Bucket List: Rolling on the River and the Sound

Bucket List: Rolling on the River and the Sound

As a Long Island native I have to constantly remind myself that Westchester is not landlocked. It is actually surrounded by two incredibly beautiful bodies of water. Namely, the Hudson River and the Long Island Sound.

There’s not only water all around us here in Westchester but lots of ways to get out on it for a few hours of afternoon or sunset site seeing by boat or sail. The activities range from leisurely sailing to island hopping, maritime educational explorations and fireworks cruises. So, here at What To Do we decided to add some river and sound activities to our Bucket List. If you haven’t discovered yet, few are us are going to remain in Westchester forever. Before you go make it a point to Bucket List one of these river and sound adventures.

The Pride of the Hudson is a standard sightseeing boat with outdoor seating and an interior climate controlled salon. It may seem a little weird to hop a traditional vacation cruiser when you’re day tripping from home. But the Hudson River is not your standard river. And let’s face it, to most of us The Hudson River is the thing you cross on the Tappan Zee Bridge (yes, we still call it The Tappan Zee) to get to New Jersey. Or the water view at Harvest on Hudson or The Red Hat on the River. If you really have your antennas working you may have seen it picnicking at Boscobel before the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival or on the Walkway on the Hudson in Poughkeepsie.

But if you want to take in the glory of the river as it snakes through the majestic Hudson Highlands from Newburgh to West Point you need to book a narrated tour on the Pride of the Hudson. The Pride of the Hudson’s tour season goes from Mid-May to the end of October and costs just $26 for adults and $18 for children 4 to 11. Kids three and under go free.

These two hour tours launch from Pride’s Landing in Newburgh and cruise past Washington’s Headquarters where the General spent his time during the Revolutionary War. Next you will pass Mount Beacon the highest point between the Catskills and the Atlantic Ocean. Heading south you will pass Bannerman Island noted for its warehouse fashioned after a Scottish castle, Breakneck Mountain a granite quarry site that supplied stones for the Brooklyn Bridge, and the quaint town of Cold Spring.

After Cold Spring the river bends in a sharp “S” at World’s End the river’s deepest part. Here it was once believed the river stopped. Finally you will reach the tour’s southern most point at Constitution Island and West Point. On your return to Newburgh, make some time for some waterfront dining at Blu Pointe for it’s impressive raw bar, Billy Joe’s Ribworks  or Pamela’s on the Hudson for a less touristy ambience a little further north at the Hidden Waterfront under the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge.

The Schooner Soundwaters: For a more organic experience swing over to Stamford for a two hour public sail on the Schooner Soundwaters. This steel hulled, three masted sailer is 80 feet long and is certified to carry up to 40 people. Fashioned after a nineteenth century Chesapeake sharpie schooner it sports a quiet diesel engine to motor the vessel until the sails take over. Wide decks provide a comfortable experience and accommodate wheel chair passengers.

The Schooner sails summer evenings from Wednesday through Sunday for sunset sails as well as weekend afternoons. Special event sails include Stamford’s HarborFest that is held in late August – a day where thousands flock to Harbor Point Waterfront for historic harbor tours, mini golf, boat building, the Aquarion Cardboard Kayak Race and fireworks. And on the Fourth of July where their special four hour tour offers the best seats for Stamford’s annual Independence Day fireworks celebration.

All public sails are BYOLR (bring your own lobster roll) and beverage. Children must be five years old. The price is $35 for adults and $20 for children five to twelve. It sails from Bocuzzi Park in Stamford at 200 Southfield Avenue.

Norwalk Seaport Association Lighthouse Tours: The Norwalk Seaport Association offers sunset lighthouse cruises on the Long Island Sound from the Norwalk Ferry Dock at 4 North Water Street all summer. These two hour tours begin with a narrated tour of the historic Norwalk Harbor, taking you back to Norwalk’s early days when Native Americans introduced the English settlers to a strange seafood delicacy – raw oysters. As you leave the inner harbor you will cruise to the first of three Norwalk lighthouses Peck Ledge Light built in 1906 , then on to Greens Ledge Light built in 1902 and finally to the beautiful historic Sheffield Island Lighthouse, built in 1868 which is owned and operated by the Norwalk Seaport Association. All tours are on the 45 foot C.J. Toth catamaran that offers a 49 person capacity – open to all ages. Tickets are $30.

You can also board the C.J. Toth for a three hour lighthouse and harbor tour that includes a one-hour stop at Sheffield Island. There you can tour the lighthouse, observe wildlife in their natural habitat in the Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge, hunt for shells along the beach, dine on a picnic lunch, play on the lawns around the Lighthouse, and chill out. Tickets for this excursion are $37 for adults, $25 for children or buy the family four pack (two children/two adults) for $24.25 apiece. The Norwalks Seaport Association is also famous for its annual Oyster Festival, our areas largest carnival and oyster slurping festival with big time entertainment and harbor activities – held the second weekend in September.

Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk’s Spirit of the Sound Cruises: Finally, the Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk offers a variety of recreational and educational cruises on their state-of-the-art clean-energy, battery-powered vessel the Spirit of the Sound. Including TGIF and Sunday Sunset tours of the Norwalk islands all summer. The Sunday Sunset cruises run through the end of September. The Spirit of the Sound has a capacity of 40 people and all passengers must be at least 42 inches tall. Tickets are $31.50.

On The Spirit of the Sound’s daytime Marine Life Encounter Cruises you will study marine biodiversity from the water’s surface down to the bottom for a first-hand understanding of Long Island Sound’s interdependent marine life. They utilize such sampling techniques as a plankton tow, trawl net and bio-dredge that generally bring up a variety of fish, crabs, mollusks and more right before your eyes! These tours are offered on weekends through the end of September. But when school is out they run Wednesday through Sunday. No food is offered on the boat but you can bring your own.

All cruises depart from the Maritime Aquarium dock, which is next to the Parking Lot located at 4 North Water Street (at the corner of Washington Street ), a short walk from the Aquarium’s Main Entrance.