All aboard the Solaris

The Hudson River Maritime Museum’s solar-powered tour boat, Solaris, returns with a splash on May 2 for the 2025 season.

The museum’s crew and docents are excited to bring passengers back for regularly scheduled lighthouse tours and sightseeing cruises from early May through the end of October.

Tickets for the regular season are now on sale at www.hrmm.org/all-boat-tours.html. Descriptions of cruise offerings are located on the same page below the calendar. Every Solaris ticket includes a free all-day pass to the museum.

Public ticketed cruises begin on Friday, May 2, with regularly scheduled tours operating Friday–Sunday in May. Solaris will extend its cruising schedule, operating Thursday–Sunday, beginning June 5. In July and August, Wednesday cruises will also be added to the schedule.

All tours leave from the museum’s waterfront marina at 50 Rondout Landing in Kingston. Cruises depart at 1, 2:30, 4, 6, and 7:30 p.m. daily, with an additional 11 a.m. cruise on Sunday mornings.

The schedule includes daily trips to the historic Rondout Lighthouse, which stands on the jetty where the Rondout Creek meets the Hudson River. During lighthouse tours, passengers disembark and are led through the lighthouse by the museum’s knowledgeable crew, culminating in unique 360-degree views from the observation deck at the top of the lighthouse.

Other Solaris tours include narrated cruises with routes up-creek to explore the Rondout’s industrial history, and trips led by local historian Bill Merchant and ethnoecologist Justin Wexler covering the history of the D&H Canal and Native American history.

For those simply wanting to relax to only the sounds of the river, the musem also offers sunset cruises on the Hudson River.

As part of the City of Kingston’s Earth Day Festival on May 10, there will be a full day of free sightseeing cruises on the Solaris. These cruises will begin at 11 a.m. and continue on the hour, with the last cruise sailing at 4 p.m. Admission to these cruises cannot be booked in advance; interested passengers can reserve on a first-come, first-served basis via a sign-up booth in the yard of the museum, beginning 30 minutes before each cruise.

The 2025 season is also packed with exciting themed cruises. Live music cruises return Thursdays at 6 p.m., June–August. Kicking off with roots rock ‘n’ roll act Lara Hope on June 5, Solaris will welcome a slate of local musical acts performing in one of the Hudson Valley’s most intimate music venues.

The museum also welcomes the return of its Elements of Taste series, partnering once again with Kingston Wine Co. to lead relaxing tasting tours highlighting flavors of the Hudson Valley’s wineries and cideries.

Additionally, Hudson-based Kundalini Yoga, meditation and gong sound healing teacher and guide, HariPrakaash, will once again offer a monthly gong cruise. Guests can float along the river at sunset, immersed in a meditation accompanied by gentle sound vibrations of the gong.

For those seeking a more personalized tour experience, Solaris can be chartered for private groups. Guests are welcome to bring their own food and drink.

Explore all of this season’s offerings here: https://www.hrmm.org/solaris-cruises.html.