Cheapskate's guide: Boston's free harbor cruise

Zoom in: The Share The Harbor cruise takes you either around the harbor at sunset or around the Boston Harbor Island National Parks.

• I took the two-hour sunset cruise in August with a group of friends.
• We left from Rowes Wharf at 6pm and spent two hours hearing some factoids about Noddle's Island (AKA Eastie), the USS Constitution and piers versus wharves (turns out many so-called piers along the harbor are actually wharves and vice versa).
• The captain also told too many dad jokes, but I'll forgive him for that.

Who pays: The cruises are covered by a mix of private and public funds, including Cronin Development, Bay State Cruise Company and Mass Bay Lines.

• Save the Harbor/Save the Bay collects cash donations at the end, but that's optional.

Protip: Bring your own dinner and water. A friend of mine brought a pizza on board.

• The cruise sells chips and alcohol (cash only).
• Bring a sweater, too. It gets nippy once the sun sets.

How to join: Click the link to register.

• The next sunset harbor tour is Sept. 24.
• The island cruises, which run from 10am-2pm, are Sept. 15, Sept. 29 and Oct. 6.