Sunset Cruise along the Connecticut River

posted by yazmin

19 Bridge Road, Haddam, CT 860-662-0577

A few weeks ago my hubby and I had our 9th wedding anniversary. To celebrate, we had a little date night on the Connecticut River aboard the RiverQuest sunset cruise. It was something I had been wanting to do for a while. It was the perfect way to celebrate a milestone in our relationship while getting a peaceful and romantic view of our home state.

We left the kids at home and made our voyage to Haddam, CT to board the sunset cruise. We’ve had a fairly busy year building our house and moving our family twice in 9 months so this was a welcome escape! We certainly needed some peaceful adult time to reconnect. The RiverQuest was the perfect low-key option for our date night. We brought along dinner and a few drinks and had a great time taking in the view.

There are several different RiverQuest cruises throughout the week. They even have a kids cruise that I’m dying to take my little ones on.

Parking

There is free parking located at Eagle Landing State Park. The cruise departs from dock #1. If you get there early (we didn’t) take some time and tour the grounds of the park. There are areas for picnicking, bird watching, fishing or just sit along the water and take in the view.

Reservations

Reservations are highly recommended and can be made online. Parties of 10 or more are asked to call to discuss options for sailing.

The sunset cruise is an adult cruise (12 years and older). Cost per person is $30.

Food & Drinks

You are welcome to bring along your own food and drinks (alcohol is welcome). They did include cheese and crackers for all to share. We brought along a small feast and had other passengers a little jealous!

The Boat

There are indoor and outdoor seats available on the RiverQuest. We had 2 chairs and a table at the front of the boat. There was a larger party that occupied the back of the boat. We passed a rain sprinkle and many of the people went inside to avoid getting wet. The boat is capable of holding 65 people but it wasn’t close to capacity on the date of our cruise. There was plenty of room to walk around.

The Cruise

The boat dock is located across from the Goodspeed Opera House. It sets sail down the Connecticut River with beautiful views. The captain narrates the tour and highlights points of interest along the water. We were able to see several different birds including 2 baby bald eagles.

We boarded the cruise in the early evening and sailed around the river until the sun began to set. Unfortunately for us, there was a lot of cloud cover the day we visited and we didn’t get the best sunset but we had a wonderful time taking in the scenery and enjoying each other’s company.