Riverquest

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…

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!

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.

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.