When I saw on Taste Tidewater's Facebook post that there were only 3 spots left for their Oyster &…read moreWine tour, I reserved the same day! It is also my birthday month and have had my eye on this tour for awhile. It was fate! Not knowing what to expect, I jumped the gun and paid immediately. When Rex, the owner, sent the itinerary, I saw 3 local restaurants, Catch 31, Rockefeller's, & Tautogs. My first thoughts were, "I hope this isn't lame...", "I could go to these places myself..." The group met at Virginia Aquarium for an optional tour inside for the first 30mins. I arrived late. Now, I wish I made it on time to hear more about oysters. Rex tried finding the group for me & we walked all around the museum. It was way too crowded, I was late, & didn't mind waiting. Perhaps walkie talkies as a communication tool for the husband & wife team. Not just for late arrivals. :) Could be distracting too but, just a suggestion. The aquarium attendants had no idea who or where the group was. I did appreciate the effort. Not many would help me catch up with group especially, since I was late. Our first stop was Catch 31. Table was set and ready to go. We had three chefs(one including one of our guides, Chef Patrick Evans-Hylton) and the sommelier at our table. They educated us about the oysters & wine. They walked us through the various types of oysters & wine, regions, how to eat, & how to taste. We were served 4 oysters each from one of the 7 regions & two wine tastings. There were condiments and crackers on the table. I thought this was definitely the most informative restaurant out of the three. Next stop was Rockefeller's. Again, tables were set & wine was poured! No menu w/ descriptions. We had 2 raw oysters and 2 oysters rockefeller. Then, we were served hush puppies w/ pimento cheese which were amazing. Last, was coconut cake! This restaurant had more food offerings which was good because after several glasses of wine, I was hungry & others were too!! Last stop was Tautog's. They sat us outside & setup was more buffet style. Glasses of wine were on a table for us to pick up as we walked in. The presentation was beautifully prepared. They had 3 of their house sauces which were delicious! I thought the sauces were needed with these oysters. Others agreed. Didn't taste as fresh as the previous restaurants. I believe they were Lynnhaven and I've had Lynnhaven oysters before. So, not a reflection on the tour. There was also fresh cut fruit on the oyster platters. Only because TT asked, my recommendations would be: * Posting sample itineraries on social media * Clearer description of what to expect with regards to food so people know whether or not they should eat prior to the tour or pack a snack/sandwich. * Website shows they would be "happy to provide water and light snacks." None were offered. * Market/advertise the 10% off Yelp Check-in offer * Advise up front the 10% off Yelp Check-in is NOT valid for the Oyster & Wine tour. A portion of proceeds go towards non-profit which I totally understand & appreciate, just set the expectation. Overall, this was a lovely experience that one can comfortably do solo! I did and I truly enjoyed! Hands down. I am so happy to see a company like this on the East Coast and executing with such class. Please don't think this is a drunken wild party bus. It is a tasteful informative experience with subject matter experts who also enjoy partaking in libations while sharing their knowledge! :) I hope to see more food tours added to their current list. Rex, Lisa, & Chef Patrick were cordial, knowledgable, fun, and professional. Thank you so much for a memorable experience!

I went on the vineyard tour for a bachelorette party!! It was a fabulous time! Lisa, our tour…read moreguide, was knowledgeable, informative, and very hospitable!! Looking forward to the opportunity the either do a brewery tour or a different vineyard tour in the near future!!

Took the historical tour on Feb. 20 and was taken by the professionalism of the guide and his…read moreknowledge of the Jamestown and Yorktown areas. The tour bus pulled up and the guide greeted everyone on board and let us know where we would be going and what we would be seeing. He also had handouts which identified the areas we would be seeing. During the tour the guide went into specifics of when significant events happened during the historical time periods. The tour was comfortable and had background music playing to accompany the guide. There were plenty of opportunities to stop for restroom breaks and we were also asked if anyone needed to stop. Overall the tour went by very quickly, did not seem like 3 hours had past. I would recommend this tour, should also mention that the guide was pointing out museums and restaurants to visit.

From the owner: Explorer Tours provides two different tours at the moment. One is a guided tour of Jamestown,…read moreWilliamsburg, and Yorktown better known as the Historic Triangle. Our other tour is visiting local craft breweries where you get to experience their beer on us! Both tours are on luxury buses with the most knowledgeable and friendly team in the Triangle.

Yummy pretzels. Warm, fresh. Excellent, quick, friendly…read morebartenders. Inside & out was very very nice

Alewerks was a decent stop for live music on a Friday night, but it landed kind of in the middle…read morefor me. The breath itself has a relaxed, casual atmosphere and a good selection of beers. It is a good place for a group of people. Service was fine, but fine is probably the one word I'd use to describe the experience. The beer selection was fine, they tasted fine, the music was fine, everything was fine, but with so many breweries in the area and other places to grab a drink, I think I was expecting a little more from Alewerks. Anyway, not a bad experience by any means and I can see why locals enjoy it, but for me it's a solid 3-star. It was enjoyable for the stop, but not enough to come back to when I'm back in the area.

I had an amazing experience with Wild Horse Adventure Tours! Booth was both our driver and tour…read moreguide, and he did a fantastic job. He was knowledgeable, friendly, and made the tour fun from start to finish. His driving skills were excellent, and he made sure everyone had a great view while sharing interesting facts about the wild horses and the local area. We were lucky enough to see several wild horses, and it made for an unforgettable experience. I highly recommend Wild Horse Adventure Tours, and if you get Booth as your guide, you're in for a great tour!

Our Wild Horse Adventure Tour was so fun and educational! Our guide, Richard, was very…read moreknowledgeable and taught us the three rules regarding the wild horses. -Don't engage the wild horses or try to get their attention. -Stay at least 50 feet away from the wild horses. -Don't feed the wild horses. We learned so much and even got to see a new baby!

It was only this year (2024), did I realize that Williamsburg has a haunted river cruise. It…read moredeparts at the James City County Marina, which I also did not know existed. It's a one hour haunted river tour on a clean 28 passenger pontoon boat, which has a bathroom on board. Our tour guide (Carter?) was a great storyteller, which is crucial when it comes to haunted tours. He brought the macabre stories back to life & his humor added to my enjoyment, without being cheesy or overly peppy. It was a nice hour on the James River while we listened to ghostly & historical tales (many I had not heard). While it was not scary (honestly, what haunted tours ever are?) , it was very entertaining & peaceful and rather nice to cruise the river at night. It was great that they tastefully decorate the boat, setting the tone & mood for a hauntingly good evening! While you are not permitted to take video of the tour itself, you are encouraged to take as many photos as you wish. I would say that this is one of the best ghost tours I've been on in a long time. Also the only haunted tour I ever experienced on a boat, which was cool! Meet at the marina 15 minutes prior to the tour, they will have a sign. There is a bathroom at or near the Billsburg Brewery which is directly across from the marina. Parking can be challenging if there's an event at the brewery. Tours can be canceled due to inclement weather or not enough participants.

It was fantastic! The story teller was one of the best we've ever heard, thanks Theo! Love the…read morelighting and decor too!

The concept is amazing; their delivery: leaves much to be desired. Upon arriving 3 mins before…read moretheir 4:15pm start time, we walked into the downstairs of Capital to see the rest of the tour folks taking a drink of the 2nd beer sample. I politely ask the tour guide, "What beers were sampled today?" His response was a look of confusion, and he didn't know the beers that were sampled. Better yet, we were not even offered the samples. Strike 1. Everything seemed a little disorganized and that was made evident when the owner, not giving the tour this past Saturday, asks "Who hasn't purchased tickets yet?" We were immediately looked at and given the look, you're not going on the tour because you walked in last; regardless of the fact that we purchased our tickets over a month beforehand. Evidently, the company could not count the number of people on their own tour list to see that we had 2 people too many. A couple that was there on their anniversary date were asked/told they would not be going and they would be given an extra two tickets. Strike 2. Upon getting on the bus and rolling over to Legends the group we were with was a solid group. We were all joking and having a good time. At Legends everything was a little chaotic and not organized at all (definitely not a shock after our start). It was nothing beyond the standard Legend flight, that was poured and half the time the tour guide pouring didn't know what was in the pitcher (Pale or IPA, he did not know). Really? Also, we were told nothing about the beers that were being poured, were given no tour or description how they brew there, nothing. Strike 3. Next up was Midnight Brewery. We arrive and find out there is some beer festival going on; interesting. We get inside and the guide has no idea what is going on. 5-10 mins later he walks around and hands us all a $5 beer coupon and says, "They are not doing samples due to the event." Ok. So my group and myself proceed up to the pouring area and talk to the bartender. Super nice and points out that most of the small brewery owners were there hanging out. So, the bartender knows more than our guide, awesome! We get introduced to the owner and was ask him to give us a tour. He was very welcoming and then introduced us to Neil Burton, the founder of Strangeways (where we were heading next). A huge thumbs ups for Midnight! Tour company: strike 4. We get to Strangeways and everything was. . . . unorganized/chaotic. Surprised? Me either. They give us a few samples to taste, and were nice. We again, heard nothing about their brewing process, did not see the brewing room, nothing. The beer was tasty, no question. Strike 5. This tour needs a major overhaul for it to be worth it. At $65 a ticket, this was one of the biggest wastes of $130 we had spent on a night out ever. I'm not one to bash a company, but for the 3 places we went (I'm not counting Capital since we didn't get any samples there) we could have gone and asked for a tour, had a few samples and spent half what we did.

What a fun night!!! I rented the Richmond Brewery Tour bus for my boyfriend's birthday and we had a…read moreblast! Tommy was great to work with and our driver Jay was both informative and a ton of fun..(maybe I should mention patient and tolerable as well!! )We started off at COTU with a tasty, generous tasting and little history of the brewery in a private room in the back. We then headed to Hardywood for another generous tasting and private tour then over to Isley for more personal attention and more beer! We are all still talking about the great time we had on the brewery tour. I would HOP on Board again anytime!!

My sister was visiting from FL and I wanted to do something special for her. The Rudee Rocket was…read morea boat I had wanted to ride on for years but never did as I lived here, I thought it was too touristy LOL. I'm so glad we did this ride, it was so fun! The captains on the boat were so nice and did such a great job! You definitely need sunscreen and don't wear a hat, you'll definitely lose it! They have cold water on board for $3 each, so convenient as it is hot! The tickets were about $35 each and parking was $10. The ride is one hour, 30 minutes at a smooth pace and then FAST for the 30 minutes back. I highly recommend this ride if you haven't done it!

We had a really great time on our sunset/night fishing excursion. It was from 6:00 pm to 9:30 pm.At…read morefirst I was nervous because it appeared there were a LOT of people on board with not a ton of extra space or rods, but we settled in just fine and we had space. Honestly, my kids had the BEST time. We had a group of 6 people and I'm not kidding, we probably caught 40 fish between all of us--mostly Croaker. We kept a handful to do the "biggest fish pool" challenge, but didn't win. My boys were disappointed about that, but has nothing to do with Rudee Tours. Really professional captain and crew--the first mates were super friendly and nice. They also were super attentive to my boys and engaged with them a lot, which made them feel very special. Had a fabulous time and will totally be back. It's worth the money and was beautiful watching the sun go down.

The tour and tasting was a great experience. It combined a thorough history of the hotel and the…read moredistillery along with the process. The staff was very friendly and knowledgeable, my tour guide Sean took the time to answer all of my questions. The tasting room was next to the historic Hunt Room tavern and the bourbon was great. I highly recommend the Old Cavalier and the Discretion BIB.

Had a really nice time touring Cavalier Distillery! The history alone is worth the visit, but the…read moretasting really sealed the deal. We did the extra tasting of the Old Cavalier (highly recommend!) and couldn't leave without the Hye Rye, the Old Cavalier, and that incredible Bourbon Cream. Love seeing the dedication that goes into hand-bottling every single bottle. These will be staying well-stocked in my bar from now on! We'll be back for sure. Here's to the Cavalier Distillery!

What an incredible adventure! I joined The Nature Bus today with my husband for a birding…read moreexpedition on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, led by Suzanne Moss and tour guide James Abbott. The tour was beautifully organized from start to finish -- we even stopped in charming Cape Charles for a lovely lunch. Even though I'm not a birding expert, I enjoyed every minute of the experience. Suzanne and James made it fun, informative, and welcoming for everyone, regardless of skill level. The group was so friendly and helpful, and the entire day was filled with laughter, learning, and beautiful sights. I highly recommend The Nature Bus for anyone looking to explore the natural beauty of Virginia in such a thoughtful and enjoyable way! My only regret is that I did not do a tour sooner. I am looking forward to more adventures on the Nature Bus. Susan and Tom Mayo Virginia Beach

Spent the day on the bus learning about oysters. It was very informative. Suzanne and James (James…read moreRiver Association) were so accommodating. We went to VIMS and learned about oyster lifecycle then onto Big Island Aquaculture for oyster tasting. Wonderful experience