What a wonderful experience! From booking our tickets with the kindest lady to going on our adventure with the kindest men/captains of the boat. I didn't catch his name but one man was kind enough to talk to us about the horses, the island, and answer all our questions. He gave clear directions about where to go to find shells and the best spot to see the horses. The boat ride over itself does get faster then I expected so plan ahead for that. We had two small children with us, one being a baby and they enjoyed the boat ride too. The staff was very helpful getting out stroller on and off board. everyone was so kind and helpful and we had a beautiful day! read more

See all

Overall good experience wait times were a little bit longer than expected but peak season . Everyone was helpful read more

Island Ferry Adventures - Ferries Near Me - Beaufort, North Carolina

We had a lovely time on Bird Shoal combing for shells and shark's teeth! The boat ride was very fun and the captain went out of his way so we could see dolphins up close. Highly recommended! read more

What a g eat experience the boat captain and crew members were wonderful. Thanks to them we saw the horses on the island just grazing and then saw the dolphins swimming. They allowed for a very enjoyable experience. Thank you! read more

We took the tour from Beaufort to Shackleford banks. Shackleford banks has been on my bucket list for years. I chose the earliest time, which was 10am for a Thursday on off season. (The week after thanksgiving) That particular day the return was either 12 or 3. I had a hard time as a fist timer what return time to choose as I wanted to spend a lot of time but 5 hours seemed like a lot so I chose 12. But by the time we got there it turned into 1hr45 mins that we had on the island. I wish there was 1 hour intervals for pick up. Even though it is off season it is such a tourist destination I was surprised there was only two options. I will certainly be back as Shackleford banks was incredible. I know that in season there will be more frequent times to be picked up. An hour and 45 just wasn' enough. read more

Island Ferry Adventures - $7 per dog round trip. Not a bad deal! We never leave the dogs behind so this was very appreciated! - Ferries Near Me - Beaufort, North Carolina

Perfect little shuttle ferry to Carrot Island. Reasonable priced. Captain of our boat was nice enough to pause and let us watch some dolphins playing in the bay. read more

I'm so unimpressed with the "tour" we took today. The boat driver have a couple small facts ("this area was no wake before they built that building...", "That piece of land is called xxx..."). He barely spoke and told us nothing of interest. We had to ask a bunch of questions to find out anything. If you want to use this service as a ferry to get you from point A to point B, it's probably fine. But I would NOT recommend taking this as a tour. I learned nothing from the tour. I actually learned more from another passenger on the tour with us! Only giving 2 stars because we were fortunate enough to see 3 wild horses (which our driver didn't even spot... Another passenger did.) read more

Island Ferry Adventures - Ferries Near Me - Beaufort, North Carolina

See all

This is by far the easiest way to get on the water if you are staying in the Beaufort area. Reservations a week in advance are highly recommended in the high season if you'd like to go to Shackelford Banks, but if you're just looking to go to Carrot or Sand Dollar Island, these are the folks to go with. For $10 you get a round trip ride to Carrot Island, and it's $13 for Sanddollar. You tell them what time you'd like to be picked up and once you get to the island if you decide to stay longer you can call them and arrange for a later (or even earlier) pick up time. They provide you with a map and some local knowledge about best places to swim, look for shells, etc. Just realize that there are no facilities on the islands so you must bring your own sunscreen, water, etc. For the middle of summer the beaches are relatively uninhabited which makes for a lovely, hassle free day. Once you return to the dock they even have a hose to rinse off your feet. If you'd like to go shelling I'd check with them and see when low tide is since the beach at Sanddollar is almost non-existent at high tide. read more

We took the ferry to Shackleford Island. We made reservations and pretty much got the tickets and seamlessly were on our way. Friendly crew who told us a bit about the island, warned us when we'd hit the higher speed part of the journey, and stopped to let us see dolphins. Great experience read more

We took the ferry from Beaufort to Shackleford yesterday with Captain Amy and Taylor. They were extremely friendly and knowledgeable, while keeping all of us safe and comfortable. They interacted with us and our kids (a total of 15 in our party), and even stopped the boat so we could see some dolphins up close! Captain Amy explained a little about the history of the islands and the area, the wildlife, what to expect, what the regulations are, and all kinds of tidbits on the way over and back. I was a little hesitant because of the price ($18 for adults, $11 for kids), but it was worth every single dime. It was about 15-20 minutes over and back, but it felt much quicker!! We all felt safe and confident in our decision to book with Island Adventures. We have all said that trip was the highlight of our vacation! Note: masks are currently required on the boat for ages 5+, no exceptions or exemptions that I'm aware of. I was extremely anxious but Amy and Taylor helped me feel comfortable. read more

The crew was excellent!! Friendly and fun! I will definitely do it again! This was our big summer trip before school started back up.. we did the ferry the night before we headed back to Ohio.. SOOO WORTH IT! read more

See all

We took 2 tours from Beaufort in 2 days. The staff, crew, & Captain's were all amazing! Friendly and full of info. Would use them time & time again. Tour 1: Beaufort to Shackleford Bank. The ferry ride was enjoyable. Shackleford Bank is fun! We bright back so many shells. Unfortunately we never saw the horses. The Park Ranger gave us a detailed explanation the next day. I appreciate the parks service attention to customers & nature. Tour 2: Beaufort to Cape Lookout. Captain Tom rocks! We saw dolphin around Harkers Island. We watched horses on the southern shore of Cape Lookout from the ferry. This tour gives you 2 hours of freedom on the island before returning to the ferry. It's about an hour ferry ride & amazing time on the water. read more

Just so we're all clear, Island Ferry Adventures does not run to Shackleford Banks or Cape Lookout. Island Express Ferry Service is the only ferry authorized by the National Park Service to take people to these two places. To those who have left great review for them here, you may want to go review them on their page. ;) read more

We took the ferry over to Bird Shoals last Thursday. What a great trip! The kids found tons of shells and we felt very safe letting them swim and play in the calm warm water along the beach. The staff at Island Ferry Adventures were great. They gave us great tips about what to bring, and not bring, and recommended a great restaurant (Fins). read more

Excellent service for a quick trip to the surrounding islands. The trip is no frills but it gets you from point A to point B with return trips every 30 mins. (Bird Shoal). This is really the only way to experience beach life from Beaufort. Take your chairs, cooler, sunscreen, unbrellas, toys..whatever you need for a full beach day. read more

I've used Island Ferry Adventures to get over to the Rachel Carson Preserve several times, and I can certainly recommend them. The price of the ferry ride is absolutely justified by the beauty of the destination. Bird Shoals Beach (part of the Carson preserve), is one of the best swimming beaches in the area. The sand bars surrounding the preserve make the waters clear and calm, which is just perfect for swimming. Wild ponies roam the Carson reserve, and if you hang around Bird Shoals beach long enough, you'll spot them. Truly a beautiful place to spend a day enjoying nature! (Also, Island Ferry Adventures welcomes pets on their boats!) read more

It was just ok. We went on the shelling adventure ride. I was told on the phone we would have 20-30 min to walk around the island, great! So when we go to get off the boat, the captain says to be back in 15 min... disappointing. I would also NOT recommend taking any nice cameras or equipment on this trip, it will get wet along with yourself. I don't mind a slight spritz while on a boat, but I wish I would have brought a change of clothes for dinner afterward. I also thought it would cover more of the history and information of the local wildlife (horses on the island and dolphins). Nope, he just went over the history of all the local houses, business and yachts. If the tour was described as "history of Beaufort" sure that would be appropriate, not "shelling adventure" including wildlife info. So if you DON'T mind getting wet, want to take pictures or learn more about wildlife this is the tour for you. I was expecting more and sadly disappointed. read more

This was my second time on island ferry adventures. I appreciate the captains knowledge of the area and surrounding islands. It may help for the captains to have a microphone so everyone can hear over the waves. read more

Spent the last two days in Beaufort, NC. We decided to take advantage of the Bird Shoal Island excursion both days and traveled via this Five Star Service. The staff are so pleasant and aim to please. We used this company in 2017 and we knew then that we found the best ferry service to meet our needs. You will not be disappointed. Found many sand dollars on the sand bars accessible via Bird Shoal Island, very relaxing and peaceful. The water is clear and calm and you can actually enjoy floating and swimming, and/or shell and sand dollar hunting. Great for the little ones, bring plenty of sunscreen as there is no shade and lots of drinks and snacks! read more

So we waited to review until we had at least two trips with this tour group. Our first trip was the standard dolphin, Beaufort waterfront and island tour. (can't remember the name) We wondered if the kids would enjoy this for the price we were about to pay for the ten of us. Gladly it became one of the highlights of the entire vacation. Particularly our boys love the fast boat ride and salt spray (of course) the history was fascinating and informative (something to use when bringing others to this fabulous town). The captain was wonderful! Funny, safety minded, courteous and graciously helpful. Our recent trip we chose to do the brand new tour Surf and Sand. Ugh!!! The best! Yes $20 for adults and $12 for kids was seemingly alot but the adventure to the shackleford banks and being able to walk around, explore and swim (deeply wade as our kids called it) was amazing!! The waves were a bit high and it gave us a roarin good time boating back to the inlet. For some families it may be a good amount of money. However the stories, excitement and "adventure" has been worth it for us now every year. We will try them all someday! read more

Love coming here! It is well worth the money and the staff are very nice people. We enjoy taking our dog. We've been to bird shoal and sand dollar island! Bird shoal is bigger and more like a beach. Sand dollar island is a big sand bar so you get up early and go while low tide. We spent 2 hours at Sand Dollar Island and my dog loved it! We were able to let him loose and run around. I found quite a bit of Sand dollars but it's not always easy! Just depends when you go. I love going here for family days :) read more

Perfect trip! Island Ferry Adventures provided a smooth ride to the island, friendly service, clean & safe passage and a nice overview of what Beaufort has to offer. The all female crew was awesome!! Highly recommend!! read more

We enjoyed our off-season ferry tour very much. Fun and informative, the owner is a long-time resident who's anecdotes are priceless.

We took the ferry from Beaufort to Cape Lookout today and it was a blast!! Captain Andy and First Mate Robert were very knowledgeable and entertaining. We saw lots of dolphin and horses!! I would highly recommend this Ferry service. read more

I booked a trip with island ferry for my family on Father's Day. We got there early and got on the boat with our gear after paying. Out of nowhere word comes down from the hut to the boat that we have not paid enough. We had paid enough, showed our tickets, had the tickets in hand. The whole boat is waiting for us now, so everyone has turned around to look. We are the only African Americans on the boat, and we are the only ones given a hassle. After counting our tickets two more times, Captain Amy and Chase decide to just give up after calling my wife rude, and get under way. I will never step foot on another islands ferry ever again. My party was eight people, and we got lunch and souvenirs in Beaufort so someone should get their employees to understand they lost eight customers at once. read more

The tour was a nice overview of the area. We chose that because it was a pretty hot day, and didn't want to wait around for the ferry with three kids. With that said, seeing the horses was the highlight for the kids. read more

We took the ferry to Shackleford Banks from Harkers Island having taken the one from Beaufort several years earlier. The perfect way to spend a day as long as you don't skimp on the sunscreen! The ferry captains were jovial & informative, on time & safe yet thrilling us with a fun ride. Of the 12 folks on the ferry, our party of 3 were the only ones going to Shackleford. We got a great view of Cape Lookout by water & from across the water on Shackleford & that was sufficient for us. Walking/shelling to the left of the drop off point took us to the ocean side of the island over an hour later but we found so many treasures including an area of the sound with sand dollars by the hundreds, our largest one 8" across. We never found large conchs or whelks but soooo many sand dollars! Once we made it to the ocean, we started our journey inland. We were immediately rewarded with a sighting of a small herd including a foal at an inland pool of salt water. The horses were pawing & digging to get to the fresh water under the surface. We remained quiet & almost reverent in our approach & once again received our reward as they allowed us passage around them on the shore. We continued our journey inland after spending time with the little herd, using Cape Lookout as our guide. We found another herd of 10 ponies as a group of choppers "swarmed" above us in search of a lost drone. The horses didn't spook, paying the choppers only slightly more attention than paid to us. After returning to our pick up location, we were able to wander along the sound where we found 5 more horses & more small shells. After 4 + hours on the island, we all knew it was the very best 4 hours of our vacation. read more

Island Ferry Adventures - Last people we will see for almost 4 hours! - Ferries Near Me - Beaufort, North Carolina

See all

The faculty were great, and very knowledgeable of the area. My husband and I did a tour on the Waterbug and enjoyed Captain Bob's tips on good places to eat and visit afterward. Last week I had family visiting from out of state, and I suggested we go through Island Ferry Tours to travel out to Bird Shoals. Just like our last experience with this company, they were super friendly and we had a great time. A word of advice, DO NOT MESS WITH THE BLUE CRABS, THEY WILL PINCH THE POOP OUT OF YOU!!! We were able to find several sand dollars (don't take the furry ones, they're still alive) and a few other pretty shells. The kiddos in the family enjoyed swimming around with their snorkels and masks. Will definitely go back again! read more

We did a tour and it was really nice to get an overview on the area. I have family in the area so I will definitely be back to Shackleford Banks. So serene & beautiful. read more

We had a great time, even though we did get soaked on the ride over to the island. We got there on the island about 10:30pm and found out, that had we been there earlier we would have gotten some better shells. But we still got some really awesome shells! Also we got to see the wild horses which was way cool! read more

Excellent service. Trip to Sand Dollar Island was amazing. Highly recommend Island Ferry Adventures for your next outing. The staff are so nice and helpful. Mad a Mother/ Daughter adventure a memory that we will never forget. Thank you so much. read more

We booked Cape lookout tour on Monday and were told that they were not running that tour the week we were on vacation. I told them I'd be ok with a Rachel Carson tour and they said they would have to get a few more people to get at least 8 people for the tour. I called back the next day and confirmed there was enough people to have the tour go on. The tour was at 1pm Wednesday and we were approximately 2 hours from Beaufort. I got a call around 11am saying the tour had been cancelled due to high winds. We had already been travelling for 1 hour when I got the call. I asked if there was anything that they could do since I had already told my kids were going on this boat ride. They said there was nothing they could do and only recommended that I do a waterbug tour. I had been going to this boat tour everytime I came to North carolina. I will not be going back and do not recommend this tour company. We will not be disappointed again and do not need our trip cancelled at last minute read more