The holiday themed A Colonial Apparition tour along the Cape Fear River went well beyond my…read moreexpectations despite the weather. Honestly, the dreary day may have made the cruise even more suited for the story Hunter Ingram, Burgin Wright House & Gardens Assistant Museum Director, shared with us on our voyage along the riverfront. The cruise was cozy with holiday theme beverages available for purchase, and the history lesson and the story written by James Sprunt in the 1800s told by Ingram was well worth the ticket price. I absolutely have to do more of the historic tours offered by Wilmington Water Tours. A couple of hours on this river cruise is definitely time well spent.

Enjoyed the scenery. WOW! Perfect weather/time of year. Good length of time…read more All four of us enjoyed the cruise and were glad we had included it in our weekend plans. Late April must be the "sweet spot" for this cruise. The weather was perfect! The water was calm and we appreciated that we saw both daylight and dark during the cruise. The number of folks on the boat was good - we never felt too crowded; do not allow any more, though. The biggest thing that dinged the stars to four - and, I really was unhappy about this - was the volume of the singer. She was very good; she is talented and her selections were appropriate but TOO, TOO LOUD. The four of us could not hear each other talk (or, yell). It is a small boat; any amp at all is too much. I did (discreetly) mention something to one of our tour guides about asking her to decrease her volume. It was completely IGNORED. We booked this cruise because there was to be "entertainment" perhaps that was a poor choice. Value/fee was good - should not be any more.

Epic Excursions was the perfect experience for our large group. They were flexible in accommodating…read moreus and fitting the tour to meet our interests. Not only that, they were extremely knowledgeable about the area and waterways. We even stopped to catch dolphins playing in the water! Captain Ian and Captain Brian were top notch! We plan to schedule with Epic Excursions again when family visits for the holidays. Can't wait!

On June 2nd we did the Chef Dinner Experience - Catering with True Blue Butcher & Table. This was…read moreour first experience with Epic Excursions, but it won't be our last! Every aspect exceeded my expectations! The food prepared by Chef Kevin was out of this world! We had enough food to feed twice as many people, so plenty of leftovers to take home. Captain Mason was fantastic! After dinner he took us on a dolphin watching/sunset cruise that was unexpected and really ended the evening on a high note. My group had a blast! Five stars!

Cameron gave us the best tour! Two very happy moms and 9 year olds! We saw dolphins, birds and the…read moreboys got to drive the boat.

We had an amazing time aboard the Shamrock, a catamaran owned by Wrightsville Beach Scenic Tours…read morethat held about 12 people and a dog for a trip out to Masonboro Island Reserve. This island off the coast of Wrightsville is an 8.4 mile-long, undisturbed barrier island ecosystem in southern North Carolina that can only be reached by boat. We were one of only a few people on the island exploring the beaches and climbing up and down the sand dunes. It was like having our own private island. We were allowed to stay on Masonboro for a while -- we just had to tell the captain what time to come back to get us. This made me a little nervous (what if the captain had a heart attack and died and no one knew we were out on this island?!). But the time went by quickly, and by the time we had to meet the captain at the beach shore for pickup, I wish we had told him to pick us up at a later time. For this experience alone -- exploring a desolate, peaceful, beautiful island -- I would highly recommend booking a boat trip with Wrightsville Beach Scenic Tours. But they also offer other boating voyages, including birding boat tours and dolphin tours at sunset. They also offer themed voyages out to Masonboro, including a pirate treasure hunt for kids and a cruise that focuses on collecting shells. They communicate with you via text to make sure you know where to park on the mainland, and ask if you have any questions. Everything went very smoothly with our boat ride, and it was such a fun experience and a great way to explore the Wrightsville Beach and Wilmington area.

Not being from the area my colleagues booked our group a river boat tour…read more Over all had a great time and would recommend it fully. The captain wasn't overly talky...pointed out some significant landmarks but let the river do all the talking. The boat does have a bar of wine, beer and pop. My colleagues and I enjoyed the tour completely, was a good opportunity for us to relax, hangout and enjoy each others company.

I took another sunset cruise with Cape Fear Riverboats as they were the only company operating on a…read moreMonday. I'm not sure if the possible storms or the cloudy conditions kept folks away but there were just a handful of us on board so we could move around. I was surprised that the tour has a commentary now so that was nice to learn more about the area and industries there. Although some of the folks talked over the commentary making it difficult to hear and I thought it was rude and disrespectful to the Captains. The clouds prevented seeing the sunset but I really enjoyed catching some of the machines operating at the docks. The lumber chips were being made to send to Turkey for them to build the board to send back here. Another was grabbing something white and moving it. I took videos but they haven't posted so I will try again. I just found it interesting to learn about all that goes on. I don't remember seeing the machinery in action before.

I had family coming to visit and thought it would be fun to get us out onto a boat. I texted the…read morenumber on the website asking if they could possibly accommodate a two hour ride instead of a three and James was very responsive and helpful. He asked for input about where we wanted to go on the ride but also offered great suggestions. It was a nice balance. The day of the ride was SO much fun. There were six of us and plenty of room on the boat to spread out. One of us has a bit of anxiety about boats and James was very reassuring. The island James took us to was peaceful and beautiful and it was amazing getting to float in the still water nearby. He even collected some shells for my toddler to bring home! James is not a Wilmington native but has been here for a while and has clearly worked hard on knowing the area well. The two hours flew by - we had such a great time. Before we got back I was thinking about when we could rationalize doing it again. Highly, highly recommend booking with Salty Feet. Full disclaimer that I know James through a friend, but that doesn't sway my opinion in any way. I'm not affiliated with the business and don't know James well.

From the owner: Salty Feet Adventures is the #1 choice in planning your outdoor adventure in Topsail Island or…read moreWrightsville Beach aboard our commercial skiff The Sandbar Hunter. We specialize in custom boat tours, island excursions & sunset cruises. We offer a full range of options to make your family vacation a unique and memorable experience including catered seafood boils, stand up paddleboarding, floating mats for the kids & more! Explore the beauty of our uninhabited islands with an ecological tour or enjoy getting your feet salty while shell hunting. (We might even see a pod of dolphins along the way!) So come get your feet salty with Salty Feet Adventures!

If you've ever wanted to go on sailboat, this is an amazing experience! The Captain, Jim, was very…read morefriendly and knowledgeable about everywhere we went and sailing in general. On the sunset cruise, it can get a little hot sometimes, but once you make it to the ocean breeze, it is perfect. I was able to sit up at the bow and I definitely recommend it. You are able to see straight where you're going and have the best view. If you are near Wilmington at all and want to go out on a boat on the water, I would definitely recommend this. We went out for 2 hours and made it back right as the sun was setting.

Had a fantastic time with Captain Jim for our sunset sail! It was absolutely beautiful and Captain…read moreJim shared a ton of knowledge about the area and its history! The views were spectacular and it was such a great experience with the other couples in our group! If I am in NC again, I would definitely do another sunset sail! Great views and great company!

Inman is a great captain! Tentative to everyone's needs, handles the boat well, knowledgeable, and…read morefun! Highly recommend for all ages!

Loved the experience. It was very laid back and relaxing. Went to an island and enjoyed the warm…read morewater.

Spectacular, nothing short of it. I cannot recommend this enough. Austin is amazing, you can tell…read morehow passionate he is about what he does in the way he talks to you through this trip. We chose the sunset kayak tour and dinner! It is a showstopper. Prior to our arrival Austin emailed to ask about dinner and drink preferences, he is more than accommodating and quite the chef at that. I have to admit that I didn't really expect a lot as far as food goes. We have been fortunate to try some amazing places! Austin could go toe to toe with any of them. I would pay just to have the mahi mahi, orzo salad, and asparagus again. We are already talking about what we'd like to do next with Cape Fear Adventure Company!!!

Austin from Cape Fear Adventure was the kayak provider and guide on a joint venture with Salty Dog…read moreYoga and he did a great job leading our large group to Masonboro Island and back. He was very friendly and helpful.

I can't say enough positive things about Tyler at Arlie Point Yacht Charters!…read more We had a group of 13 including some children and some seniors that where we needed to accommodate their scooters for their disabilities. I reached out a week before the 4th of July, and they were completely booked but Tyler found a way to accommodate us by moving some Captains and making it work! There was a huge storm that came ashore and I thought for sure we wouldn't be able to get out but communication with Tyler was exceptional, and the storm cleared and we ended up having a beautiful day! We self catered which was very easy even though Tyler had provided us with other local options. Everyone had an amazing time, the yacht was gorgeous, and Tyler went above and beyond to make sure everyone had a great time. We will be back!! Thank you Tyler!

Tyler was awesome and made my birthday cruise with family so memorable! In conversation he heard I…read morewas a "novice birder" & he was sure to show us the osprey along our trip. The board he helped coordinate through Collective Law was also delicious! I recommend, several times over, to anyone considering. We definitely plan to book again!

The Brewboat was outstanding! We cruised the Cape Fear River…read morein the Wilmington area with one of if not the best captains ever! The boat was clean, we provided our own beverage and play list, and totally enjoyed our cruise. If you want a relaxing evening this is definitely for you! The cruise is about ninety minutes long, eat before you arrive or bring your own snacks! Please leave the boat as clean as you found it. Did I mention we had the best captain ever? He had great interaction with our group and he was very professional, not bad on the eyes either! Definitely worth a return trip

This is a fun thing to do anytime of year! Yes! Even locals would find it time well spent. It's…read morealways nice to be on the water, and seeing downtown from that perspective was cool! You don't have to petal, but it's fun to do so. The Captain is personable and fun to spend time with, and the boat is clean and comfortable! Also, shaded with a canopy. The location is perfect and is right at the dock near Marina Grill.