New York Urban Wildlife Sunset Boat Tour

A fantastic NYC evening.

This is an amazing tour! The boat we used was based on a 1920's era yacht. There is a place to sit inside where you can enjoy cocktails, soft drinks (the first one is included with the admission) and some light snacks all provided by the crew who made sure that everyone on the ship was well taken care of. They were great. The ship leaves Chelsea Piers at 6:15 PM and sails around the lower end of Manhattan going to the East River. You get great views of the Statue of Liberty and the Freedom tower. The boat then heads up the East River where you go under The Brooklyn, Manhattan and Williamsburg Bridges. You make your way up to the east side and make several stops at small islands along the way that are home to various birds. In addition to some bird watching our guide Gabriel was incredibly knowledgeable about the history of NYC and in particularly the story of the various islands we visited. He is also quite the naturalist who knew a ton about the behavior of the birds and plantlife that we saw. The highlight included a stop near South Brother Island where we saw Great Egrets flying in to nest for the night at the same time as the Black Crowned Night Herons were leaving the island to get started. We also saw various other birds as well. When we headed back the boat wend back down the east river as it was getting dark and you get some fantastic views of the skyline as the sun goes down and the lights of the city come on. If you are a nature fan or a New York History fan and want to learn about an area of NYC that most people don't know exist then this is the tour for you.

Response from the operator: Paul, thank you for booking an Urban Naturalist Tour: Abandoned Islands of the East River with us and taking some time to provide your valuable feedback and recommendation. We are delighted to hear you had such a fantastic NYC evening! It's wonderful that you enjoyed the style of the boat and were well taken care of by the crew. We're thrilled Gabriel shared his knowledge of NYC history and nature with you and that you experienced the amazing bird watching at South Brother Island. We hope to have another opportunity to host you on the water! - Classic Harbor Line

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Nice walk and beautiful views

I had already liked the Classic Harbor Line in the spring. But coming back in the winter with the family to see the nature taking care of New York Harbor was even more special. It is that kind of walk that slows down the journey, escapes the obvious and creates true emotional memory. If you already know the classic sights and want to live a quieter, more historic and wild New York, this tour is a sure choice. I went, I liked it so much that I came back, and would do it again without thinking twice.

Response from the operator: Gabriel, thank you for booking another cruise with us and taking some time to provide your valuable feedback and recommendation. We are delighted to hear you enjoyed the beautiful views and peaceful experience with your family during the winter season. Your description of creating lasting memories and discovering a quieter, more historic side of New York truly captures what we hope to offer. We hope to have another opportunity to host you on the water! - Classic Harbor Line

via Tripadvisor (translated)

Fun, educational -- and no drunks or loud music!

Finally, a NYC boat tour without drunks and loud music -- how refreshing! My wife and I took an Urban Naturalist tour to Hoffman and Swinburne Islands yesterday and were delighted by the experience, particularly our tour guide Russell, who was endearingly sweet and informative and effortlessly shared tons of interesting facts about the local ecosystem and New York City's history. Best of all: we saw seals -- a lot of them! Extra kudos for the first-rate sound system, which allowed us to hear Russell clearly when we were both inside and outside the boat. Based on this experience, we are going to take Classic Harbor Line's architectural tour, too.

Response from the operator: Ben, thank you for booking a tour with us and taking some time to provide your valuable feedback and recommendation. We are delighted to hear you enjoyed the Urban Naturalist experience to Hoffman and Swinburne Islands without the typical distractions. Russell will be thrilled to know his knowledge of the local ecosystem and city history made such an impact. We're pleased our sound system allowed you to hear clearly throughout the vessel, and we hope to have the pleasure of hosting you again soon on the architecture tour! - Classic Harbor Line

via Tripadvisor

Great views of architecture and abandoned islands

Gabriel knows so much about the transformation of the waterfront in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens, and about the birds and other wildlife inhabiting the islands. The team was fantastic— they took great care of us. There’s nothing like seeing the city from the water. Would love to go again. Not just for tourists!

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Great sailboat jazz cruise!

The staff was great..very accommodating with questions, beverages, knowledge of the area and the sailboat..views were great.. sailboat was beautiful ..jazz band was awesome too.. was a good touch to a good evening

Response from the operator: Joshua, thank you for booking a sail with us and taking some time to leave your valuable feedback. We are delighted to hear you enjoyed the jazz cruise, the crew, and the beauty of the sailboat! - Classic Harbor Line

via Tripadvisor