Woods Hole Harbor Tours
Great Harbor and surrounding islands
Round trip: 2 – 20 miles
Time: 1 – 6 hours
Board our Woods Hole Island Tours at the Landfall Restaurant, and enjoy a boat ride through
Woods Hole Harbor as we narrate the history and culture of the area, learning how Cape Cod
was formed by glaciers, about the Native Americans and the early explorers.
Learn about the Steamship Authority, the Woods Hole Oceanographic institution , The Marine
Biological Laboratory, the Fisheries, NOAA, our Aquarium, Penzance Point, and our own
neighborhood of houseboats .
If you want to keep going, your custom tour would explore the surrounding waters of the
Elizabeth Islands and Martha’s Vineyard where Bartholomew Gosnold first set foot on land.
Experience the undeveloped coastline, classic New England fishing villages, beautiful beaches,
lighthouses, take a swim, or enjoy a picnic.
Information can be found at www.woodsholeislandtours.com
Many visitors come to Woods Hole on the water. There are several good deep water harbors within a dingy-trip of provisions in Woods Hole: Great Harbor, Little Harbor, Eel Pond, Hadley Inner Harbor, Hadley Outer Harbor and Quissett Harbor. Mooring is available in Great Harbor and Eel Pond through several vendors including Woods Hole Marine. Moorings are free in Hadley Harbor, which is near Woods Hole.
Current Tides
Click the link below to view tides, sunrise, sunset and moon phases.
» View tide charts
Fishing
The currents and tides that run between here and the islands are famous for their treacherous passage, but they are also excellent for fishing! People come from around the world to sport fish our churning and scenic waters. Some want adventure, others a nice boat ride where you can visit some of the deserted beaches and hidden places. Either way, there are plenty of charter boat captains waiting to show you around.
» Woods Hole Island Tours
» Martha’s Vineyard Leisure Boat Charters
Boat Tours
From atop Martha’s Vineyard ferry, you will enjoy wonderful views, a cool breeze and gulls following the boat as you make the 45-minute trip across Vineyard Sound.
You will see the Woods Hole Passage with it’s churning waters, the peninsula called “Juniper Point” with a Frank Lloyd Wright inspired summer cottage called “the Airplane House”, Nobska Light and beach, and the sands of Surf Drive and Falmouth Heights in the distance as you leave Woods Hole harbor. Entering Vineyard Haven, feast your eyes on the tall ships and colorful waterfront of the island’s main commercial port.
» Woods Hole Island Tours
» Steamship Authority
» Patriot Fishing Tours
House Boats
One of the most unique things about Woods Hole is its collection of houseboats. People take day trips from the Vineyard, Chatham and Nantucket to tour the harbor and look at the house boats– it helps that we have some of the best fishing on the east coast!
Every spring, the drawbridge in Woods Hole is occupied with the migration of the houses from their winter home in Eel Pond, a slow march out to their spectacular perches looking out over all of Woods Hole.
Perilously close to the multi-million dollar houses of Penzance Point, these tiny house boats have some of the most spectacular views in town and no need for air conditioning as it’s breezy and cool most days out on the water. The best place to view the houseboats is from Waterfront Park or the jetty in front of the Fisheries Building on Water Street.
