Riverside
Gatherings
New For 2026!
Riverside Gatherings are a new way to experience the James — building on our popular dinner-on-the-water evenings.
Set at a private riverside property, the experience preserves what guests have loved most — supper served aboard the batteaux by the water’s edge — while allowing the evening to unfold more fully, with restrooms, firelight, live music, and time along the riverbank.
With more space and a slower pace, Riverside Gatherings are especially well suited for couples and small groups looking for a beautiful, meaningful Virginia experience.
Duration: 2.5 Hours
Price: $120 + 6% Online Booking Fee
Ages: 8+
Max Capacity: 20 people
Meet: Private riverfront in Scottsville
What’s Included: Dinner On the Water, Live Music, Immersive History, Fireside Lingering
What to Bring: Comfortable Shoes, Beverages if Desired, Weather-appropriate layers.
The Experience
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Arrival and Exploration
The evening begins like a relaxed cocktail hour by the river. Guests settle in, explore the riverbank, visit the batteaux, and encounter the history of the working James through artifacts, written stories, and short moments of storytelling.
This part of the evening is open and informal — a chance to wander, talk, and begin to feel the place.
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Dinner on the Batteaux
As the evening settles, guests gather aboard the batteaux by the water’s edge for a seasonal shared supper, catered by Sarah Rennie of Two Fire Table. Dinner is served from the boats themselves, with live acoustic music and the river all around.
Prepared in the tradition of the working James, the meal is shared from the table and enjoyed unhurried, at a natural temperature that lets the food and the evening unfold together.
This is the heart of the evening — a simple, generous meal shared on the water.
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Fireside Finish
After supper, guests return to the riverbank for dessert, firelight, and conversation.
The evening comes to a close with time to linger by the James as the fire burns low.
Stay on-site
Belle meade Farm
Skip the drive home by staying at Belle Meade on the James, an on-site guesthouse where thoughtful hosts and a peaceful setting make it easy to extend your time along the river.
FAQs
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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.
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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.
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Yes. Riverside Gatherings are dinner-inclusive. Guests should not need to plan dinner before or after the experience.
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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
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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.
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Yes, guests may bring beverages if desired. We keep the atmosphere relaxed, welcoming, and family-friendly, and drunkenness will not be tolerated.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Yes. Bathroom facilities will be available on site.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
Two Fire Table
A Southern Appalachian native, Sarah Rennie began her love of cooking with fire in a wood-fired bakery in Asheville, NC. It was there that she learned the importance of seasonal cooking and supporting local farms.
After working for many great chefs in the area, she moved to Richmond, VA to manage three time James Beard nominated, Sub Rosa Bakery.
Additionally in an effort to enrich her knowledge and skills, Sarah spent time traveling in the American West and in South America to study foods and cultures that surround open fire cooking.