Hidden Harbor Tours®
Where do they go?

Port Newark & Port Elizabeth Tour

This tour passes by the Red Hook Container Terminal and visits Erie Basin, home of Hughes Brothers Barges and Reinauer Tugs before crossing the harbor toward Staten Island. It then enters Kill Van Kull, the area's busiest waterway dividing Staten Island and Bayonne, passing tug yards, oil docks and marine repair facilities. It then passes under the Bayonne Bridge and visits the giant container ports of Newark Bay, Port Newark and Port Elizabeth where the world's largest container ships tie up. On the way back, we pass by Military Ocean Terminal, the 9/11 Teardrop Memorial, the Robbins Reef Lighthouse and another container port, ending up at the Statue of Liberty for a moment before returning to Pier 16.

Brooklyn Tour

This tour goes up the East River to the former Brooklyn Navy Yard, passing under the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges. The Navy Yard has three large graving docks and an active shipyard, as well as the home port of FDNY's fireboat division. We then travel south along the Brooklyn waterfront, passing the new Brooklyn Bridge Park and the Red Hook Container Terminal, Atlantic Basin, and Erie Basin, home of Hughes Brothers Barges and Reinauer Tugs. We continue into Gowanus Bay and along the Sunset Park waterfront, home of the former large Bush Terminals. We then cross over to the Statue of Liberty for a moment before returning to Pier 16.

North River Tour 

We begin by passing around the southern tip of Manhattan and the large ferry terminals to Staten Island and Governors Island. We travel north up along the west side of Manhattan passing the Battery & Castle Clinton, then most of Hudson River Park, including historic ships, ferry terminals, fireboat terminals, historic Pier 57, Chelsea Piers, excursion boats, the Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum and finally the passenger ship terminals. We then cross over to the New Jersey side passing the historic Hoboken waterfront, scene of "On The Waterfront", another active shipyard, Morris Canal entrance and finally, as all our tours do, we visit the Statue of Liberty for a moment before returning to Pier 16.

Beyond Sandy Tours

Tour 1 - High Seas on the Inner Harbor: From Wall Street to Snug Harbor
This tour is from the Verrazano Bridge to Hoboken, including Brooklyn, Staten Island, New Jersey, The Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island. See where giant sea gates are proposed.

Tour 2 - Fire, Floods and Floating Containers:
East River - Hell Gate to Governors Island
This tour traverses the East River from Queens to Governors Island, including the East Side of Manhattan, Newtown Creek & Brooklyn Navy Yard. See the site of the giant electric sub-station explosion.

Tour 3 – Protecting Our Ports: From Red Hook to Newark Bay.
This tour traverses Kill van Kull to Newark Bay, including container terminals, oil docks, tug yards, & rail yards. Learn how close we came to a goods delivery crisis.

Newtown Creek Tour

Our comfortable charter boat will travel the length of Newtown Creek. The tour will pause at many interesting locations for narration and discussion. Guest narrators will cover historical, environmental, and conservation issues as well as the current use of the creek for maritime purposes.

Lighthouse Tours

On this tour you will see the following lighthouses:
Statue of Liberty Light, Robbins Reef Light, Fort Wadsworth Light, Coney Island Light, Elm Tree Light (Miller Field), New Dorp Light, West Bank Light, Romer Shoal Light, Sandy Hook Light, Navesink (Twin Lights), Great Beds Light, Princes Bay Light, Old Orchard Shoal Light, Staten Island Light

Circumnavigation of Staten Island Tours

This tour will feature several lighthouses as well as the following points of interest: St George, Kill Van Kull, Arthur Kill Graveyard of Ships, Tottenville Stapleton - Fireboat Fighter II

Walking Tour of Staten Island

Join WHC’s Mitch Waxman for an intense exploration of the Staten Island coastline of the Kill Van Kull, the busy waterway connecting Port Elizabeth-Newark with the lower harbor. Expect tugboats, special guests and a few surprises as we walk the two miles from the Staten Island Ferry terminal at St. George to Sailors Snug Harbor, home of the Noble Maritime Collection, featuring works of maritime artist John A. Noble.

Walking Tour of Lower Manhattan

Join us on the walk around the tip of Manhattan from the mouth of the Hudson River to the South Street Seaport Museum on the East River, where New York’s port first began and maritime piers in action today. The tour starts with sweeping views out over the harbor from the public roof deck at Robert Wagner, Jr. Park and includes historic Pier A and Battery Park to the US Custom House, Broad Street (the Gentleman’s Canal in Dutch times) and the historic shoreline along Pearl Street. Landmarks along the way include Fraunces Tavern, handsome India House, and along the East River, the newly opened waterfront esplanade. We then continue north to the historic ships and structures of the South Street Seaport District. The tour ends at the South Street Seaport Museum where your Hidden Harbor ticket includes admission to its recently inaugurated galleries celebrating the interweaving of the city and the sea.

 See a Google map of our Newark Bay Hidden Harbor Tour® 

Blue lines show the route - Click on the anchors to show the highlights

Come back soon for descriptions and a virtual Hidden harbor Tour®