
We list paddlewheel boats, steamboats, Mark Twain-like excursion boats,
and excursion boats that take you to see paddlewheel boats. We also list
museums that house special boat exhibits.
Webmaster's disclaimer: The links on this page were last updated 1/4/2011. Boats move;
typos happen. If you plan a visit, please confirm the boat's
location, hours of operation, and whether reservations are required.
The green and blue buttons are as accurate as possible, but not guaranteed.
If you find the boat of your dreams, please tell them Steamboats.com sent you!
Alabama
U.S. Snagboat Montgomery
historic steampowered sternwheeler was used to clear snags from the river. Now it is a national
historic landmark open to visitors in the Tom Bevill Visitor Center in Carrollton,
thirty five miles west of Tuscaloosa.
Bama Belle
sternwheeler offers cruises out of Tuscaloosa.
Wilma K
sternwheeler out of Creola (forty miles north of Mobile).
Alaska
Alaska Queen
sternwheeler offers history cruises in Ketchikan.
Riverboat Discovery *
Riverboat Discovery II * Riverboat Discovery III
three sternwheelers offers cruises on the Chena and Tanana Rivers, out of Fairbanks.
Arizona
Dixie Belle
sternwheeler offers cruises on Lake Havasu (northwest Arizona), including the London Bridge. Official
site to book tours: click here.
Colorado King
sternwheeler offers cruises on the Colorado River, out of Yuma.
Desert Belle
sternwheeler offers public cruises on Saguaro Lake (northeast of Phoenix,
just north of Mesa and Apache Junction).
See photos at this website - click here.
Dolly Steamboat
sternwheeler offers cruises on Canyon Lake (northeast of Phoenix, just
outside of Apache Junction, a thirty-five
mile drive from the Desert Belle - see two boats in one trip).
See photos at this website - click here.
Canyon King
The Canyon King at Lake Powell has been retired and is now tied up at the dock and
is a resturant. It Is owned by Aramark Corp. which runs Wahweap Bay Marina
for the State.
Arkansas
Arkansas Queen
sternwheeler offers cruises on the Arkansas River, out of North Little Rock. Docked at the
Inland Maritime Center, next to the USS Razorback submarine.
Mary Woods No. 2
restored sternwheeler that once worked the White River, now a museum in
Jacksonport
State Park (ninety-five miles northeast of Little Rock).
California
Scarlett Belle
sternwheeler gives chartered cruises for weddings, events;
check website for wine tasting cruises. Located in Oxnard Channel Islands Harbor.
Ferryboat Eureka
sidewheel ferry boat built in 1890, restored in 1994 and 1994. Last working example of a walking beam
engine, see it in San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park.
Eppleton Hall
sidewheel tug boat built in 1914 in England; brought to San Francisco through the Panama
Canal in 1969-70. See it in San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park.
Steam Ferry Berkeley * Steam
Yacht Medea
A 1898 steam ferryboat from San Francisco Bay is a California State Historic
Landmark, and a National Historic Landmark. The boat is now in San Diego as part of the
San Diego Maritime Museum. They also have the Steam Yacht Medea, a one hundred year old
vessel built of oak, teak and steel.
Arrowhead Queen
sternwheeler offers cruises on Lake Arrowhead (east of Los Angeles). See also Lake Arrowhead Village.
Also, see Nori's photos, click here.
Bahai Belle * William D. Evans
sternwheelers offer cruises on Mission Bay (north San Diego).
Delta King sternwheeler,
sister ship of the Delta Queen, is lovingly restored as a hotel, restaurant,
convention and events center, and mystery theater in Old Town Sacramento (no engines).
Spirit of Sacramento has moved to Fairfield. It was in Old Town Sacramento, then before that
was formerly the Becky Thatcher, based in Cincinnati. The boat traveled under its own
power through the Panama Canal to California in 1997.
Matthew McKinley - no longer in Old Town Sacramento, not currently in operation.
Whereabouts unknown.
Island Girl used to be in Old Town Sacramento, but is now in Stockton.
Clear Lake Queen - near Lucerne, unknown website,
see photo: click here
The Grand Romance
sternwheeler offers cruises and Mystery Theater
in Rainbow Harbor, Long Beach.
Delta Queen Car Wash this is not a boat,
but a car wash that looks like a sternwheeler! Watch for it in Campbell, California, up there by San Jose.
M.S. Dixie II * Tahoe Queen
sternwheelers offer cruises on Lake Tahoe (near the boarder of Nevada and California).
Mark Twain Riverboat
Frontierland sternwheeler, Disneyland (Anaheim).
Colorado
New Liberty Belle - no website - associated with Water Valley Resort
Residential Community, Windsor.
Prairie Princess II - no website - may have moved to Oregon.
Connecticut
Steamboat Sabino
formally designated a National Historic Landmark in 1992, this historic coal-fired steamboats
gives cruises on the Mystic River mid-May through Columbus Day.
The steamboat Sabino was built in Maine in 1908 for passenger service on the Damariscotta River.
Jubilee sternwheeler, home port
Bantam Lake, Morris (thirty-three miles west of Hartford).
Delaware
Lady Anne
steam launch, home port Assawoman Bay in Fenwick Island (no wheel, private vessel, steam powered).
District of Columbia
SS United States Conservancy
historic steamship will undergo restoration.
Florida
Jungle Queen
sternwheeler offers sight seeing and dinner cruises out of Fort Lauderdale.
Betsy Ann Riverboat
sternwheeler offers cruises and mystery theater; moved from Wetumpka, Alabama in 2005, now based at the
foot of the Hathaway Bridge in Panama City.
Beresford Lady
sidewheeler offers cruises on
the historic St. Johns River, out of Deland (twenty miles southwest of Daytona Beach).
Sara Grace * Jean Mary
sternwheelers offer cruises on the San Sebastian River, out of St. Augustine.
Mark Twain Riverboat
Frontierland sternwheeler, Disney World (Orlando).
Georgia
Savannah Queen * Georgia Queen
sternwheelers offer cruises of Savannah Harbor, out of Savannah.
Hawaii
Hawaii needs a paddlewheel boat. If there's already one there, please send the link!
Idaho
Hey Idaho, send some boats for our list! You are one of only ten states with no boats!
Illinois
Celebration Belle
sternwheeler offers cruises out of LeClaire, Dubuque, and Muscatine, Iowa; based in
Moline, Illionis.
St. Mary's Challenger
built in 1906, this is the oldest lake boat still trading on the Great Lakes. Not open to the
public; still in operation.
Belle of the Rock
Public crusies to see the rock in Starved Rock State Park, out of Utica.
LaSalle Canal Boat
A mule pulls this full-size replica canal boat on a historic, hand-dug waterway that
pioneers traveled in the 1800s. Ninety miles southwest of Chicago. No wheel, but it
sounds like a great experience.
Spirit of Peoria
sternwheeler offers cruises on the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers, including overnight trips.
Home port Peoria; departures from the Saint Louis riverfront at the Gateway Arch, Missouri.
Anastasia
sternwheeler offers cruises on the upper Mississippi River; formerly known as the Dottie G.,
out of Alton (thirty miles north of St. Louis).
Tennessee Belle
sternwheeler located in Savanna (for now). Was known as the Delta Dawn from 1975 until 2003.
M.V. Picket Hastings
sternwheeler out of Savanna, Illinois or Dubuque, Iowa, depending on the mood of the Captain.
Captain further points out: "Boat incorporates very large (21x40) foredeck to accommodate companion seaplane, making
this the ASA's only aircraft carrier."
Indiana
Barbara H.
fully operational historic sternwheel towboat offers dockside tours.
A National Historic Landmark. Travels between Cincinnati and Louisville, based in
Vevay, a project of the Historic Sternwheeler Preservation Society.
Rafter Clyde II
a private paddlewheeler now docked in Aurora. More background and photos
at this site.
Dixieboat
sternwheeler offers cruises Webster Lake, North Webster (a hundred and thirty-four miles southeast of Chicago).
Iowa
Sergeant Floyd
a decommissioned, inspection boat of the United States Army Corps of Engineers, is now
a museum that welcomes visitors, and serves Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota as a research center.
Pearl Button
paddlewheeler gives scenic cruises in Muscatine, thirty miles west of Davenport.
Formerly the Andiamo in Minnesota.
Riverboat Twilight
sternwheeler offers overnight cruises on the Mississippi River, traveling from Dubuque to
Le Claire. Company is based in Scales Mound, Illinois (twenty-five miles east of Dubuque).
Lonestar
historic, restored sternwheeler steamboat, a project of the Buffalo Bill Museum, is
open to the public, located on the Mississippi River at Le Claire
(fourteen miles east of Davenport).
William M. Black
restored sidewheeler now serves as a bed and breakfast in Dubuque. A project of the
Mississippi River National Museum. See exhibit at this site: click here.
Lilly Belle
historic sternwheeler docked at the Mississippi River National Musuem, Dubuque.
Spirit of Dubuque
sternwheeler offers cruises on the Mississippi River out of Dubuque.
Casino Boats -
this map shows a number of sternwheel casino boats in Iowa. [This page does not
necessarily list all casino boats.]
Bertrand this ship sank in 1865, excavation began in 1968, and the
artifact collection is housed in a museum located at the DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge,
north of Council Bluffs, and just west of Missouri Valley.
Mississippi Explorer
Scheduled and charter eco cruises aboard the Mississippi Explorer from the
ports of La Crosse, Wisconsin, Lansing, Iowa,
Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, and Galena, Illinois [also see listing under Wisconsin].
Kansas
Kansas has paddlewheelers along it's boundaries with Missouri.
Kentucky
Belle of Cincinnati *
River Queen * Mark Twain
three sternwheelers offer cruises on the Ohio River out of Waterfront Park
in downtown Louisville. BB Riverboats is based in Newport, across the Ohio
River from Cincinnati. Check the BB Riverboats website for specifics on each boat:
Belle of Cincinnati *
River Queen *
Mark Twain
Belle of Louisville *
Riverboat Spirit of Jefferson two sternwheelers offer cruises on the Ohio River,
out of Louisville.
USS Nightmare.com
America's premier Haunted Steamboat, open mid-September through November 1.
The sidewheeler was formerly known as the William S. Mitchell, and had
a distinguised career dredging rivers for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from 1934 to 1986.
Located in Newport, across the river from Cincinnati.
Dixie Belle
sternwheeler offers cruises along the Kentucky River palisades,
a stretch of river with limestone cliffs. Associated with Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill,
Harrodsburg (twenty-five miles southwest of Lexington).
Mike Fink
historic sternwheeler offers cruises on the Ohio River, out of Covington. This boat is on the
National Historic Register of Buildings and Places. Temporarily closed for renovations.
Louisiana
Magnolia Belle
sternwheeler offers cruises on Lake Pontchartrain, out of New Orleans.
Recently moved from Cape Canaveral; featured in the 1993 film, "The Adventures
of Huck Finn."
Steamboat Natchez
steam powered sternwheeler launched in 1975 offers cruises out of New Orleans.
Creole Queen
sternwheeler offers cruises on the Mississippi River out of New Orleans.
Mississippi Queen - steam powered sternwheeler, currently in corporate
limbo, being dismantled in New Orleans, RIP
(see recent photo 3/11/2009 click here).
Maine
Songo River Queen
sternwheeler offers cruises on the Songo River, out of Naples (thirty miles northwest of
Portland).
Maryland
Lantern Queen
sternwheeler offers cruises on the Susquehanna River and Chesapeake Bay, out of Havre de Grace
(thirty-five miles northeast of Baltimore).
More photos, click here.
The Black-Eyed Susan
sternwheeler offers cruises of Northwest Harbor, departing from the Broadway Pier, Fells Point, Baltimore.
Formerly known as Henrietta II in Wilmington, North Carolina.
S.T. Baltimore
restoration in progress of a historic steam powered tug boat built in 1906. It was sunken
from 1979 to 1981, and is currently being restored.
The Dorothy & Megan *
Choptank River Queen two split wheel sternwheelers offer cruises on the Choptank River,
based at the Suicide Bridge Restaurant & Choptank Riverboat Company, in Hurlock (fourteen
miles northeast of Cambridge).
Massachusetts
Samuel Clemens * Seaport Belle
Massachusetts Bay Lines offers cruises on five boats out of Rowes Wharf, Downtown Boston. Two
of the vessels resemble traditional Mark Twain-style riverboats.
Michigan
S.S. Badger
North America's last coal-fired steamboat operates on Lake Michigan, out of
Ludington. Staterooms avaialable, many trips to choose from. You can bring your
car, boat, or RV onboard for an additional fee.
Steamer Ste. Claire
This maritime treasure is currently docked at the US Steel dock in Ecorse,
Michigan, where the restoration is being performed. She is not open to the
public as she is undergoing the most extensive restoration since her build in 1910.
The boat will be open soon. (Loud soundtrack at this website.)
Michigan Princess Riverboat
sternwheeler offers cruises on the Grand River, based in Lansing.
Detroit Princess Riverboat
sternwheeler offers cruises on the Detroit River, including skyline views
of Detroit and Windsor.
Bavarian Belle
sternwheeler offers cruises, based in Frankenmuth (thirty miles north of Flint).
Genesee Belle
sternwheeler offers cruises on Mott Lake, a project of the Genesee County Parks.
Minnesota
Steamboat Minnehaha
authentic restored steam vessel gives cruises on Lake Minnetonka.
Chester Charles II
1948 flat bottom riverboat offers naturalist narrated tours
on Lake Itasca, the source of the Great Mississippi River.
Pearl of the Lake
sternwheeler gives cruises on the Mississippi River out of Lake City
(seventy miles southeast of Minneapolis).
Breezy Belle
sternwheel excursion boat gives cruises on Pelican Lake out of Breezy Point
(eighty miles southwest of Grand Rapids).
Jonathan Padleford *
Anson Northrup * Minnesota Centennial Show Boat Padleford Riverboats
Mississippi River Rides - Minneapolis and St.Paul's Flagship Riverboat Company
Magnolia Blossom
out of St. Paul.
Covington Inn Bed and Breakfast
sleep over on a lil steamboat, St. Paul.
Minneapolis Queen
Departing from Boom Island Park on the Mississippi River, Twin Cities Cruises.
Avalon * Empress *
Showboat * Anastasia St. Croix Boat and Packet Company, Stillwater, thirty miles east
of Minneapolis.
Mississippi
Tunica Queen sternwheeler offers cruises on the Mississippi River,
in the Tunica Resorts area (thirty miles southwest of Memphis).
Missouri
Lake Queen
sternwheeler offers cruises along the shores of Lake Taneycomo, out of Branson.
Steamboat Arabia
museum showing the excavation of a sidewheeler that sunk on the Missouri River
in 1856. Parts of the boat and its cargo are on display;
full-sized replica of main deck and twenty-eight-foot sidewheel.
Located in Kansas City.
Showboat Branson Belle
split sternwheeler offers cruises on Table Rock Lake, out of Branson.
Mark Twain Riverboat
sternwheeler offers cruises on the Mississippi River, out of Hannibal.
Montana
Come on "M" states! Where are your steamboats? Have you no decency? :-)
Nebraska
River City Star
Mark Twain-like excursion boat offers cruises out of Omaha,
a feature of the city's riverfront development (no wheel).
See Nori's photos of this boat - click here.
Captain Meriwether Lewis historic sidewheeler, which
operated as a dustpan dredge for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers until 1969. Now in a museum at Brownsville.
Nevada
Edgewater Belle
608-foot replica of a Mississippi Riverboat offers cruises out of the Edgewater and
Colorado Belle Hotels (702) 298-4000 1-800-47-RIVER.
Fiesta Queen * Celebration -
two mock sidewheelers offer cruises, based at the riverfront in Laughlin.
Colorado Belle
a building that looks like a boat in Laughlin. Home of the Edgewater Belle.
Desert Princess
sternwheeler offers cruises on Lake Mead (forty miles east of Las Vegas).
M.S. Dixie II * Tahoe Queen
two sternwheelers offer cruises on Lake Tahoe, on the boarder of Nevada and California. Also
listed under California.
New Hampshire
The Winnipesaukee Belle
sternwheeler offers cruises, based at the Wolfeboro Inn, Wolfeboro
(sixty-five miles west of Portland, Maine).
New Jersey
River Lady
sternwheeler offers cruises on the Toms River and Barnegat Bay (sixty-five
miles south of Newark on the Jersey Coast).
New York
The Canandaigua Lady
sternwheeler offers cruises on Canandaigua Lake, based in Canandaigua
(twenty-eight miles south of Rochester).
Chautauqua Belle
steam powered sternwheeler offers cruises on Chautauqua Lake, based in Mayville
(seventy-three miles southwest of Buffalo).
Mohican * Minne-ha-ha
two sternwheelers run by Lake Georges Steamboats offer cruises out of Lake George
(sixty miles north of Albany).
Paddlewheel Queen
sternwheeler offers cruise out of New York Harbor, Manhattan.
New Mexico
Looking for steamboats in all the wrong places . . .
North Carolina
Henrietta III sternwheeler
offers cruises from Water & Dock Streets in Wilmington.
Jungle Princess
excursion boat (no wheel) offers cruises on the Atlantic Intracoastal
Waterway and Waccamaw River, out of Myrtle Beach. (Also listed under South Carolina.)
North Dakota
Yellowstone
a sixty-foot replica of the historic Steamship Yellowstone, is part of the
Missouri River walking trail, Steamboat Park, Bismarck.
Ohio
W.P. Snyder Jr.
historic steam-powered "pool-type" stern-wheeled towboat. The boat is part of the
Ohio River Museum; also visit the
W.P. Snyder Jr. restoration blog.
Cherokee
ninety foot sternwheeler, home port on the Ohio River near Minersville.
Family excursion boat built over a 3-year period (1974-1977).
Gambler
forty-five foot sternwheeler built entirely by the Morton family, travels widely; home port
Rayland.
Nora Jean
forty-six foot sternwheeler built in 1981, home port Devola, OH at Mile 5 on the Muskingum River;
excursion boat for family and friends.
Belle of Cincinnati*
River Queen * Mark Twain see listing in Kentucky for BB Riverboats.
Crystal Rose
sternwheeler out of Eagleport (seventy-five miles east of Columbus);
formerly known as the Mary Isabel.
Sally
sternwheeler out of Sardis (forty miles north east of Marietta);
currently undergoing renovation.
Valley Gem Riverboat
sternwheeler offers cruises on the Ohio River, out of Marietta.
Oklahoma
Cherokee Queen
sternwheeler offers cruises on the Grand Lake O the Cherokees, out of Grove
(ninety miles northeast of Tulsa).
Oregon
Steam Tug Portland
historic steam driven sternwheel tug boat out of Portland Maritime Museum.
Click on "exhbits" Str. Portland.
Columbia Gorge Sternwheeler
triple decker sternwheeler gives history cruises; board from Marine Park at Cascade Locks, in the
Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area.
Newport Belle
fully operational sternwheeler is a bed & breakfast on the Oregon coast. (See Nori's
photos, click here.)
Willamette Queen
sternwheeler offers cruises of the Willamette River, out of Riverfront Park, Salem.
Another link for this boat: http://oregonlink.com/riverboat/
See Nori's photos of this boat, click here.
Queen of the West - sternwheeler; operated on the Columbia and Snake
Rivers. Currently in corporate limbo, docked in Portland. May move to Pendleton to
work for Exploration Cruise Lines of Issaquah, Wash.
Columbia Queen excursion boat (no wheel); currently in corporate limbo,
docked in Portland.
Steamboat Jean
historic steam towboat (no wheel), listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was moored on
the Snake River in Hells Gate State Park, Lewiston (a hundred miles south of Spokane, Washington).
Now it appears that somebody towed this historic vessel to Portland; sadly, it appears she
has been gutted and turned into a barge. another photo of Steamboat Jean.
Pennsylvania
Philadelphia Belle
Formerly known as the Mississippi Belle, docked in Bettendorf, Iowa (five miles east of Davenport).
Now at Pier 3, Penn's Landing, Philadelphia, and open for cruises.
Pride of the Susquehanna
sternwheeler gives public and chartered cruises on the Susquehanna River, out of Harrisburg.
The boat is also home to the River School, a floating classroom.
E.L. Thumper
sternwheeler on the Allegheny River near Pittsburgh.
Fulton Steamboat Inn
overnight accommodations on a retired sternwheeler in beautiful Pennsylvania Dutch Country,
Lancaster.
Sternwheeler Barbara J no website found -
sternwheeler offers cruises on Conneaut Lake (a hundred miles north of Pittsburgh).
Call (814) 382-7433 for information. (Here is a tour company that offers more information.)
Liberty Belle
sternwheeler offers cruises on the Delaware River, out of Burlington.
The Majestic *
The Empress * the Princess * The Duchess * The Countess
three sternwheelers, a sidewheeler, and a showboat on a barge pushed by a towboat
make up the Gateway Clipper Fleet. These boats offer cruises on the Monongahela,
Allegheny, and Ohio Rivers, out of Pittsburgh. City skylines and natural beauty.
Donna Rae
sternwheeler out of Pittsburgh.
Rhode Island
Rhode Island, if you don't have a steamboat yet, please get one!
South Carolina
Jungle Princess
excursion boat (no wheel) offers cruises on the Atlantic Intracoastal
Waterway and Waccamaw River, out of Myrtle Beach. (Also listed under North Carolina.)
South Dakota
South Dakota: I know it gets cold there, but you must have a steamboat somewhere . . . please
look around.
Tennessee
Steamboat American Queen set to begin operations in
April 2012 out of Memphis. Will offer cruises to New Orleans, St. Louis,
Minneapolis/St. Paul, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Louisville, and Chattanooga.
Southern Belle
sternwheeler offers dinner crusies, chartered cruises, out of Chattanooga.
General Jackson
sternwheel showboat offers entertainment and meals while cruising the Cumberland River
in Nashville.
Delta Queen
National Historic Landmark, passenger sternwheel cruise ship
serving as a hotel on the beautiful Chattanooga waterfront.
Chattanooga Star
educational field trips for students (operations temporarily suspended).
Island Queen * Memphis Queen II *
Memphis Queen III * Memphis Showboat two sternwheelers, an excursion boat, and a
showboat offer river cruises on the Mississippi River, out of Memphis.
[Webmaster's Note: This website worked best with Firefox.]
The Star of Knoxville
three hundred passenger split sternwheeler offers
cruises on the Tennessee River, out of downtown Knoxville.
Texas
Colonel Paddlewheel Boat
replica 1800-style paddlewheeler offers cruises out of Offatts Bayou in Galveston.
Graceful Ghost
authentic wood-fired sternwheeler offers cruises on Caddo Lake, near the
Texas-Arkansas-Louisiana border.
Spirit of Texas
Paddlewheeler sternwheeler offers cruises out of
Clear Lake and Galveston Bay (south of Houston).
Southern Empress
sternwheeler offers cruises, docked at the
Sunset Harbor Resort at Seven Coves, Willis (north of Houston).
Utah
Aw come on, Utah. I think you have paddlewheel boats up there, but you are
hiding them! :-)
Vermont
Str. Ticonderoga retired paddlewheeler
historic 220 foot sidewheeler, lovingly restored and preserved at the Shelburne
Museum (between Charlotte and Burlington), welcomes visitors.
A National Historic Landmark built in Shelburne in 1906; operated on Lake Champlain
until 1953.
Virginia
Potomac Pilothouse
the Steamboat Era Museum is restoring the pilot house of a 1984 steamboat
(no wheel). The Potomac pilothouse is the largest remaining relic of the once-grand fleet
of Chesapeake Bay steamboats. See photos: click here.
Museum is located in Irvington (driving distance from D.C., Richmond, and Norfolk).
Washington
W.T. Preston Snagboat
historic sternwheeler serves as a remidner of Puget Sound maritime history.
Now located at the City of Anacortes History Museum.
Liberty Belle
small steam launch (no wheel) offers cruises out of La Conner (sixty-five
miles north of Seattle).
Christine W.
sternwheeler offers cruises on Lake Union, out of Fisherman's Terminal, Seattle.
Stern Wheeler Banjo - no website, a paddlewheel boat
docked in Seattle.
S.S. Virginia V historic steamboat
built in 1922 is the last of the famous Mosquito Fleet. Lovingly restored, offers cruises in
Puget Sound, based in Seattle (no wheel).
Empress of the North - sternwheel excursion boat, offering cruises to Alaska, currently
in corporate limbo, docked in Seattle.
West Virginia
Roy C
sternweeler travels the Ohio, Muskingum, and Kanawha rivers. Not open to the public, but owners
Hoyt and Wink Fontalbert welcome visitors aboard for tours.
Rufus B II
sternwheeler in St. Albans (twelve miles west of Charleston).
Juanita
sternwheeler on the Kanawha River at Dunbar (seven miles west of Charleston).
Hobby III
Cross Lanes (fourteen miles northwest of Charleston. See website:
click here.
Spirit of South Charleston
sternwheeler offers cruises on the Kanawha River, out of South Charleston (five miles west of
Charleston).
Fancy Nancy
sternwheeler out of Dunbar (seven miles west of Charleston).
Miss Lona
sternwheeler home port Charleston.
P.A. Denny
historic sternwheeler, based in Charleston.
Miss Sterling - no website
Wisconsin
Mississippi Explorer
Scheduled and charter eco cruises aboard the Mississippi Explorer from the
ports of La Crosse, Wisconsin, Lansing, Iowa,
Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, and Galena, Illinois. No
paddlewheel, but get your up-close wildlife on the backwaters of the Mississippi River.
Chief Waupaca * Lady of the Lakes
sternwheeler and motor yacht gives cruises on the Chain O' Lakes, out of Waupaca
(sixty miles west of Green Bay). Chief Waupaca is a historic vessel.
Chief Waupaca Sternwheeler
sternwheeler offers cruises on the Chain O' Lakes cruises, out of Clear Water Harbor, Waupaca
(seventy-five miles west of Green Bay).
La Crosse
Queen sternwheeler offers Mississippi River cruises out of La Crosse.
JuliaBelle.com steam powered
sternwheeler offers cruises, including overnight charter trips, on the Mississippi River,
June through mid-October. Home port is Riverside Park, La Crosse. See also: MississippiRiverAdventures.com.
Dells Boat Tours
excursion boat (no wheel) offers cruises on the Wisconsin River, based in Wisconsin Dells
(sixty miles north of Madison).
PrincessKay.com
sternwheeler offers cruises in the Wisconsin Dells, Port of River Bay.
Apollo II an exact replica of the 1898 Steamship
Apollo on the Wisconsin Dells.
Mr. Pancake Restaurant
Not a real boat, but a building designed to look like a sternwheeler.
Wyoming
Dear Wyoming, you are our last holdout. We need to have a heart-to-heart talk.
People of all
persuasions love a scenic boat ride and the splashing
of the paddlewheel makes it a memorable experience.
If you have a lake up there, please put a paddlewheeler on it and send me a link!
Key
Boat was built to be powered by steam.
The boat is open to
the public as of latest updates.
Licensed to offer public cruises.
Some are charter only, so always make arrangements ahead of time.
Paddlwheel, either stern, sidewheel,
or split wheel.
Onboard sleeping accommodations.
Note that all boats have hotels nearby; some are associated with a hotel.
Historic boat, at or close to
old enough to be an antique.
Corrections, additions, and broken link reports welcome! These links do not update themselves!
If you know of any boats that should be listed here, please send us the URL:
contact info. Our thanks to the steamboat community
for sending these boat links!
ARTICLE about this page:
Steamboats Round the Bend,
by Nori Muster, Editor of Steamboats.com
(April 3, 2009)
While numerous paddlewheelers grace our big cities, most of our nation's sweetheart
boats are tucked away on small waterways miles from anywhere. For example, you can
ride the Dixie Belle under the London Bridge in Lake Havasu, Arizona, half way
between Phoenix and Las Vegas. You can drive a hundred and thirty-four miles southeast
of Chicago to Webster Lake, Indiana, to catch a ride on the Dixieboat. You can go for
an overnight cruise on the Riverboat Twilight in Scales Mound, Illinois, twenty-five
miles east of Dubuque. There may be a paddlewheeler near you, or hidden along the route
of your next driving vacation.
Read the whole article:
Cruisemates.com.
TESTIMONIAL about this page:
On Nov 28, 2011, at 7:03 AM, STM wrote:
Nori,
This message, although long overdue, is to let you know how helpful your "Steamboats of the 50 States" web page was for us this summer. Using it along with what we already knew, we drove up the Great River Road from Cordova, Illinois and were able to ride on the LaCrosse Queen, Pearl of the Lake, Taylor's Falls Princess, Taylor's Falls Queen (of course I had to ride on a boat named "Taylor," the Avalon and Empress in Stillwater, Minneapolis Queen, and the Betsy Northrup. Unfortunately the Betsy Northrup was the only boat available for the time frame we had. We'll have to catch the other boats in the Paddleford fleet on a return trip.
Our drive trips were shorter than planned and we were not able to visit the headwaters of the Mississippi and another boat northwest of the Twin Cities. But there's still another year!
One of the most fascinating things was our stay on the Covington Inn in St. Paul. Liz Miller, the innkeeper, is fantastic. We loook fowrard to a return trip--perhaps when we "chase" the American Queen next year.
Anyway, thanks for compiling the site that was so very helpful to us.
Do you have any trips planned on either the American Queen or the Queen of the Mississippi next year?
Suzanne
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