Join Rover Tours for a 4 hour cruise through a bird-watcher's paradise by South Carolina's oldest lighthouse, the Georgetown Light (1811), that lit the way for two centuries of seafarers. You will then be able to explore and beach comb where the sea unfolds her secrets, depositing an ever-changing array of shelling opportunities.
This three hour tour cruises up the Winyah Bay toward the Great Pee Dee River, giving view to majestic oak trees and the abandoned rice fields of Hobcaw Barony, to tour Bernard Baruch's winter hunting retreat. Step aboard in Georgetown and travel back in time to Hobcaw Barony pier where you will disembark to begin your one hour tour of the Hobcaw House, built in 1930 high above the Winyah Bay.
This three hour tour cruises up the Winyah Bay toward the Great Pee Dee River, giving view to majestic oak trees and the abandoned rice fields of Hobcaw Barony, to tour Bernard Baruch's winter hunting retreat. Step aboard in Georgetown and travel back in time to Hobcaw Barony pier where you will disembark to begin your one hour tour of the Hobcaw House, built in 1930 high above the Winyah Bay.
Services
The Carolina Rover will take you, your family and friends out on a 4 hour Eco-tourism cruise that is guaranteed to be unlike any other attraction along the Grand Strand. Our comfortable shaded 40 ft. Rover Tours is committed in helping to educate and preserve South Carolina's fragile wetlands and Eco-systems today, because we care about tomorrow.
Join us for a three hour voyage through the Winyah Bay toward the Great Pee Dee River, giving view to majestic oak trees and the abandoned rice fields of Hobcaw Barony, to tour Bernard Baruch's winter hunting retreat. Step aboard in Georgetown and travel back in time to Hobcaw Barony pier to disembark and begin your one hour tour of the Hobcaw House, built in 1930 high above the Winyah Bay.
Tickets for the Shelling and Lighthouse Cruise (4 hours) or the Historic Hobcaw Cruise & Hobcaw House Tour (3 hours) are $38.00 per Adult (90 - 311 lbs.) & $30.00 per Child (all passengers under 90 lbs. Gratuity is not included in the price of the cruise and is greatly appreciated. If you feel your Captain and crew did a great job, you are more than welcome to tip them.
Collect sea shells, see Dolphins in their natural habitat, and view the Georgetown lighthouse all for ONE low price! Moments after boarding our 40-foot pontoon boat, you'll be gliding across the water on a naturalist-guided tour that will educate as well as fascinate you.
Relaxed on your shaded deck seating (your boat ride is about 1 hour and 10 minutes each way), you'll be able to listen, watch, and learn about the nature and history of one of America's oldest settled areas, a place where history lives in harmony with the natural world.
Relaxed on your shaded deck seating (your boat ride is about 1 hour and 10 minutes each way), you'll be able to listen, watch, and learn about the nature and history of one of America's oldest settled areas, a place where history lives in harmony with the natural world.
Most, but not all, questions relate to both the Sea Shell & Lighthouse Cruise AND the Historic Hobcaw Barony Cruise & Hobcaw House Tour. You DO NOT need to PRINT your tickets! Rover Tours will be notified of your reservation and does not require a copy. Please call (843-546-8822), DO NOT EMAIL or TEXT or FACEBOOK MESSENGER us, if we can be of any assistance.
Reviews (19)
Joyce R.
Oct 04, 2021
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We took the Rover River Shelling Tour, Georgetown SC, on October 3, 2021 and had so much fun! We have been on the tour a few years ago and whenever our friends and relatives came to MB we also went on Capt. Rod's tour so we had a comparison. Rover River Tour was so much better and informative, crew is great!! So how many times you could go on the tour there is ALWAYS something different to see! Highly recommend this tour!!
Will S.
Jul 26, 2021
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They advertise a four hour tour it's only four hours because they drive so slow. The boat never made it above 1/3 throttle taking 1 1/2 hours to drive the 10 miles to the shelling island. The trip would have been way more enjoyable at a faster pace on the water giving more time on the island. The price is also pretty high for what you're getting. I won't be back.
Teresa D.
Jul 01, 2021
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Sadly I am not able to give my recent experience with Rover Tours Shelling trip more than one star. I had heard so many wonderful things about this trip and was looking forward to bringing guest from out of state on it. On the day of our tour there was heavy rain all morning and high sea warnings until late in the evening. When we arrived the skies were growing dark, but the tour representative said we were still going out to the island. Once all passengers had boarded, the tour representative told the captain to get going before "that arrived ". She was pointing to a very dark omonious
Erica G.
Apr 08, 2021
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We booked this shelling tour and it was better than we expected. We left right on time and the tour guide was very bubbly and social. The tour guide did seem rusty on his facts, but that's not the end of the world. I was disappointed to find that although it was reported masks were required, none of the staff even wore masks. I understand that being on a boat you are technically outside, but don't advertise it if you aren't gonna enforce it. The seats were very close to one another and masks would've provided some comfort to my family.
Maureen V.
Oct 11, 2020
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Martine K.
Aug 30, 2020
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We had Judd as our First Mate and Jesse as our Captain and they were both great. Judd had informative narrations as we took our 3 hour plus journey along the river to North Island. We learned very interesting tidbits about Georgetown, Crabs, Shrimp, the Civil War, Yawkey family, and Baruch Family. We saw 4 bald eagles and 2 alligators plus other birds like egrets and herons.
We arrived an hour after departing Georgetown at North Island where you can see an abundance of oyster shells, whelk, and other shells. There is only a 3/4 mile section of beach that you are allowed to explore. There
We arrived an hour after departing Georgetown at North Island where you can see an abundance of oyster shells, whelk, and other shells. There is only a 3/4 mile section of beach that you are allowed to explore. There
Kari K.
Jul 01, 2020
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We found out about this touring company from a facebook recommendation. We booked a few days out and really looked forward to this excursion. We hadn't expected to recieve so much history from the amazing crew! We learned so much and really enjoyed the boat ride to and from the island just as much as we did the shelling on the island! We chose to go right to the jetty as we disembarked from the boat first to shell hunt and found lots of shells, got to see a starfish, jelly fish, blue crabs and lots of oyster shells too!
We recommend wearing water shoes so you can walk through the water, bringing
We recommend wearing water shoes so you can walk through the water, bringing
Bill H.
Jul 15, 2019
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Wow!! What a day. I was expecting a great day of shelling on a barrier island, but we got way more than that. Captain Robert and our guide Judd, were both great. An hour boat ride out is highlighted with amazing scenery and a great history lesson of the area from Judd. And when we arrived at North Island the fun escalated. Gorgeous scenery on this protected sanctuary. Found some whelks, clam, and oyster shells. All were beautiful. AND, we were treated on the return ride with multiple up close dolphin spotting and even saw a bald eagle. I highly recommend this tour. We WILL be back!!
Michelle M.
Jul 09, 2019
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Therese W.
Jul 06, 2019
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We normally would say this tour was 5 stars as we've gone three times over the years. The person at check in was friendly and the nature guide very informative. We took the first tour of the day so you'd think everyone would be in a good mood. We were sitting next to the captain and couldn't hear the narrative. My kids are finally old enough for us to listen and learn and we couldn't hear a thing. I asked the captain if there was any way to turn up the microphone as he had been changing the volume before the trip. He told me he has heard that request maybe 4 times over the years
Barbie S.
Apr 22, 2019
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Saturday's (4/19/2019) excursion was a nightmare. We were completely soaked within the first 30 minutes. Unsafe boating conditions were present.
The 70-minute ride to the island turned into a two-hour nightmare in 4-5 foot swells. We were not permitted to stay the promised 1 hour on the island.
The captain was more interested in taking photos than keeping the vessel on point. Had we capsized, PFDs were not accessible to the packed boat.
We were extremely happy to disembark 5 long hours after boarding. I will not recommend this trip to anyone.
The 70-minute ride to the island turned into a two-hour nightmare in 4-5 foot swells. We were not permitted to stay the promised 1 hour on the island.
The captain was more interested in taking photos than keeping the vessel on point. Had we capsized, PFDs were not accessible to the packed boat.
We were extremely happy to disembark 5 long hours after boarding. I will not recommend this trip to anyone.
Lynda B.
Aug 27, 2018
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Took a trip last week. Amazing ride. We saw sturgeon, the lighthouse, and had a wonderful time shelling. Was hoping for a Bald eagle, and even dolphins, but didn't get to see them. Staff was extremely professional and knowledgeable. My husband had a lot of questions / comments for our first mate and he handled it all with ease. Would do the trip again in a heartbeat. Only drawback was we did not get too close to the lighthouse and since I was sitting on the other side of the boat, did not get the best pictures. Should be able to go by it from both directions so both sides of boat get
Tammy S.
Aug 16, 2018
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Wish I could give a five star review but I can't. I need to say that this review is my opinion! The crew was rude and unfriendly and I felt that they acted as if they didn't want children onboard. I paid $140.00 and not all of our party had seats. Its mainly a boat ride and very little time on the island. After seeing my other reviews I have been threatened by this company with their lawyers for the bad reviews. I am an American citizen and will not apologize for the right to free speech. Please don't waste your time! Below the owner of the company Tamela W thinks that my review
Rhonda H.
Sep 22, 2017
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As I waited to board the boat this lady beside me was so excited due to having to reschedule 3 times. She was like a lil girl getting a new puppy! So now we are loaded and the tour guide whose name was Paige he began to speak and said if we saw wildlife to say where it was so ppl could take photos.fast forward on our way back he saw a couple of bald eagles that we all loved to see. the captain stopped the boat so she could get some really awesome pictures. To see her smile on her face put a smile on mine! Kiddos!
Any way he told us facts about the area told us different places you could go see
Any way he told us facts about the area told us different places you could go see
Don W.
Aug 15, 2017
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We had a really good time. The guide and captain were friendly. The guide was a man with encyclopedic knowledge of the region and was a skilled raconteur. The ride out to the beach is pretty and I was kept captivated by the storytelling of this fascinating body of water and environs. The beach and shelling is spectacular. Ive never seen so many great quality shells. Only thing is you want to stay longer than the 75 min. you get on the shoreline.
Its really a great trip and for us it was well worth the 80 min drive from Cherry Grove N. Myrtle Beach. Bring sunscreen, bag for shells, hat and
Its really a great trip and for us it was well worth the 80 min drive from Cherry Grove N. Myrtle Beach. Bring sunscreen, bag for shells, hat and
Ed M.
Sep 10, 2016
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The tour earns 5 stars! I only gave them 4 because they charged $28.00 for a 2 year old -no justification to charge that much for our grandchildren. The history of the area is interesting and the wildlife, shells and dolphins are all present.
You cam pickup driftwood and shells once you arrive on North Island and visit the oldest lighthouse in SC. Interesting half day in a charming seaside town of Georgetown. We'll return after a storm to collect more 'treasure'.
You cam pickup driftwood and shells once you arrive on North Island and visit the oldest lighthouse in SC. Interesting half day in a charming seaside town of Georgetown. We'll return after a storm to collect more 'treasure'.
Steve O.
Jul 29, 2016
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Megan K.
Jun 03, 2015
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It was so worth the money!! Everyone was so nice. Ben went around asking if he could take pictures for people. He was really friendly and knowledgeable. And john was the captain. I found some really neat shells...whelks and a pen shell. Another kid found two man of war shells. We even saw Dolphins up close! We have done a lot of different things on vacation here but I must say this was the coolest. I would use Rover tours again if we came back. Ben even stuck around if people wanted to ask him more questions.
Danielle S.
Aug 28, 2014
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What an amazing way to spend a few hours!
You can buy tickets online for $35 pp for adults but I believe I saw a coupon on the official tourism website for South Carolina. Either way, it's worth every penny.
The boat departs at 1:00 and 5:00 each afternoon for 3.5-4 hour tours. On arrival, my fiancé and I checked into a little kiosk on Front Street right in front of the Riverwalk and next to the 5 Rivers Restaurant. We walked down to the dock area and were greeted by the kindest and most friendly Captain and Tour Guide.
The boat itself seats around 30 people in these heavy duty plastic
You can buy tickets online for $35 pp for adults but I believe I saw a coupon on the official tourism website for South Carolina. Either way, it's worth every penny.
The boat departs at 1:00 and 5:00 each afternoon for 3.5-4 hour tours. On arrival, my fiancé and I checked into a little kiosk on Front Street right in front of the Riverwalk and next to the 5 Rivers Restaurant. We walked down to the dock area and were greeted by the kindest and most friendly Captain and Tour Guide.
The boat itself seats around 30 people in these heavy duty plastic
