What to Expect

Shelling and Lighthouse Cruise

Collect seashells, 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. Vistas of the estuary and salt marsh surround you, perhaps Dolphins or a Sea Turtle and Sturgeon will swim alongside, while overhead bald eagles, terns, pelicans, herons and egrets dance on the wind... and you'll discover that Peace can become a palpable thing.

At the entrance to the Atlantic Ocean (a little over 12 miles from Georgetown) the Carolina Rover will put you ashore on North Island (beachcombing is approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes). There, on an unsettled barrier island, by the mouth of Winyah Bay, the historic Georgetown Lighthouse overlooks a deserted beach. You can scrunch your toes in warm sand while you search for seashells. Experience the unequaled beauty of raw nature with large wide-open sky and clear sea air, enjoying the wildlife of the ecosystem in a place where river meets sea. All yours to be a part of, in a way that few people get to experience.

Georgetown is a Port-Of-Entry for the US. Our light is operational and is used for navigation. Homeland Security does not allow any of our guests on the grounds of the lighthouse. You will have a great photo opportunity, get history on the lighthouse and we offer the official United States Lighthouse Society stamp. You might even hear a ghost story about it!

Historic Hobcaw Barony Cruise & Hobcaw House Tour

is NOT currently operating. We hope to resume in the fall.

Our three-hour Hobcaw History 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, comprised of 16,00 acres and 14 former plantations, 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 tour of the Hobcaw House, built in 1930 high above the Winyah Bay. After exploring the majestic Hobcaw House your cruise will continue over to view the smokestack of the USS Harvest Moon, a Civil War Flagship of the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron (1864-1865), resting on the dregs of Winyah Bay for more than a century. Next, we will cross the Winyah Bay to glide by the historic site of Battery White, an artillery battery constructed by the Confederates during the American Civil War, built in 1862-63 to defend Winyah Bay.

Rover Tours is committed to helping educate the public and preserving

South Carolina's fragile wetlands and ecosystems today,

because we care about tomorrow.

Tour Times

Departure times for tours on the Carolina Rover vary depending on the time of low tides at our destination, the Atlantic Ocean beach at the entrance of the Winyah Bay near the Georgetown Lighthouse.
We plan the tours so that we can put our guests onto the beach at the best possible time for finding seashells.

Historic Hobcaw Barony Cruise & Hobcaw House Tour is scheduled to land on the dock at Hobcaw during high tide.

You may view our tour schedule by selecting ON-LINE RESERVATIONS to find the departure best fitting your itinerary.

If the date and time you want is not available or sold out, please call to be placed on our stand-by list.