I've been a passenger on the Thimble Island Cruises many times over the years, but this time was…read moreespecially important as my 88 year old dad is moving away from CT to live near me in California! We couldn't miss the opportunity to take one more ride around the Thimble Islands, and the cruise did not disappoint! Our narrator was funny and pleasant, and the snacks and cold drinks were perfect. we got a nice table inside to stay cool, and it's a ride I'll always remember! Thank you Thimble Islands Cruise!

Great tour! It was a beautiful day, wonderful information and beautiful scenery. Delightful trip!…read moreBeautiful area. Easy parking in the Church lot with a donation. Nice thing to do on a great day! We had young kids on the trip. Didn't get much out of the narrative but they were excited to be on a boat ride.

My mom, husband, and I wanted to go on an impromptu sailing charter and we were so lucky that Eric…read morewas available to take us for a tour to The Thimble Islands on his beautiful boat. Eric is a wonderful host and tremendous human being. He made us all beautiful espressos and let us use his glorious boat hammock. It was a truly memorable day and can't wait to do it again soon!

We sailed in Branford around the Thimbles for my husband's 70th with our children. It was nothing…read moreshort of fabulous! I highly recommend Eric and his magic sailboat. Clean, safe and just great. Will do this again and again. Maria

We had a great experience on the boat this past weekend! Our captain was friendly and informative,…read moreand we never felt rushed. We had fun stopping on the Outer Island and seeing the public land there, and learning about the history and homes of the islands. Would recommend for any late afternoon / sunset window!

We were blessed with beautiful weather for the last day of summer and I had to finish my bucket…read morelist with a boat ride. Affordable prices, easy to access, good directions. We were told to try to be there at least 20 minutes early and we were! About 10 people in front of us. I do have motion sickness but I also had some special patches and we were able to get some seats on the top deck. Captain was nice, narration tour proved to be interesting and informative. Not so nice were the people that arrived late and suggested for me to move so " the husband " can seat in the front. Not comfortable and not okay so I denied. It was very annoying to have other people that also arrived late and proceeded to squeeze me and my daughter out of our seats because they really wanted I guess to stay with their friends. More of a party boat than a relaxing atmosphere. Not my cup of tea for that day.

What a day! What a very good day! My friend Migdalia was visiting from Colorado, and I wanted to…read moreplan something fun for us to do. I have lived in CT all my life but have never been to the Thimble Islands. This tour was perfect. First of all, Marie was a dream to work with. It was easy to reserve, and she gave good instructions for GPS directions and where to park. Eileen was the master tour guide. She was helpful, fun and informative. She went at a relaxed pace so we can take in the sites and of course take photos. We listed to her stories and learned so much about the Thimble Islands. This area is so beautiful. It was hard to believe we were still in CT. I would highly recommend this tour and plan to go back again!!!!

Had a great day with Eileen paddling the Thimble Islands! It was an awesome experience. Loved…read morelearning the history and paddling with the group. Thank you!

Destination resort marina. Formerly a Brewers yard. Excellent repairs and family paradise with pool…read moreand restaurant.

This is a good, clean facility that is kept up well. But bear in mind that this is a corporate…read moremarina. If all is well, the place is great, but if you have any issues, management is very unresponsive. In early June it became apparent that mechanical issues will keep my boat out of the water this season. I immediately spoke with the member service specialist, asking whether it's possible to get a partial refund or credit towards next season. I was told management needed to sign off on this but "it's looking good". After repeated followups, I was told in mid-July that nothing could be done and they're keeping my money. This is not customer service, they'll never see another dime from us.

9/25/21 The Guilford Town Marina holds very special childhood memories for me, as my dad would…read moresometimes take the family here on one of those "Sunday drives", that so many of us knew in the '50's & early '60's, in our 1949 Dodge Falkner Island is a scant 4 miles from here, but visitors are highly discouraged from setting foot on it as it's a designated nature preserve. There is a long abandoned small red "cottage" just across the West River from the marina that is a favorite subject of artists and photographers. I came today to bask in the warm early Autumn sun & air and to relive some of those great childhood memories. it's even quite beautiful and popular in the winter months as well. Come down here, if you haven't already. You'll be addicted to this spot as I am, and return again and again.

Not only is the Guilford Town Marina home port to many boats and yachts for fishing and pleasure,…read moreit is also one of the best places in town to watch the sunrise and sunset. Personally I recommend getting lunch at the Guilford Lobster Pound, located here (of course you have to get a warm CT-style lobster roll!) Another pro move is to stop at Ashley's to bring a hot fudge sundae down to the Guilford Town Marina for a sweet treat whilst watching the sunset. Bring your camera for glimpses of nature's beauty in all weather and all seasons!

Excellent staff and grounds. Yacht Club open to transient vessels. Beautiful wedding venue.read more

Had my daughter's Bridal shower here and the place is just beautiful! Everything worked out…read moreperfectly, and you don't need to be a member.

My boyfriend and I went for a mini vacation in Norwalk, CT and I booked the Sunset Harbor…read moreLighthouse Tour which we went on this past Sunday evening from 6:30-8:30, on 8/10/25. This tour was definitely a highlight of our trip! Captain John and Charlie were great and all the passengers aboard had a great time! We passed three lighthouses-Peck Ledge LH, Sheffield Island LH and Green's Ledge LH. Charlie, co-captain of Captain John, had just toured the inside of Green's Ledge LH the day before which is listed on Airbnb for $6,000! He went around the ship showing everyone the floor plan. It especially exciting to be on the Long Island Sound and to see the red and white towers from Northport, since I live on Long Island!! We were able to see several different viewpoints of the sunset and osprey nests as well. Definitely recommend to residents of Norwalk AND tourists alike!

Like a lot of other dork type middle age dudes I'm a sucker for a good lighthouse. Actually I've…read morebeen to a few clinkers which says that I'm apparently I'm also a sucker for a bad lighthouse as well but there's no need to worry about that at Sheffield because it's all good here. So if you want to come you've got two legal options. 1. Show up via kayak (or I suppose boat then taking a short swim) during hours when they are running tours and you will be met on the shore by a volunteer who will ask you to pay a few dollars for the privilege of taking the lighthouse tour/hanging out on the island. 2. Or, you come via the regularly scheduled boat that runs from the dock on North Water Street in Norwalk from late May until the end of September. There are various public & private decks for parking all around the area so it shouldn't be too hard to find a close space. I don't remember what the price is for option #1 but for option #2 the below currently apply: Adults: $22.00 - Children 12 & Under: $12.00 Senior / NSA Member $20.00 Active Military with ID $10.00 Children 3 & Under: $5.00 Family 4 Pack (2 Adults, 2 Children) $55.00 A few random facts: Boats depart weekends only every year over Memorial Day weekend and eventually go daily from July until Labor Day and then back to weekends only until the end of September. Check seaport.org for the current schedule and for special events such as their clambakes. Once you get to the island you get to take a brief tour of the lighthouse which was built in 1868 (downstairs only for now as the upstairs tower portion is being worked on and hopefully tours will be allowed there in the not to distant future once they get the stairs in better shape along with figuring out a way to dissipate the heat which we were told was well over 100 degrees the day we were there in August) and you can also walk through the nature trail via the Stewart B. McKinney Wildlife Refuge. If you are going to walk on the nature trail or along the beach that fronts Sheffield Island Harbor just know that things are "wild" and that you will get eaten alive by flies, mosquitoes and I wouldn't be shocked if the trees had lots of ticks. The lighthouse was relit in 2011 for the first time in 91 years. Why Sheffield Island? The island was named after Revolutionary War veteran Captain Robert Sheffield who bought the island in 1804. He married Temperance Doty, a Mayflower descendant and such started the current lineage of the island's name. The 47 acre island is private property that is primarily owned by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service with the Norwalk Seaport Association depending upon the website owning only three or four of those acres. You will be reminded a few times of where you can and cannot walk. Speaking of an area you can't walk by it would be the dilapidated house on the right near the dock. That house is still owned by the Stabell family who sold the island to the Norwalk Seaport Association in 1986 for 700K. I forget the exact story we were told but it's something along the lines of the "home" (more of a dilapidated shack) cannot be renovated because of Fish and Wildlife Service rules and if they raze the structure they lose the land so the shack stands as is. The island itself is around a mile and half from the dock in Norwalk and the boat is kept at a country club pace in both directions which equals about 40 minutes to make the trip in each direction. This is fine as one of the crew did a fairly good job or telling everyone about some of the various islands & lighthouses & birds in the area and about the local shellfish industry. Past that it's just sit back and relax on some of their picnic benches and have a picnic or don't do a damn thing except the enjoy the beautiful view. Either way it's awesome.

A fun summer activity in Branford!…read more The online ticket ordering process was really easy. It was much better than having to buy tickets in person. The islands are really beautiful!! They are all unique. I wish I could afford to live on them! My only real critique is that I would love more signage to point towards the boat and boarding area. I got confused walking there.

Very pleasurable and informative. Weather was fantastic which made the experience even more…read moreenjoyable. Our boat captain was great. He had so much knowledge about the islands because he grew up there. Loved the small boat because it was intimate with a limited amount of seats. Great trip!!!

My husband and I had planned a two hour cruise in Mystic on the Argia on the day we were…read morecelebrating with our family visiting from California. We were looking for an activity that would be fun for a multigenerational group of 23 people with toddlers, seniors, and everyone in between. We had been in communication with Oliver for months in advance. About two weeks before the big day, we saw that the forecast called for showers throughout Memorial Day weekend, particularly the Sunday of our planned cruise. We monitored the weather and decided to make a decision closer to the day. Throughout the entire process of planning, Oliver was responsive, reliable, accommodating, and kind. On the morning of the trip, Oliver gave us multiple options and worked with us to make sure that we could cancel and get a full refund due to the inclement weather. He provided us with agency up to the last hour of decision making. On a day that could have been really stressful, Oliver alleviated some of that stress. That is exceptional customer service, and that is the reason we will be coming back to the Argia for another special occasion. Highly recommend working with Oliver and his team if you get the chance!

We took a sunset cruise on the Argia, which is the last commercial sailing ship left in Mystic,…read morewhen we were visiting Mystic with a couple of friends on the Fourth of July. The boat has different seating options - wooden benches and cushion seats without backrests. We reserved two of the cushioned areas and showed up ready to check in on time (they ask you to show up about 30 minutes before boarding to check in). You board at the dock just next to the bridge in Mystic, so it couldn't be more convenient if you're exploring Mystic for a day or a weekend. The Argia allows you to bring alcohol (wine and beer) on board (although they ask that you not bring large coolers - there's no room for them), so we brought a couple of bottles of wine bought from the great wine shop down the street. The sail is partly narrated. Our sail was two hours long, and the staff narrated for some of the sailing time - pointing out historic and interesting sites along the sail (islands with an interesting history, homes with interesting architecture, etc.). Between the gorgeous scenery, some narration of fun and interesting facts about Mystic and its harbor, the great wine we'd brought aboard, and great company - it was the perfect way to spend a couple of hours in Mystic. What a beautiful way to enjoy Mystic and its harbor!