Richmond Canal Cruises

I enjoyed the historical information on the cruise. The captain/​guide was dressed in historical costume. This was the last weekend of the cruise for the season. It was a windy and chilly day. The tour was within a segment of the canal system up to both accessible ends.

Our tour guide was excellent. We had a special treat when the resident blue heron made an appearance.

Kinda boring but some to do for cheap. The girl working the ticket booth is NOT a people person and was very nonchalant but the guy touring was awesome with his historical knowledge.

This short excursion was very relaxing and informative. It is a great way to start your stay in Richmond as you can get oriented to the surroundings and the history that makes up this beautiful town.

$ 6 per person for a historical boat ride in Richmond? Great deal!
We were in town visiting friends and decided to check this tour out.
Please note that the dock is a little tricky to find. We ended up walking behind some buildings on a train track and felt a bit lost, but found our way eventually!
Our guide was great — you could tell that he was very much interested in the history of Richmond, and sharing it with others. The tour itself doesn’t go very far out, or see anything fast paced or completely amazing, but he made everything much more interesting and fun!

Excellent 40 minute tour — family friendly with a discussion of Richmond’s history as well as the different animals that live along the waters (the blue heron, the turtles, fish), and the buildings along the river. There’s some discussion of the engineering innovations — in language clear and simple to interest both children and adults.

4 stars for the guide who drives the boat. 3 – 3.5 stars for the actual overall experience. I bought a Groupon, so the price was phenomenal and I cannot complain there as I paid $ 4 for two people. My fiancé and I decided to take a canal cruise back in late April around 4 P.M. on a Saturday in hopes that there would be no crowd. Wrong. The cruise was completely packed. We were packed on that little boat like sardines. It was extremely uncomfortable, reminded me of riding the Metro when I lived in DC only on the water. You had no personal space and could smell the person next to you. I actually give two thumbs down for whomever is running this and directing the ticket seller to crowd so many people on one boat. The tour guide was pretty good and did a good job of driving the boat. I would’ve enjoyed him talking a bit more about Richmond’s history rather than driving over to turtles for us to have a closer look and talking about the interstate. I also echo the people who state that you really do not see much on this tour because you do not, it is definitely not a sightseeing tour. It’s one of those activities you do just to do and just to have something to do.

While visiting Richmond, we needed a break from all the walking we were doing and decided to take the tour. It cost about $ 6/​person and lasted about 45 minutes. The tour guide was friendly and knowledgeable about the history of Richmond but it was kind of boring. We traveled maybe two miles up the canal and turned around. It’s not good for sightseeing because you don’t see anything, but it’s great for relaxing and learning a bit about Richmond’s history.
Tours leave every hour on the hour. The boat is kind of small and they added chairs but the space is so small I couldn’t imagine sitting in a chair across from a stranger because there wouldn’t be any leg room. Overall it was something different and cheap to do in the city.

My husband and I were pretty disappointed. I was expecting more to look at. The tour guide was nice enough but kept saying he was «going off script» to add in things he thought were interesting and he spent more time than I thought was necessary talking about his own life. It was a bit strange.
The boat went slow and I felt like they did that to stretch out the length of the tour because you really don’t go that far.
My husband said after the most interesting thing was the drawbridge a the end of canal that was NOT talked about at all!
So, I’m not sure if it was our guide or what. Did he go so far off script that he veered from all the facts. I’m not sure.
It’s not that bad for the $ 6.00 you pay, but you really don’t see anything. So, if you want a kind of crowded boat ride with your knees touching other people it would be fine.

My boyfriend and I were looking for something fun and relaxing to do before leaving Richmond, and this was PERFECT. Tickets were only $ 6 per adult and bottled water was only $ 1. It was an easy two block walk from our hotel, but there was plenty of parking around. Our tour guide was David, and he was definitely passionate about what he was talking about, and even stopped his stories to point out turtles lounging on nearby logs, which the small kids on our boat definitely enjoyed. It was roughly 45 minutes and afterwards he took photos of us in front of his boat. It was obvious that he loves telling people some truly interesting stories about Richmond, and I would recommend this to anyone!
I do have to say that if you’re one of those people with no consideration of others who likes to talk throughout movies and tours, THIS IS NOT FOR YOU! Prior to our tour, David asked us to whisper during the tour so as not to spoil the tour for the rest of the guests. One family did not honor this and our guide stopped to ask them to please whisper. To this I say, THANK YOU! I appreciate any company that respects the wishes of everyone who is actually interested in what they paid money to do!
I can’t recommend the cruise enough. Beautiful, informative, and relaxing!

I have been in Richmond for a year and a half now, yet I only went on the Canal Cruise recently. Now all I can ask is: why did I wait this long?
My parents came down for the day and we were looking for something to do, and my dad spied this option in one of his many lists. We drove down, finding easy parking in a garage on Cary and Virginia street (which turned out to be FREE, since they don’t start charging you to be there until 3 PM, good to know), and walked to the canal. The cruises leave on the hour, so we bought our tickets from the kiosk and waited. It was a bit of a warm day, though the kiosk had bottled water for $ 1 (major props for the lack of price gouging there, way to appreciate your customers waiting in the hotness), and the boat itself had spinning fans once we boarded.
The tour itself was lively and fun. You end up taking a short jaunt west, then down the canal a bit east. Our tour guide was a riot («They call me Cotton because of the hair, not sure I’m the biggest fan of that!») and made the experience extremely memorable, not to mention that he was extremely knowledgeable about the city’s history. The tour lasted about 40 minutes or so and made for a pleasant ride.
I highly recommend this to visitors and natives alike. This is a great place for a date, family outing, or even a solo exploration of the canals that made Richmond a bustling trading port back in Washington’s day.
Overall: 5.0 stars
— — — —
Pros:
— Extremely fun and a great activity for groups.
— Lively tour guides.
— Fans and cheap water means that they actually care about your comfort and well-​being, points for that!
— Great for kids too, or at least the ones on this trip seemed to enjoy it immensely.
Cons:
— Nothing, really. It’s a great value for the money. They have restaurants nearby too, so make an evening out of it!

I wish the boat was larger, but I guess it wasn’t a big deal. I had a slight issue with the guide (Chrystina Z. mentions this too in her 2012 review), his nickname is Cotton and he is still calling the Civil War the «War of Northern Regression.» Me and my boyfriend were the only people from the north on the tour and I was the only African American on the boat; me and my boyfriend who is of another race didn’t really find it funny. I’m not saying the guy is racist; I don’t even know him, it was just an odd moment. He definitely was a knowledgeable guide and overall this tour was a lot better than our one earlier in the day which was pretty bad, so our expectations were probably not too high to begin with. Price ($ 6) is a good deal and it’s easy to walk to if you are staying in Shockoe.

It’s $ 6 per ticket, and only lasts about 45min. It’s something unique to Richmond, but there isn’t much to see along the way. You head south from the Turning Basin, and get a lovely view of the flood walls up close (a feat of the Army Corps of Engineers). There are some nice old warehouses littering the canal, but you could also see these on foot if need be.
My only issue is that the tour guide (an old guy) gives a history lesson on Richmond, and at one point he called the Civil War the War of Northern Aggression. Everyone in the boat sort of nodded in agreement except for us and an African-​American family. I think such language, perhaps commonplace in the South, is both foreign and disheartening to hear to those born North of the Mason-​Dixon line. However, I don’t hold that one man’s view against the company. The cruise itself is alright; that comment just seemed unnecessary for his history lesson.

Tours of this sort can often be disappointing however, this canal cruise went far beyond my expectations. With a very knowledgeable tour guide, and impressive control of his boat we were able to get a well done tour of a part of the city most people have probably never experienced. Would recommend to tourists and locals alike.

I really enjoyed this peaceful, relaxing tour of the canal. I learned so much from our tour guide, Mr. «High Cotton». I finally found out why Shockhoe Slip is called Shockoe Slip. LOL!
40 minute tour on a covered boat for $ 5. We took guests from out of town on the cruise and they enjoyed it. It is a historic cruise about the canals and canal locks of Richmond. It is not a cruise to see the city of Richmond. If you don’t like history of this sort, it may not be the cruise for you… but perhaps you will find it peaceful at the least.

The cruise wasn’t at all what we expected. We thought we would see more of the city, but the canal was enclosed by high banks almost the entire time. The tour guide was nice enough, but we found his dissertation on the boring side. Even though it was only $ 5, that is definitely what it was worth!

This tour is a must if you have people in from out of town that want to see some sights. At $ 5 per person it is an entertainment bargain. Our tour guide was entertaining and personable and well versed in Richmond history. Being still new to Richmond myself I got to see things from the water that it might have taken my years to stumble on just walking/​driving/​biking around town. It is also a great opportunity for picture taking as the views of downtown and Shockoe Bottom are beautifully framed by the canal bridge arches, etc.
Another bonus is the location. You are right near a number of restaurants and shops for an easy continuation of an afternoon out with guests.

This is the best $ 5 you’ve ever spent if you like to be on the water. It’s a narrated 40-​minute tour of the canals and James River on a covered boat, and you get a totally different perspective on the city. George Washington designed our canal system, even though he’s mostly known for that cherry tree incident. Cruises mostly run on weekends, although they add some Wednesday and Thursday runs during the peak tourist summer months.