, but eh... I still learned alot. It was an awesome tour! I was content with the length of the tour, although Hubby really hit his limit after 5-6 hours, and so did some (most) others. I am going recommend you opt for the shorter tour... they have one that does 5 lighthouses instead of the 10 we saw. We really were on the boat from 8-5 except for an hour stop for lunch and refueling. Be advised, the place where you stop for lunch is not a "nice" restaurant. It's clean and sufficient if you're hungry (we were starved), but it won't impress you, and there is NOTHING there but a place to park, refuel and grab a bite, so you aren't walking a block to another restaurant. I had a grilled cheese and tomato sandwich. Hubby had a steak and cheese that he says has to be Steak-ums. They also have a ham sandwich and a crab cake sandwich on the menu and a couple other things. Like I said, sufficient. With the exception of the crab cake, it's probably what you would eat at home if you were spending a Saturday fixing your car and got hungry. The prices are about $6 for sandwich, so it was the cheapest meal we had all weekend. One more note - you can and should bring a small cooler with snacks and sodas or even a beer if that is your preference (just remember somebody's gotta drive home and that sun + beer + bouncing can get to you). So glad we did this tour! Now I am looking for similar tours for other points on the bay so I can see ALL the lighthouses.... read more

I had the pleasure of working with Captain Gary planning a work retreat for our leadership team! Can I just say this trip was amazing and the team had a great time!!!! I am sure we will be using Chesapeake Lights wether for personal or business again in the near future! Thank you Captain Gary!!! read more

Did a sunset tour on a recent vacation on the Eastern Shore. Trip was fun, informative and the views were phenomenal. Captain was super friendly and made it an awesome time. Loved the tour and would certainly go back again, if you are in the area this is a great way to spend a few hours. read more

I am incredibly disappointed with my interaction with Chesapeake Lights. Things started out well enough. I live in Washington state and was wanting to purchase a gift certificate for my parents who live in Virginia. I called the phone number on the website, provided by information, and altogether had a lovely chat. I was assured my gift certificate would be in the mail the next day. Weeks passed with no news of mom receiving her gift. I made a follow up phone call and was told that it must have slipped through the cracks; once again I was assured it would be in the mail the next day... one week later, still no gift certificate, still no charge made to my credit card, so I called a third time. I was yet again assured it was a mixup, would be taken care of immediately. This time they said they'd call me to let me know when it was processed. When I received no phone call, I tried an email to the address on the site. I got another apologetic response, and, you guessed it, assurance it would be taken care of immediately. I sent emails the next several days when still nothing was happening, and Chesapeake Lights simply stopped responding to me. There were no more apologies, no updates, just cut off communication altogether. At that point I requested they discard my information, and that I would take my business elsewhere. So after a little over a month, I have nothing to show for it and a long overdue gift to obtain elsewhere. read more

We arrived at 745 am for a lighthouse boat tour of the Chesapeake Bay. We got underway at 8am. We arrived at 10am at the second lighthouse: Thomas Point Light when the boat started taking on water. The captain threw the anchor overboard and called the Coast Guard requesting a pump and assistance for 14 passengers and two crew on the 36 foot boat. As we all put on life jackets the DNR police as well as the Coast Guard arrived and other boats come full speed to our location. It was determined that the plug in the bottom of the boat "had vibrated out" thus allowing water to gush into the boat and placing the passengers in a precarious predicament of sinking. Eventually at 11am the pumps started to work and the captain was directed to go to the nearest Coast Guard Station for a boat inspection. We spent two hours at the Coast Guard station at Cox Creek (thanks to all the CG staff for their assistance) until the boat inspector came from Baltimore. The boat got inspected and we were allowed to continue our trip wit the following restrictions: 1. Call the Coast Guard every hour to make sure the boat was still seaworthy and 2. The boat had to be pulled for inspection on the next business day. 3. It was determined by the Coast Guard that the hand pump on board wasn't functioning. The rest of the trip was uneventful until the Captain decided to leave the decision up to the passengers whether to extend the tour another 2 hours and arrive after dark to see all the lighthouses scheduled. There was obvious tension between the passengers because the captain didn't make the decision. The captain said "for those wanting to go back you don't get anything, but for those who wanted to see the far Northern LH they would get a free trip". So, was this an unfortunate accident or neglect or stupidity? The boat takes on water because the plug wasn't secure and couldn't have been check before the trip, the hand pump didn't work, we lost three hours from 10a-1p sitting on a boat with life jackets or at the coast guard station and the captain lacked any customer service skills in providing any compensation for all these variables. If you consider going on this tour: I simply ask think about these things. read more