From 10:00am to 11:00am, select Saturdays (check our Calendar and listed below), this cruise is a special “KIDS” cruise! All kids ages 2 to 12 ticket price will be only $5, ages 12 to 100 only $15. On this cruise, we will teach children how to use binoculars, they will learn about the birds we see, nautical terms, the ecology of the river and other points of interest including Gillette Castle and the Chester/Hadlyme Ferry. We will go under the East Haddam Swing Bridge and hear the cars go over us. This will be a fun cruise to introduce children to the fragile beauty of the Connecticut River and the area we live in. And, it allows kids to be kids! You do not need to bring life jackets with you, per the US Coast Guard, children under 12 do not need to wear them on a commercial boat. There is no on-line booking for this cruise, it is first come/first serve. This far there has been plenty of room. Thank you.

Cruise dates (thus far) for 2013:

May 25, June 29, July 13, July 27, August 10, August 31.

Join us aboard RiverQuest and spend some quality time with Dad! Depart from Eagle Landing State Park in Haddam (across the river from the Goodspeed Opera House). On this special day, DAD IS HALF PRICE! This 90 minute cruise departs at 1:30pm and is $15 kids, $20 adults, but, on Father’s Day, June 16th, Dad cruises for only $10 with the purchase of a full price adult or child ticket. Learn about the nature and history of the lower Connecticut River. Relax in the morning, then bring your family lunch on board or have a bite to eat before or after your cruise at one of the fine local restaurants in Haddam, East Haddam, Chester or Essex.

Cruise Dates:

June 16 at 11:30am and 1:30pm.

Gift Certificates Available

Reservations

Cruise quietly from RiverQuest's home berth in Haddam and observe Ospreys and Osprey nests located in various areas along the lower Connecticut River. Ospreys return from their southern wintering homes that are primarily in South and Central America around March 20th. They rebuild their nests on the many nesting platforms, day markers and trees along the river. Come aboard one of RiverQuest's scheduled cruises and watch the progress as the Ospreys rebuild their nests and begin nesting (early April) to the chicks as they evolve from newly hatched chicks (Mid-May) to adolescent chicks/fledglings (early July) flying proudly with their new found power of flight (August). A naturalist will be on board each cruise to educate you on the Osprey and any other bird/wildlife we may see on our journey. Cruise is 2+ hours long.

CRUISE DATES: June 23 and July 21 9:30am to 12:30pm. 

To schedule your own Group Cruise please This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call RiverQuest at 860-662-0577.

Gift Certificates Available

A relaxing cruise south down the Connecticut River to view the Inner (Lynde Point) and Outer (Saybrook Breakwater Light) Lighthouses by water. Observe the beautiful, pristine river “One of the Last Great Places”, as we cruise by the towns of Haddam, East Haddam, Hadlyme, Lyme, Chester and Deep River, ultimately reaching Old Saybrook and Old Lyme at the mouth of the river on Long Island Sound. We will tell you about the history, ecology of the river and point out areas of interest. Bring your picnic basket if you’d like. There will be complimentary coffee and tea on board.

Cruise Dates:

Saturday August 25, 2012, depart at 9:00am to 1:00+pm.

Gift Certificates Available

Reservations

***Gift Cetficates are Available, see our Gift Certificate page***   

BOOKING NOW FOR for 2013.....Please go to our Reservations Page.

This cruise is offered in conjunction with Aududon, Ecotravel Division and is considered the "original" Eagle Cruise. Our cruises are a full 2-1/4 hours "on-the-water".

Come and enjoy winter and very early spring while experiencing the beauty and solitude of the lower Connecticut River. Although our primary mission is to search for and observe migrating and resident Bald Eagles, we will also search for many other varieties of local winter wildlife. In the nine years that we have been running these popular Eagle Cruises, we have seen:

• Hawk species: Red Tailed, Red Shouldered, Rough Legged (both light and dark morph), Sharp Shinned, Northern Harrier and Cooper.
• Duck species: Common and Hooded Mergansers, Common Goldeneye, Coot, Black, Wood, Ruddy, Scaup, Ring neck, Long Tail, Mallard and American Widgeon.
• Also: Great Cormorant, Pied Billed Grebe, Horned Grebe, Tundra Swan, Trumpeter Swan, Mute Swan, Peregrine Falcon, Golden Eagle, Harbor Seal, Herring Gull, Great Black Backed Gull, Ring Billed Gull, Common Loon, Red Throated Loon, Pileated Woodpecker, Canada Geese and Brant.

A seasoned, experienced naturalist will talk about eagle biology and ecology and about the other wintering birds and wildlife that will be seen on our cruise. We have a large screen TV on board where we will be displaying many photographs of birds, etc that we may see on our journey. 

RiverQuest has a fully enclosed heated cabin, enough to take the chill off, but, dress warm because you will want to be outside for most of the journey observing our wintering wildlife up close.

There will be complimentary coffee and tea on-board. 

If you do not have your own, there is also a limited supply of pretty good binoculars on loan for the cruise. 

Bring a snack with you (Tylerville Country Market offers a great deli sandwich) or enjoy lunch before or after the cruise at one of the local eateries in Haddam or East Haddam. These include, La Vita Gustosa, The Gelston House, Haddam Pizza, The Cooking Company (closed Sunday) and Subway.

Due to the popularity of our Eagle Cruises, Reservations are required. However, we can occasionally we can take walk-ons and last minute calls. 

NOTE: We also want to remind everyone that we try to give as much notice as possible for cancellations. Occassionally, our cancellation e-mail or phone call to you, may get missed, so PLEASE, call 860-662-0577 or check our home page or calendar for up-to-date cruise information before you come. We only cancel if there is a safety issue or if the weather may affect the wildlife viewing. 

2013 Dates/Times: Please look at our Special Cruise Dates page or our Calendar. 

Saturday and Sunday Cruises (please check calendar for SOLD OUT dates):

• February 09 through March 17:  9:00am, 11:30am and 2:00pm. 

Thursday Cruises:

• February 14 through March 14:  10:00am and 1:00pm.

Special days/times for school groups or other groups can be set up.

Location:

HADDAM, CT, Eagle Landing State Park, 1 Marine Park. Off Route 82/Bridge Road. Across the river from the Goodspeed Opera House.

2013 Price: Cost is $40 all passengers (no children under 10 years old).

NOTE:

We want to remind everyone, this is a nature cruise. There may be rain, wind, fog, ice and heavy snow. We may have to cancel one cruise or an entire day. We will try to give as much notice as possible, but, there are times when the cancellation may be very last minute; the wind, etc, can change in minutes. We only cancel when there is a safety issue or wildlife viewing will be affected. So please, be patient and understanding with us. ALWAYS....Check our website home page or call: 860-662-0577 before you come.

Thank you!  Captain Mark and Mindy.

Please add your name to our mailing list and we will keep you updated!

Gift Certificates Available

Join us aboard RiverQuest for our Fall Foliage Cruises. The foliage begins to change in late September and there will be color all through October.

On October 07, October 13 and October 14, departing at 3:30pm, returning at 5:30pm, we will cruise north towards Middletown. Bring your own picnic basket as you would on our Sunset Cruise. Cost is $30pp, no one under 12 please. On-line booking available.

On our regularly scheduled Gillette Castle Viewing Daytime Cruises, we will still cruise south, where you will also see the beautiful changing foliage on the many varieties of trees along the lower Connecticut River. The cost for 11:30am (Wednesday and Thursday) and 1:30pm (Friday, Saturday and Sunday), 90 minute cruise, is $20 adults, $15 children.

Always please check our Calendar to confirm departure days and times. Private charters take precedence.

Gift Certificates Available

Tree Swallow Spectacle:

Through the end of August, during the entire month of September and into October, tens of thousands of birds congregate in the lower Connecticut River Valley on their migration route south. One flock of birds, primarily comprised of tree swallows, come each evening to an island to roost. It is speculated that these birds fly in from as far as 50 miles away. As many as half a million may come in at dusk where they converge just before sunset over the island, often creating a spectacular “ballet” in the sky and eventually forming a “funnel” or "rain". Then, just after sunset, they settle down into a communal roost in the phragmites (a type of reed) for the night. We will educate you on this phenomenon, answer questions and point out other migrating birds or local wildlife we may see. Bring a picnic basket, your favorite beverage and your binoculars (we have a limited supply on board to loan for the cruise) and enjoy the evening as we wait for the Tree Swallow spectacle. Please no children under 10 years old. This cruise is approximately three hours in length. Cost: $40 each passenger. Reservations required. Please use our on-line booking for this cruise, button on upper right hand corner of this page.

2013 CRUISE DATES:

Starting August 23th thru October 02. Check our Calendar and Special Cruises Page for exact dates and starting times. 

Please use our easy on-line booking. Thanks!

Private Charters:

The cost is $1400 for Friday or Saturday evening, $1200 for Monday thru Thursday based on 40 passengers. Over 40 persons would be $30 each, a maximum of 46 on a charter.

Contact Us. Please join our mailing list!

MyTV9 Star Sees Swallows at Sunset: Angela watches an air show like no other Watch Video>>>

Sarah Cody form Fox 61 DayTripper News came on a Tree Swallow Cruise with us. See her video:  Watch Video>>>

On Monday, 09-24, there were so many Tree Swallows in the air, that Ryan of NBC weather posted the radar images on his Blog:http://ryanhanrahan.com/2012/09/24/the-mysterious-radar-echoes-are-no-longer-mysterious/.

Gift Certificates Available