Special Offer: Don't miss our Chowda & Brews (7/25) and Saturday Sundown (7/27) special cruises coming up! Book online or call our office for more info! More info.
Ticket Options

Online Tickets

Want to book a cruise with us?
Our narrated sightseeing tours are a great way to get out on the river and enjoy the scenery and wildlife of the salt marshes.Click below to see our public cruise schedule and book your tickets today!

Book a Cruise Now!

Give a thoughtful and unique gift! 
An Essex River Cruise! Available in any amount, your gift card will be sent via email to the recipient.

Buy Gift Cards!


Voted #1 Thing To Do in Essex

Our public cruises take you on a scenic journey down the meandering Essex River, a tidal estuary formed 15,000 years ago by melting glaciers of the last Ice Age. The marsh serves as a feeding ground for many species of beautiful birds and abundant wildlife. Pictured here is Hog, or Choate island, which you will learn more about on our public tours. Click below to learn more!

Learn more about public cruises


Tidal Beach Clambakes

Our traditional New England Clambakes are a unique way to entertain out of town visitors, family gatherings, or corporate outings. The tidal beach is a mostly secluded area perfect for enjoying beach games, swimming, sunbathing and team building activities. Get planning your event now!

Learn more about Tidal Beach Clambakes!

corporate outings

If you’re looking for a unique way to celebrate a milestone such as finishing a project, or landing a big account we’ve got the perfect venue for you! Options are limitless; ranging from a short cruise down the Essex River, to an all-out Tidal Beach Clambake in the sun lasting an entire afternoon. Click below to learn more and start planning!

Learn More about corporate outings!

Since 1992, Essex River Cruises and Charters has offered interesting & informative narrated cruises, charters, clambakes, company outings, and other celebrations. We operate daily, Mother's Day weekend in May through late October. Spend an afternoon on the Essex River with us to discover the beauty and heritage of the area. Explore the antique stores and other specialty shops, such as the Essex Shipbuilding Museum, and Cogswell's Grant Folk Art museum, and let us tell you how their history helped to shape the town into what it is today. Contact us now to plan a trip through the unspoiled and pristine waters of the Essex River!

Testimonials

Boston Globe

Enjoy a scenic river excursion that captures the essence of New England.

Yankee Magazine

A glittering coastal view few travelers are lucky enough to see.

Alyssa Dorsdik

Thank you all so much for giving us a relaxing, accommodating, and informative experience during our cruise yesterday. Everything was great, and we couldn't have asked for a more pleasant staff, not only during the cruise, but also throughout the planning.

Sue Friedman

We've talked to almost every friend/guest who participated in the celebration [a beach clambake], and each and every one of them not only raved aboyt the experience, but also highly praised the individuals who catered to us in every way, with such grace! Bob, the birthday boy, said he never wanted the night to end! It was all so utterly sublime!

Hidden Treasure on Boston's North Shore

Tranquil, expansive, and stunning, the scenery doesn't get much better than this...rippling along the edge of delicate beaches, passing stands of dune grass and mud flats mottled with holes left by clammers' forks, you will realize that you are entering a precious place.

ZoneLabs

Essex River helped us with a perfect company outing. The crew was terrific, the food was great and the location superb. From start to finish the staff was extremely helpful and fun; the tidal beach was perfect — plenty of room for a vicious game of volleyball as well as for more sedentary activities!

PaulaLB

We celebrated my parents 50th anniversary with 3 generations of family and it was absolutely perfect. The food was amazing, the boat terrific, the staff super friendly and knowledgeable — I would do it again in a heartbeat. They timed our trip so that low tide would create a sandbar in the middle of the broad, wide Essex River as it moved toward the greater water. They set up our tables,chairs, volleyball nets, etc. and we had a ball while awaiting our delicious food. Really, truly a perfect way to celebrate a family event.

Pat M

I live in the area and take this cruise every year. I learn something new every time...the scenery...the narration. We are lucky to live on the North Shore and have this company to help us enjoy it.