The Riverquest previously operated by Captain Mark & his side kick Mindy is now operated by the Connecticut River Museum in Essex CT. But have no fear, the operation is run flawlessly by professionals that love what they do & it shows. We have been enjoying the Connecticut river journeys on the Riverquest for several years now & learn something new every trip. Any cruise is a fun outing but we give high marks to the Old Saybrook lighthouse cruise & the Swallow migration cruises offered late summer, early fall. Several cruises do have tables set up where you can bring food & libations on board for a DIY onboard picnic while you cast a keen eye for vultures, osprey, eagles, cormorants & other water fowl, nesting hunting & feeding on the river. The scenery is wonderful. The ship is comfortable. 5 well earned stars. read more

My wife, a friend, and I partook the sunset cruise. It was a more personalized experience because it was small. We went on a steamboat ride and it felt like a ferry ride, crowded and loud. We were only 18 people in the riverboat so each group had our own table where we brought our own food. They provided binoculars for us to see things. We saw bald eagles, swallows, egrets, swan, etc. The crew was really knowledgeable. He taught us why the mute swan is an invasive species and how they damage the ecosystem. The ride was quite smooth and the breeze at the end of the day was really soothing. We didn't see the sunset unfortunately. The neighborhood in the area is very quaint and cute. People are extremely nice when compared to NYC. They say hi all the time. There is parking nearby but you had to pay attention to the signs. I didn't so I had to look further which I didn't revert because we got to explore the neighborhood. read more

See all

Wonderful ecotour of the Connecticut River. Highly recommend. We're planning to return for the murmuration.

We have now taken our fourth CT River cruise with them and have loved every one of them! Last night we did the sunset cruise with two friends from DC and thoroughly enjoyed it. We brought our picnic and wine and relaxed. Mark and Mindy always make sure you see all the wildlife there is and they have wonderful knowledge of the history. read more

See all

As part of the days before back to school we went on a boat ride on the river. This was a nice trip 90 minutes is just about perfect to see and not have it be excessively long. Lots of eagles and ospreys and herons. This was a pleasant trip with beautiful views. My only thing I would like to see differently is I really would love them to put a speaker on the front of the wheel house. Would have made the speaker lady 100 times easier to hear while sitting up there. read more

See all

Found these guys last year and ended up doing two of their regular weeknight cruises. Had such a good time that I ended up recommending them for our office outing and everyone had a great time. The Connecticut River is a gorgeous waterway, especially in this area. There's lots to see and there is so much history that has happened along and because of the river. It's worth taking a ride simply to get a little flavor of how the earliest inhabitants and visitors first experienced this area. Mark and Mindy (not Mork - sorry, couldn't resist) run the operation and are super-friendly. The first ride we took was pretty sparsely populated and we felt like we were taking a ride with friends. Mark will pipe up with some facts and a few corny jokes, but the patter is not constant and you have plenty of time to just stare off into the sunset or the surrounding greenery. They'll point out important buildings and special wildlife residents in the area. The boat is a fairly basic affair, with a broad, flat deck that is mostly under cover and can be more fully enclosed for their cold weather cruises, when you may spot eagles plying the skies above the river. Tables and chairs on the boat are basic and easily rearranged. And you can bring your own food/drink. On a second trip, the boat was more crowded, but people were nice, friendly and quiet. Our group took over a table and enjoyed the food and drink we carried on. It made for a really pleasant and affordable "dinner cruise." As I recall, they do both northern and southern routes from the landing. We saw Goodspeed Opera House and Gillette Castle from the boat. I think this would combine well with a visit to either venue as part of a full day along the river. read more

Riverquest - A view from the stern of the RiverQuest boat that I took on a sunset cruise. - Boating Near Me - Essex, Connecticut

What a great way to end the summer! This was our 2nd Tree Swallow evening cruise in 2 years, it was once again a spectacular and unforgettable experience. The company is very careful about adhering to C19 precautions; distancing, limited attendance, masks and sanitizer. They even offered bagged & sanitized binoculars. Delightful ongoing commentary by Cap'n Mark and his crew, large screen in cabin provides additional details and radar. You can't control what nature will do, but we're 2 for 2 on memorable experiences now. Highly recommend. read more

The cruise is run by a very nice married couple, and they're great at what they do! Mark drives while Mindy does most of the talking and guest interaction. They pointed out lots of great wildlife (mostly birds), interesting buildings, other boats, etc., which we could view more closely through the provided binoculars. Our 5 and 8 year old girls were highly entertained, as were the adults! The boat was clean and comfortable, and had shaded tables (you can bring your own food) and chairs in the sun to choose from. Our cruise ended early due to a storm (Mark conscientiously turned the boat around and docked in time to avoid it). I believe some people stayed to wait out the storm and reboard, but we chose to leave because of our kids. We felt we had gotten our money's worth, but Mindy insisted on refunding us. If I'm ever in CT again, I'll be back! read more

Such a great experience for a great value. I took the sunset cruise on a Friday night in June. The boat was impeccably clean, the crew was friendly and knowledgeable about the area, and their tour narration was perfect (Not too much, not too little.) You can bring food and drink onto the boat where they have tables and chairs for use. The scenery is beautiful making it a nice peaceful event. read more

We went on the winter birding cruise and it was awesome. The boat is comfortable, the scenery beautiful and the crew exceptionally nice and knowledgeable. They provide the binoculars and are fantastic at spotting wildlife. read more

Highly recommend the 90-minute daytime cruise! Bring snacks, bring wine, don't worry about the binoculars because they provide them free of charge. Mark & Mindy definitely know the ins and outs of the Connecticut River and the surrounding wildlife. Really enjoyed the friendly banter interspersed with facts about the landscape and Osprey and even Bald Eagle sightings! read more

Get on this boat! Fill your cooler with beverages and snacks, or a five course dinner like the group who was on our trip, and enjoy the ride. Forgot your binoculars? No worries, they have enough to go around! I'd never seen a bald eagle so they may have out-shined the sparrows air-scapades but overall a truly memorable evening. Great for date night, visitors and groups! Can't wait to go again! read more

Decided to try this out with my 6 year old son on a lark Saturday morning. They do a kids themed cruise once in a while (check your local listings) for only $5 a kid and $10 and adult. Total cost for a 60 minute cruise was only $15. For that, we both got a set of binoculars to check out the scenery on our cruise (kids sizes and adult sizes available) and we got a fun and informative tour up and down the river. They also provide a scavenger hunt list and Mindy makes sure to help out and point out items to the kids to look for. She's very good with the kids. And e everyone can walk around the ship at their leisure. Very relaxed and flexible. We fortunately had a gorgeous morning with no clouds and mid-70's temperature. In addition to the man made landmarks, we were also fortunate to see 2 eagles, osprey, gulls, and terns...and some cool planes taking off from local airport. Would do this again in a heartbeat... read more

Had a wonderful Saturday afternoon cruise with Mark and Mindy as our guides down the CT River. They make excellent host as you glide down the waterway taking in the sites of Gillett Castle, Goodspeed Opera House, tons of beautiful birds, and the gorgeous scenery. The fact that you can bring on your own food and drink was a nice plus and made for the perfect afternoon. Mark and Mindy were both very informative about what we were seeing, the wildlife and history of the sites we passed by. I look forward to cruising with them again! read more

Packed our dinner from a nearby takeout service, brought some wine and soda, and my wife and I and our two grown sons had a fabulous sunset cruise. A beautiful stretch of the Connecticut River with mostly wooded riverbanks, a few houses.... peaceful and refreshing. Not cheap for us at $30 a person, but maybe that helps keep it manageable and enjoyable. I loved every bit of it. read more

We took our Mom on this cruise for a nice Mother's day outing, and although the experience could have been better due to circumstances beyond the control of the boat operators, we would definitely recommend and cruise on Riverquest again. An overcast day with chilly and misty rain always makes a boat ride a little less enjoyable, but we really appreciated the large covered area and seating available to stay out of the elements. Had we not already taken mom to a big brunch, we would have loved to pack a picnic for the ride so we also appreciate that guests can bring on their own food and drinks. Some guests enjoyed this option with some beer and wine and that was just fine, however there was a large group who also packed on a big container of some potent cocktails and their behavior was terribly inappropriate. Instead of a peaceful, informative river cruise, this group acted as though they were on a booze cruise in the Caribbean They were so loud that we could not hear the narration and my mom, who is visually impaired, was terribly disappointed she could not hear the information the guides were sharing. The operator was apologetic about the other rude passengers, which is why we still consider ourselves fans of this cruise and we understand there is nothing they can do. Hopefully we will get my mom on the cruise again soon with a more considerate group of passengers. read more

The boat could not be more user friendly....ease, ease and more ease. In any weather (like March's eagle watch). Add to that a captain host and his co-hostess who are lovers of this Ct. River (what's not to love?) and all its flora and fauna. They are a sales team whose only "product" is the beauty of the Ct. River. You cannot miss on this one!!! Read the older reviews....all as good as ever! read more

took the tree swallow cruise on the river quest boat. accommodations were very comfortable. the staff was very pleasant, helpful, knowledgeable and presented in a very fun way. well worth it. saw many bald eagles, osprey, egrets and of course the swallow show. if you want a table in the front (there are 2), arrive one hour early and ask to sit at one of those tables. read more