Feel the heat. See the sun. Smell the salt air. Use all your senses to drink in our hottest season, and listen for the sounds of summer.
Summer may be hot, but it’s a busy season in the natural world and the man-made world. At Cape Fear Riverboats, we try to make time to stop and listen, to make sure summer doesn’t slip by too quickly. There’s a lot going on out there if we take the time to notice.
Here are a few of our favorite sounds of summer:
Downtown Wilmington, NC Concerts
Downtown Wilmington is alive with the sound of music! From Friday Night Downtown Sundown Concerts to the popular shows at Anne Bonny’s Bar and Grill, we’ve been listening to concerts all summer long.
Foghorns on Ships at the State Port
There’s the comforting clack of the trains shuttling through Wilmington’s State Port, but nothing beats the booming foghorns of the oceangoing ships as they arrive and depart from the port. It’s one of our favorite summer sounds on the river. Take a peek at these huge ships aboard our narrated sightseeing cruises.
Calls from Osprey on the River
Our neighbors on the Cape Fear River include a variety of birds, and we listen for what they have to say. It’s fun to learn to identify birds by their calls, which are sometimes surprising. The call of an osprey seems high-pitched for such a large beautiful bird! But when we hear its call, we know to look for our favorite Wilmington fishhawk.
Horses Clopping on a Downtown Wilmington Tour
We love the history of Wilmington and the charming ways people find to preserve it. The slow pace of horse-drawn carriages on cobblestone and brick streets, with tour drivers calling to the rescued horses, are lovely sounds of summer.
The Buzz of Voices at Our Dock
When people gather at the Cape Fear Riverboats docks before a sightseeing tour, the voices combine to create a buzz of excitement. We love to hear the laughter of people enjoying themselves at Anne Bonny’s Bar and Grill, too. The more the merrier with these quintessential summer sounds!
Water Lapping at the Dock
As the long summer days come to a close and the crowds die down, we listen for the subtler sounds of the Cape Fear River: Water lapping, and the rustling and rubbing of fenders against the dock, for instance. These summer sounds mean the workday is ending and we’re heading home to prepare for another one, taking water lovers like you on sightseeing cruises on the river we love.
