No. Riverside Gatherings do not move downriver. The batteaux are part of the setting and history of the evening, but this is a place-based riverfront experience rather than a boat tour.

Yes. Riverside Gatherings are dinner-inclusive. Guests should not need to plan dinner before or after the experience.

The seasonal and rotating menu is prepared to be enjoyed as it would have been along the working James — shared from the table, unhurried, and at a natural temperature that allows the food, conversation, and setting to carry on together.

Sample Menu

Sliced smoked sausages with mustard and a variety of house made pickles

Local sourdough with lemon herb compound butter and maple tahini compound butter

Roasted carrots with herb crema, dried apricots, and pistachios

Crispy potato salad, mustard bacon vinaigrette, garlic, and dill

Arugula citrus salad with shaved fennel and pomegranate molasses vinaigrette

Brown butter brownies with maldon salt

Yes. Dinner is served aboard the batteaux on the water and is the heart of the experience.

Our new format has expanded to a private riverside setting, the core moment guests love — sharing a meal from the boats themselves on the James — has not changed.

Yes, guests may bring beverages if desired. We keep the atmosphere relaxed, welcoming, and family-friendly, and drunkenness will not be tolerated.

Riverside Gatherings are outdoor experiences and may continue in light weather. If severe weather or unsafe conditions are expected, we will postpone, reschedule, or refund the event.

This is an outdoor riverfront experience on natural ground. Comfortable shoes are strongly recommended. We also suggest dressing for the weather and bringing an extra layer as the evening cools down.

Yes, children ages 8 and older are welcome. The evening is relaxed and family-friendly, but it is designed as a 3 hour hosted supper experience.

Swimming may be possible depending on river conditions and the specific evening, but it is never guaranteed. If water levels, weather, or safety conditions are not appropriate, swimming will not be allowed.

Yes. Bathroom facilities will be available on site.

Riverside Gatherings will take place on a private riverfront property in Scottsville, Virginia. The exact address, parking instructions, and arrival details will be provided after booking.

Yes. Private Riverside Gatherings are available on a limited basis for milestone birthdays, family gatherings, anniversaries, retreats, wedding-weekend events, memorials, and other meaningful occasions. Private Gatherings reserve the evening exclusively for your group and are priced separately from public ticketed dates.

James River Batteau Company was founded to share the history, beauty, and community of the James River through unforgettable experiences.

Our Riverside Gatherings are the next expression of that mission. Some JRBC experiences move with the current. This one invites you to stay by the river a little longer — to eat, listen, talk, wander, and experience the James as a place that has held people, stories, and community for centuries.

If you feel at the end of the tour the service you received was exceptional, a personal “thank you” in the form of gratuity is greatly appreciated.

Our River Cruises and Sunset Cruises are narrative history tours in motion. Guests travel downriver aboard a historic James River batteau as the story of the river unfolds through movement, scenery, music, and interpretation.

Riverside Gatherings are immersive, place-based evenings. Instead of traveling downriver, guests settle into one riverside landscape for the evening. Dinner is served aboard the batteaux on the water, with live acoustic music, firelight, river history, and time to linger along the riverbank.

Put simply: our cruises carry you through the story of the James. Riverside Gatherings invite you to step inside that story, share a meal on the water, and let the evening gather around you.