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Wilmington is a coastal escape in North Carolina, boasting the Brunswick and Cape Fear rivers on one side and various island reserves and beaches on the other. For this reason, many people visit Wilmington to escape life’s daily hustle and bustle. Staying in tucked-away accommodations, such as Wilmington KOA Holiday, a top campground with easy beach access and rustic lodging, is one way to do this. Embarking on a fun and informative boat tour that showcases the city’s surrounding natural beauty and history is another.
You can choose from a range of boat tours that focus on different aspects of Wilmington’s waterways and coastal experiences. River cruises let you experience the serenity of the city’s inland waterways and the history of its riverside hubs, while island and beach excursions reveal some of North Carolina’s most stunning coastal destinations. If you prefer more of a hands-on experience, you can also join a sailing excursion where you’re part of the crew or relax as a passenger while enjoying the sea breeze on your face.
As you can imagine, the choice of boat tours here can be a tad overwhelming. To help you decide, we’ve compiled this list of the five most beloved Wilmington boat tours. We’ve focused on excursions that are fun and educational, transporting you to picturesque places around the city. Using guides from local publications, as well as Google and Tripadvisor reviews, these excursions are the most loved by visitors and locals.
Cape Fear Riverboats
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The Cape Fear River is the largest of its kind in North Carolina, flowing for over 200 miles and providing an integral life source to many of the state’s major cities, including Wilmington. It’s a busy waterway, used for commerce and sightseeing, and can be experienced from the city’s riverside walkways, on long drives, or even in a kayak. However, one of the best ways to learn more about the river and see its different sides is by taking a boat tour with Cape Fear Riverboats.
This popular boat tour company is highly rated on Google and Tripadvisor, with more than 800 combined reviews. It’s also ranked as one of the top attractions in Wilmington on Tripadvisor. The company has been running educational sightseeing cruises up and down the river since 1987. These tours focus on the history of the river, as well as its wildlife. “The ride is smooth, relaxing, and full of beautiful views along the river. The narration is engaging and informative, sharing interesting history and fun facts about the area without feeling overwhelming,” one guest writes on Google.
You have a few options aboard the company’s two boats: the Henrietta and the Osprey. You can focus more on the Cape Fear region’s sights and nature, admire Wilmington’s historic downtown area and iconic bridge during sunset, or venture along the Cape Fear and Black rivers with an onboard ecologist sharing fascinating insights. Unfortunately, the last option only runs once a month, so you’ll need to get the timing right. Depending on which adventure you choose, you might learn about Wilmington’s rice culture, hear Civil War stories, witness historic riverside homes, visit a working port, or explore a cypress swamp river.
Wilmington Water Tours’ narrated cruise around Eagles Island
If you want to learn more about Wilmington’s surrounding coastal nature but don’t have a lot of time, a one-hour cruise is a good way to go. This one, run by Wilmington Water Tours, is a short but informative and scenic journey from Downtown Wilmington along the Cape Fear River to Eagles Island. It has a 4.6 rating on Tripadvisor, where 90% of past guests also recommend it. It’s also ranked at the top of Tripadvisor’s list of top boat rides and cruises in Wilmington. People often comment on how informative the captain is when exploring the water around Wilmington.
“Excellent educational information from the captain. He gives a friendly and comical tour guide. Beautiful scenery of surrounding wetlands and natural wildlife,” one traveler says on Tripadvisor. You just need to time your cruise correctly to get on the route you want to experience. According to the official site, cruises that leave on even-numbered hours go straight to Eagles Island for nature sightseeing, shipwrecks, and education about Wilmington’s history with rice plantations. The ones that leave on odd-numbered hours go to the ports and harbor, teaching you about Wilmington’s war history and modern boating culture.
Fortunately, if you want to do both options, it’s possible by arranging it through the company or with your captain. Tickets for one route cost $24 for adults and $8 for children between 3 and 12 years old (at time of writing). If you want something to eat before your tour, head to CheeseSmith, Wilmington’s favorite comfort food spot, transforming grilled cheese into a uniquely gourmet feast.
Wrightsville Beach Scenic Boat Tours
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Located at Wrightsville Beach, about a 10-minute drive from the center of Wilmington, Wrightsville Beach Scenic Boat Tours offers multiple routes with different focuses. However, the one that gets the most praise and attention from Google reviews is the Sunset Boat Cruise. This 1.5-hour-long voyage departs from Wrightsville Beach, with the stops changing depending on the weather and season. The main thing is that you’re out on the water, enjoying a peaceful journey while visiting islands and potentially even seeing dolphins as the sun sets.
That’s right. One of the most talked-about parts of sunset cruising with this company is dolphin spotting. Guests are often able to see multiple dolphins during the cruise while also learning about the region’s marine life and history. “The captain was friendly, knowledgeable, and accommodating! We found lots of dolphins right at sunset,” one guest writes on Google. These dolphin spotting opportunities may be a big reason the boat tour has a 4.8-star rating from over 220 reviews.
At the time of this writing, the Sunset Boat Cruise costs $45 per person. You’re also allowed to bring your own drinks aboard, so you can toast a lovely evening with a couple of sundowners. Another popular route is the one-hour Masonboro Island Cruise, which costs the same and transports you to a white-sand island with great shorebird watching and potential sea turtle sightings. Before your cruise, you could stop in at Motts Channel Seafood, Wrightsville Beach’s top-rated seafood market, to purchase fresh fish or crustaceans for lunch.
Carolina Runner
As another boat tour located in Wrightsville Beach, Carolina Runner has a near-perfect 4.9-star rating on Google. It also has two tours (Sunset and Island Hopping) ranked in the top five boat rides and cruises in Wilmington on Tripadvisor. The Sunset Harbor Cruise is a 1.5-hour voyage out on the ocean with chances to spot dolphins, turtles, and numerous seabirds. Many people love the coastal scenery, and this option has a 4.9-star rating on Tripadvisor, recommended by 97% of travelers.
The Island Hopper Cruise, meanwhile, is two hours long and includes two islands, Money and Masonboro. The tour usually stops first at Money Island, where you can run or slide down sand dunes. If time permits, you’ll also have a chance to explore the unique barrier ecosystem around Masonboro Island, including shell hunting. This one has a similarly strong 4.9-star rating on Tripadvisor, as well as a 100% recommendation rate.
Both of these cruises only operate between March through October, and people speak highly of the informative captains and crew, who teach them a lot about the wildlife and area. “Amy and Rick were great hosts and very informative about the area, islands, tides, weather, wildlife, and what to expect,” one passenger says on Tripadvisor. Both tour options cost $50 for adults and $25 for children ages 12 or younger. The company also offers dog-friendly cruises on Sundays and private charters for parties and groups.
Shamrock Sailing Adventures
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If you prefer being out on the water in a sailing boat, Shamrock Sailing Adventures comes highly recommended. More than 270 reviews on Google have given this company a perfect five-star rating. Some highlight the extensive knowledge of the area’s history that Captain Jim shares during the voyages.
Others also speak highly of the sunset cruise option, recommended by 98% of past guests on Tripadvisor, where it has a 4.9-star rating. This two-hour journey includes dolphin spotting in the waters around Wrightsville Beach and Masonboro Island. “Great sail. Jim was super nice and pointed out many sites along the way. I didn’t know much about the Barrier Islands and enjoyed learning about them,” one guest writes on Tripadvisor.
If sunset doesn’t work with your plans, you can also book a two-hour voyage in the morning or afternoon. The morning trips are often less windy as well, which is ideal if you’re prone to sea sickness. All of these sailing excursions cost $115 per adult, which includes water and ginger ale on board; you can also bring your own alcohol aboard. Make sure to check the availability of your tour online, as the company operates on weekends from March through August, but some trips are only available during certain months. The tours leave from the Masonboro Yacht Club, about 5 miles from Downtown Wilmington.
Our methodology
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To compile this list of the most beloved boat tours in Wilmington, we researched all the possible options in and around the city. We used the official Wilmington and Beaches site and CarolinaBeach.com to find top-rated options from local reviews. We also cross-referenced these with the ones listed on Tripadvisor and Google Maps.
For this list, we prioritized the highest-rated boat tours with at least 100 reviews on either Google or Tripadvisor. We also looked at numerous individual reviews to make sure that the chosen options were known for educating their passengers as well as showing them Wilmington’s surrounding natural beauty. Most of the options are available year-round, ensuring a sea adventure even in the winter.
