Virginia Dare Cruises & Marina — Attraction in Virginia

My mom wanted to see the fall trees and I know she likes the water. I found this tour and thought it would be a nice trip for her. It is a good boat tour. The lake is beautiful, the boat ride is steady, the views are great, and there are food and drinks if you want them. I think the tour would be better at about 1.5 hours rather than 2, but small complaint. The Christmas lights probably look great in twilight but they were in the way if you were on the upper deck. My time spent at the bow with a full view and a bit of lake spray was more relaxing.

There was nothing surprising or exceptionally impressive. It was just a very good, relaxing boat trip around the lake. I'd recommend people to give it a shot if they'd like a sunny day out on the water.

The place to eat on the dock was hit or miss though. The pulled pork had a very strong pork smell and it was strange to order BBQ pulled pork that had no sauce or seasoning. Sandwiches were fine but pricey considering they definitely use cheaper breads and such. Ok to eat, not sure I'd recommend to...

Arrived at 5:40 and the boat was pretty full - so definitely get there sooner than you think! There’s dinner available ($45) and an option to just do the cruise ($30), which is what we did. It was a lovely evening and we saw the dam, learned about some of the history of the homes and the lake itself and saw some wildlife along the way. Highly recommend standing outside on the bow of the boat to get the air and experience that. The captain will let the kiddos ‘steer’ for as long as they want, which was really fun for them. Drinks are affordable and they do specials! Staff were so kind and accommodating. We really enjoyed! I think if all the speakers on the top level worked, we could have heard him better but we didn’t mind missing a couple things here and there. Good for groups and kids too! Family photos with the gorgeous mountainous and sunset views...

This was a beautiful ride, but I was disappointed at the intercom system. We couldn’t hear one thing the captain said about the history/scenery of the lake because the speakers were such low quality. The people at our table had the same complaint. Also, I think the boat could use some updates. I imagined it being nicer on the top deck, but it was just plastic tables and chairs. With some improvements, I think this could be a high quality experience.

Also, I recommend going to a different restaurant than the one next to the Virginia Dare. Since we didn’t buy dinner on the boat, we stopped at the grill next door before the boat ride. There were hardly any menu options, and they were out of chicken. It was incredibly loud, as well. If you’re into the drinking scene, the area near the Virginia Dare would be great. Otherwise, you should try a...