Lighthouses and Tales of Boston Harbor Boat Tour

Looking for something unique to do while in Boston, Massachusetts? Consider taking the Lighthouses and Tales of Boston Harbor boat tour with Boston Harbor City Cruises. On this trip, you’ll get to see multiple lighthouses while learning some interesting history about Boston.

Getting There

This boat tour departs from Long Wharf in Boston. If you’re not familiar with Boston, make sure you give yourself plenty of time to get there and find the spot. Boston has a lot of tunnels and it can really confuse the GPS because it might think you’re on one of the roads on the surface when you’re actually in one of the tunnels. So, just something to be prepared for.

There’s a parking garage that is right next to the wharf where the boat tour departs from. We were able to find a spot in that parking garage, although it was pretty packed because it was a really nice Saturday. However, if you can’t find a spot in this garage, there are other parking garages that are within walking distance of Long Wharf.

The Tour

This is a fun historical cruise that allows you to see Boston from the water. There is both indoor and outdoor seating available on the boat. The best views are definitely from the top deck, but there’s not a ton of seating up there. If you’re looking to snag a seat on the top deck, be sure to get there early to be first in line to board.

When we first departed, we had some great views of the Boston skyline. I think my favorite view was of the Boston Harbor Hotel. I had a lot of fun photographing the arch. I’m not really a city gal, but I sure do love architecture. That and historic stuff are pretty much the only reasons I suck it up and go into any cities.

Another building that caught my eye was the Custom House Tower. This tower, completed in 1915, was Boston’s first skyscraper. The 16-story tower is a Classical Revival-style building.

As we made our way further out, we came across the Boston Harbor Islands. The guide told a lot of interesting stories about the various islands. I didn’t realize there were so many little islands in the harbor!

The first lighthouse we saw on the tour was Long Island Head Lighthouse. Built in 1900, this lighthouse was the first cast-iron lighthouse in the United States.

The main attraction was Boston Light. Boston Light is the oldest and most famous lighthouse in Boston Harbor. The lighthouse is located on Little Brewster Island. The cruise takes you very close to the lighthouse, but you don’t get off on the island. But, the views from the water are great so I wasn’t disappointed!

From what I understand, usually the tour also includes Grave Light. However, it is very far out and we did not have enough time. We were only able to go 10 knots due to an endangered whale being in the harbor. We did still learn about the lighthouse from the guide and we could see it in the distance. However, since it was pretty hazy the day we went, it was hard to see.

Other Things to Know Before You Go

Some things to note are there are bathrooms onboard. Additionally, there is a snack bar that serves alcohol, non-alcoholic beverages, and light snacks. If you’re planning on sitting inside, it is air conditioned. If you’re going to sit outside, be sure to wear sunscreen and/or UV protective clothing.

If it rains or there’s other bad weather, the cruise will get cancelled. I was supposed to do this tour in the beginning of April, but it got cancelled due to rain. Thankfully, I was notified via text (which is my preference) and I was able to move my reservation to another date. It was extremely easy to do online. You can also move your date at any time, which I thought was really nice (I had to move my trip to another day the second time due to a time conflict with the person I was planning to go with).

Final Thoughts

Since I love seeing New England lighthouses and history, I loved this tour. The narration for the tour was super interesting and being on the harbor gives you some great views of Boston that you just can’t get from land.

Due to the hazy weather and not being able to get to Graves Light, I might do this tour again in the future. It left from a great location that had convenient parking, plenty of restaurants within walking distance, and even the aquarium you can visit right next to the dock where the boat departs from.

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