I had heard of pedal taverns but never a pedal cruise. What a fun concept. Although most of us were…read moretoo lazy to pedal, we still had a wonderful time. They have 10 seats set up at a bar top style long table where you can pedal away and reach into the coolers in front of you to grab your drinks, which are BYOB. We brought lots of snacks and sandwiches also. Although there are only 10 seats, there are plenty of extra seating areas on the cozy boat. We had 19 guests with us. Captain Dave and first Mate Michelle were great hosts. We hooked up our phone to their Bluetooth speaker to play all our favorite songs. We went on the Sunday afternoon Cruise, which took us out along the shoreline out to the Island area and back. It was a lot of fun, laughs, and an overall enjoyable afternoon.

Bring ear plugs to save your hearing. Bring motion sickness pills to save your stomach. Don't sit…read morein front, cause you will get wet. Really an annoying boat right.

My boyfriend and I went for a mini vacation in Norwalk, CT and I booked the Sunset Harbor…read moreLighthouse Tour which we went on this past Sunday evening from 6:30-8:30, on 8/10/25. This tour was definitely a highlight of our trip! Captain John and Charlie were great and all the passengers aboard had a great time! We passed three lighthouses-Peck Ledge LH, Sheffield Island LH and Green's Ledge LH. Charlie, co-captain of Captain John, had just toured the inside of Green's Ledge LH the day before which is listed on Airbnb for $6,000! He went around the ship showing everyone the floor plan. It especially exciting to be on the Long Island Sound and to see the red and white towers from Northport, since I live on Long Island!! We were able to see several different viewpoints of the sunset and osprey nests as well. Definitely recommend to residents of Norwalk AND tourists alike!

Like a lot of other dork type middle age dudes I'm a sucker for a good lighthouse. Actually I've…read morebeen to a few clinkers which says that I'm apparently I'm also a sucker for a bad lighthouse as well but there's no need to worry about that at Sheffield because it's all good here. So if you want to come you've got two legal options. 1. Show up via kayak (or I suppose boat then taking a short swim) during hours when they are running tours and you will be met on the shore by a volunteer who will ask you to pay a few dollars for the privilege of taking the lighthouse tour/hanging out on the island. 2. Or, you come via the regularly scheduled boat that runs from the dock on North Water Street in Norwalk from late May until the end of September. There are various public & private decks for parking all around the area so it shouldn't be too hard to find a close space. I don't remember what the price is for option #1 but for option #2 the below currently apply: Adults: $22.00 - Children 12 & Under: $12.00 Senior / NSA Member $20.00 Active Military with ID $10.00 Children 3 & Under: $5.00 Family 4 Pack (2 Adults, 2 Children) $55.00 A few random facts: Boats depart weekends only every year over Memorial Day weekend and eventually go daily from July until Labor Day and then back to weekends only until the end of September. Check seaport.org for the current schedule and for special events such as their clambakes. Once you get to the island you get to take a brief tour of the lighthouse which was built in 1868 (downstairs only for now as the upstairs tower portion is being worked on and hopefully tours will be allowed there in the not to distant future once they get the stairs in better shape along with figuring out a way to dissipate the heat which we were told was well over 100 degrees the day we were there in August) and you can also walk through the nature trail via the Stewart B. McKinney Wildlife Refuge. If you are going to walk on the nature trail or along the beach that fronts Sheffield Island Harbor just know that things are "wild" and that you will get eaten alive by flies, mosquitoes and I wouldn't be shocked if the trees had lots of ticks. The lighthouse was relit in 2011 for the first time in 91 years. Why Sheffield Island? The island was named after Revolutionary War veteran Captain Robert Sheffield who bought the island in 1804. He married Temperance Doty, a Mayflower descendant and such started the current lineage of the island's name. The 47 acre island is private property that is primarily owned by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service with the Norwalk Seaport Association depending upon the website owning only three or four of those acres. You will be reminded a few times of where you can and cannot walk. Speaking of an area you can't walk by it would be the dilapidated house on the right near the dock. That house is still owned by the Stabell family who sold the island to the Norwalk Seaport Association in 1986 for 700K. I forget the exact story we were told but it's something along the lines of the "home" (more of a dilapidated shack) cannot be renovated because of Fish and Wildlife Service rules and if they raze the structure they lose the land so the shack stands as is. The island itself is around a mile and half from the dock in Norwalk and the boat is kept at a country club pace in both directions which equals about 40 minutes to make the trip in each direction. This is fine as one of the crew did a fairly good job or telling everyone about some of the various islands & lighthouses & birds in the area and about the local shellfish industry. Past that it's just sit back and relax on some of their picnic benches and have a picnic or don't do a damn thing except the enjoy the beautiful view. Either way it's awesome.

It's a beautiful place to spend with your family. It's a small quiet beach with clear water.read more

Great park. Went here for the first time for my company picnic. We took up the entire pavilion…read morearea. Weather was good, mid 70's. Set-up some volley ball, frisbee can, corn hole, and few people fished along the shore. Looks like they also have a beach and place to launch kayaks. Our picnic was in mid-September, since those activities looked like they were done for the season, we'll have to wait until next year, if we go a bit earlier.

Carefree is the perfect solution for busy two-career families who want to boat but don't have the…read moretime or wherewithal to maintain one. It's essentially "Zipcars" for boats- you take the boat out, have fun, and hand back the keys when you're done. Carefree also removes all the barriers to entry into a boating lifestyle. The conscientious and courteous staff helped us get licensed, trained us, and they keep us up to date on the tides and weather conditions. Best of all, it is affordable. I'm so glad we joined; I just wish we had known about Carefree last summer!

From the owner: Carefree Boat Club is your ultimate alternative to buying a boat. Boating off the Connecticut…read moreshoreline has never been easier. With a membership to our exclusive club, you don't have to worry about maintenance, trailering, moorage, usage fees, insurance, covering or even cleaning. You have unlimited access to not just one boat but our entire fleet of boats, from our locations, plus 50 clubs nationwide, and free on the water safety training is also included. Carefree Boat Club strives to provide our customers an affordable boating experience that is fun, easy, safe, and hassle-free through professional boat safety training, quality maintenance, excellent customer service, and unsurpassed industry knowledge. Whether you are interested in Fishing, Water Sports, or just cruising Long Island Sound we have the right boat for you. Unlike a boat timeshare, our membership plans grant you unlimited usage of not just one boat, but many types of boats.

I HAD to go back to this because it's such an amazing experience. I'm sure they do more than "Fall…read moreFoliage" trips but that's when I visited in the past. Despite my best efforts in the past to do Fall train rides, which turned out to be disappointing only because there was never any good colors on trees, this by far is the very best fall foliage experience I've ever had in my life. You get great views of the tree color transitions and just great photo opportunities. It does get cold on the water so bring a jacket. Experience is as excellent as last time with beverages and snacks for purchase. If you enjoy fall colors, great scenery and boats then you have to do this at least once.

A peaceful Hudson River cruise from Peekskill to Bear Mountain. Beautiful views and a truly…read morerelaxing experience! Such a wonderful way to spend the day. Very pleased with this cruise!

Beautiful evening on the Bella Sophia with Captain Paul. What a relaxing cruise on a beautiful 43'…read moremotor yacht. I definitely will be doing this again.

We chartered Paul's boat for a friend's birthday and it was so much fun! Paul and Bella were great…read moreas hosts and provided snacks and sodas for the trip. They also had a speaker for us to hook up to our playlists. Overall great experience definitely recommend

I absolutely love participating in Carefree boat Club. It has honestly been one of the highlights…read moreof the season with all of the fun and none of the maintenance of a boat. The one drawback to a boat club are the time constraints. I completely understand that it goes with the territory of the club but it's still SO much fun! You get the choice of several boats in each location: we mostly take it out of the marina in Bridgeport near Boca but there are many throughout the state- with our favorite being Old Saybrook. While in the Bridgeport area, there are many places to stop for tubing, food, paddle boarding. This was our first season and I am already looking forward to next season!

Super easy boating experience. Great value when you consider maintenance storage docking etc…read more because you effectively share costs with 4-8 people. But best part is no cleaning work or time spent refueling. Just show up, load up and enjoy the day. You only pay for the gas you use. Then come in unload and go. Dock people are friendly and helpful getting in and off the dock. They offer classes on docking. The only downside is not being able to use a boat on a weekend spur of the moment. I've never had a problem 2 weeks out but otherwise weekends fill up. Weeknights are often free for a spur of the moment sunset cruise. This is a franchise with different local owners. SE CT has a great owner who cares about his customers.

I found their Wednesday group paddle on FB. You can rent single, doubles or paddleboard from them…read morefor the group paddle. You can also BYOB and join for free. I showed up with my own paddleboard and had a great time exploring the Long Island Sound from Walnut Beach. They also rent bicycles. They have a cute little shop right near the water. I look forward to visiting again and renting a bicycle to explore the nearby parks. Thanks for an awesome community event.

Small Hidden establishment, a few hundred yards from the beach. Very Friendly and laid back staff…read more You can rent Kayaks, bicycles and paddle boards. All in great condition, colorful and new! A great way to spend an hour to a full day in the sun and fresh air! Gift shop is available, too, featuring beach ware and beach necessities to ukuleles!!! If you want to spend quality time with a loved one or just yourself, Go! You won't regret it!