harriott ii riverboat schedule 2024

Harriott II Riverboat

Come on down to the River and re-live history while enjoying a relaxing cruise on Montgomery's downtown attraction, the Harriott II. Docked beside the uniquely built Riverwalk Amphitheater, this elegant 19th-century riverboat is center stage of Montgomery's entertainment district and hosts public and private cruiseswtihgreat food, drinks, music, entertainment, and fun along the scenic Alabama River.

Getting There

• 255 Commerce Street
• Montgomery, AL 36104

Where to Stay

Travelodge by wyndham montgomery east, baymont by wyndham montgomery south, hampton inn & suites montgomery-downtown, days inn coliseum-montgomery, the woods rv resort, price4limo montgomery, quality inn montgomery south, key west inn south, wind creek casino & hotel montgomery, extended stay america - montgomery - eastern blvd., upcoming events, montgomery museum of fine arts fall festival, ballet and the beasts, glassner autumn challenge, montgomery whitewater wndc & burger night, glow party cruises, montgomery whitewater | college football tailgate saturday's, where to eat, k & j rib shack, the little donkey, pannie-george's kitchen - montgomery, the deli at alley station, el taco shop, lek's taste of thailand, railyard brewing, chris' famous hot dog, high five poke, find your alabama sweet spot.

Find the sweetest Alabama vacation spot perfectly suited just for you. Customize your next Alabama vacation by the type of experience you are looking for, then filter by the region of Alabama you want to visit. Don't know what your Alabama destination should be? Let our interactive location map be your guide. Now, where is your next Alabama Sweet Spot?

Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama

The Georgine Clarke Alabama Artists Gallery

Wind Creek Casino & Hotel Wetumpka

Civil Rights Memorial Center

Daniel pratt historic district, the alleyway, alabama-korea education & economic partnership, was this listing helpful.

Everything Alabama has to offer —in one easy place!

Looking for information on state parks, hot spots to have fun in the sun, or the best places for fishing or bird-watching? How about the world’s best museums or science centers? The Alabama Vacation guide will help you discover so many new and unique experiences. No matter where you’re headed or what you feel like doing, the Alabama vacation guide will get started on the right path.

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This Riverboat Will Take You Down One Of Alabama’s Most Scenic Rivers

Alabama offers scenic riverboat cruises on the Harriott II Riverboat, showcasing its natural beauty and diverse waterways.

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From lakes and rivers, to mountains and valleys, Alabama is no stranger when it comes to natural beauty. Speaking of rivers, Alabama has more than 77,000 miles of rivers and streams, and these rivers and streams are also among the world's most biologically diverse waterways. There's no better way to experience the beauty of Alabama's rivers than by taking a scenic riverboat cruise.

The Harriott II Riverboat is Montgomery, Alabama's greatest downtown attraction. This 19th-century riverboat is the capital city's only operating riverboat, and it's stunning.

Docked beside the amphitheater in Riverfront Park, this historic riverboat is 96 feet long and can accommodate up to 350 passengers at a time. It offers lots of fun on the Alabama River, including dancing and live entertainment.

The Harriott II Riverboat attracts people from all across the state, and most of the time the cruises sell out. If you want to take a cruise aboard the Harriott II Riverboat, you'll need to schedule it as soon as possible.

In addition to dinner cruises, the Harriott II Riverboat also offers sightseeing trips, sunset cruises and themed trips.

This riverboat's lower deck is where you'll find the dining area. Passengers love the buffet-style dinner, which includes a selection of entrees, vegetables, potatoes, rolls and a dessert.

Those who choose not to board the Harriott II Riverboat have just as much fun watching the riverboat come and go.

This stunning riverboat is the perfect place to hold a celebration. It's also a great place to be during an incredible fireworks show. What a view!

After cruising along the Alabama River, aboard the Harriot II Riverboat, you'll be counting down the days until you can do it again.

For more information on the Harriott II Riverboat, including its "2016 Cruise Schedule," click here . Keep in mind, the dinner cruises sell out quickly, so you'll need to act fast.

Here are a couple of October events you might be interested in:

October 15, 2016 - Winefest Cruise

Cost: $25 per adult / $10 with purchase of Winefest ticket only

Board time: 5pm

Cruise time: 5:30-7:30pm

Includes: Live entertainment, a cash bar, concessions and a commemorative glass to take home.

October 29, 2016 - The Haunting on the Harriott

Cost: $25 per adult (21 and over ONLY)

Board time: 8pm

Cruise time: 8:30-10:30pm

Includes: Live entertainment, a cash bar and costume contest with lots of great prizes.

Harriott II Riverboat (Riverfront Park)

255 Commerce St

Montgomery, AL 36104

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The One Alabama Park Where You Can Feed Alligators

One of the state's best wildlife attractions, Alligator Alley in Summerdale, Alabama, is an animal adventure you won't forget.

Run, don't crawl to South Alabama for one of the state's best wildlife attractions, Alligator Alley in Summerdale, Alabama, an animal adventure you won't forget. This wildlife sanctuary protects and cares for over 600 rescued alligators and is open daily so you can give them a little love, too.

Alligator Alley owner Wes Moore founded the sanctuary in 2004, creating a safe place for alligators who found themselves in unnatural areas and faced imminent danger. According to the sanctuary's informational materials, any alligator over four feet long and determined dangerous to people or their property must be removed. Thanks to Moore and his team, many have found a safe home over the last two decades.

The sanctuary is open every day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with feeding times at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 4 p.m. Final admission is 30 minutes before closing. When you arrive, you can explore the property on your own. You can get a bird's-eye view from a platform and stroll an elevated boardwalk overlooking gators just hanging out in a natural habitat along with other creatures like turtles, bullfrogs, ospreys, and owls.

While staff members interact up close with the gators during the live feedings, you can also participate by feeding them gator chow. The staff will guide you on the appropriate feeding method and happily answer any questions you may have about these impressive creatures.

This is the place for anyone who wants to learn ALL about alligators, from the earliest stages of their lives to maturity. (Did you know the typical life span for an alligator is 50 years?) One revered resident is Captain Crunch, who is just over 13 feet long, weighs more than 800 pounds and is the world record holder for bite strength at 2,982 pounds.

Naturally, new generations of gators have originated at the sanctuary, which also has dedicated viewing areas for the hatchlings. The staff will even help you hold one of the babies before you leave.

As you might guess, Alligator Alley is a huge hit with animal-obsessed kiddos and a popular spot for birthday parties. Even so, people of all ages and walks of life will gain knowledge and a better understanding of alligators and conservation efforts. See the Alligator Alley website for admission fees and party pricing, and follow Alligator Alley on Facebook for the latest sanctuary news.

Looking for more family fun in this neck of our piney South Alabama woods? Be sure to check out Wales West Light Railway & RV Resort in Silverhill, Alabama – just nine miles and a 15-minute drive west from Alligator Alley. The park has a popular swimming hole in the summer and offers year-round train rides, including popular holiday-themed rides around Easter, Halloween, and Christmas.

There is a lot more to explore in this little area of Baldwin County, making it perfect for a little getaway. If you make the trip, consider this spacious Airbnb in Summerdale for your home base. This rural retreat is a guest favorite, and with three bedrooms and two baths, it sleeps up to six people.

Let us know if you visit! We would love to hear all about it!

Tiny But Mighty, The Smallest State Park In Alabama Is A Hidden Gem Worth Exploring

Lake Jackson RV Park at Florala, Alabama's smallest state park, offers camping and various water activities on the state's only natural lake.

Alabama is home to 22 beautiful state parks that offer a little bit of everything. One of these state parks is Lake Jackson RV Park at Florala, which happens to be the smallest state park in Alabama . To learn all about this tiny, but mighty, Florala State Park, take a look below.

Lake Jackson RV Park at Florala, which is formerly known as Florala State Park, is located in Florala, Alabama.

Covering approximately 40 acres, Lake Jackson Rv Park at Florala is Alabama's smallest state park. It offers both 30 and 50 amp sites for anyone wishing to camp here.

Lake Jackson RV Park at Florala is situated on the banks of Lake Jackson. This 500-acre lake is Alabama's only natural lake. In addition to Alabama, Lake Jackson also shares its shores with Florida.

Throughout the year, numerous people spend time on Lake Jackson because of its clean water. People also enjoy a variety of water activities this lake offers, including boating, tubing, skiing, fishing, and so much more.

Even though Lake Jackson RV Park at Florala is on the smaller side, it's still a great place for a day trip. It's also located on the Alabama Birding Trail, so you'll likely spot several beautiful birds during your visit.

If you do decide to visit the smallest state park in Alabama, be sure to stay at least until dusk. This way you'll get to experience a beautiful sunset.

For more information about Lake Jackson RV Park at Florala, including rates and other activities offered, you can view the Alabama State Parks website.

Have you ever been to Lake Jackson RV Park at Florala? If so, what did you think about it? Please share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

Another one of Alabama's smallest state parks is Blue Springs State Park in Clio. For information, be sure to take a look at the following article: Everyone In Alabama Must Visit This Epic Natural Spring As Soon As Possible. Or for those who love a good trek, the best hiking in Alabama can be found on Alltrails.

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Harriott II Riverboat Cruise

Purchase Tickets Here 

(334) 625-2100

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255 Commerce Street Montgomery , AL 36104

http://www.funinmontgomery.com/parks-items/harriott-ii-riverboat

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River Cruises

Visit Montgomery’s scenic access to the Alabama River and choose from two unique ways to cruise the historic waterway. Pick a relaxing riverboat cruise onboard the elegant Harriott II or bring your friends and provide your own pedal power with a Sip-N-Cycle Pedal Cruise.

More than a glance back to stylish river travel in the 19th century, the Harriott II offers today’s cruisers experiences that include dinner, dancing and live entertainment. The options are ideal for a fun family outing or a romantic couple’s evening on the river. Step onboard from the convenient dock alongside the Riverwalk Amphitheater. 

Getaway Cruises on the Harriott II are two hours in length and include live entertainment and a cash bar. The Wheel House Grille has a variety of food items for purchase. Indoor seating is available inside two climate-controlled decks as well as on the outside patio. The Dinner Cruise is also two hours and features a full plated dinner plus the cash bar. Dinner cruises require advance ticket purchase. 

Great fun for a group of friends, the Sip-N-Cycle Pedal Cruise offers an interactive way to enjoy the Alabama River. The boat can welcome 20 passengers and has 12 pedal stations around a central bar. Try the Mixer Cruise where you can bring your own food and alcohol and share the cruise with others. If you prefer to have the boat to yourself, the Private Cruises are perfect for family reunions, birthdays, and bachelor/bachelorette parties. 

The 90-minute river excursion has a high-energy atmosphere with a sound system to keep the partying rocking. If you and your crew tire out before the trip is over, the U.S. Coast Guard-certified captain and the first mate will take over and let you relax. 

* * * * * (you are here) date goes here September 15, 2024 The Ohio River Sternwheel Festival took place last week and yesterday's article in focuses on one boat that could not attend. The articles comes with the headline: "The is a visitor missed by many." Staff Reporter Art Smith acknowledges the steamboat community's feelings: we miss the . In the article he tells the story of how the moved from California to the Western Rivers just after World War II. It's worth a read! . You can find more news at the Delta Queen Steamboat Company's Facebook page: . July 25, 2024 Last April American Cruise Lines bought all the boats from American Queen Voyages. As soon as they bought the boats for millions of dollars, they sent them to the scrap yard. This will include the which will be scrapped on January 1, 2025. Why buy these boats and then destroy them? This is an excerpt from to explain how the transaction occurred: I'm not sure what we can do to save the Queen. but it seems anti-American. Why else would ACL buy paddlewheel steamboats - an icon of American history thanks to Mark Twain - and then pay a scrap yard to dismantle them? Shame on them. July 7, 2024 After studying family ancestry, Philip Newton wrote to us about his steamboat ancestor W.W. Prather, whose boat was the (named after his aunt). While documenting his ancestor J. Richard Lawwill, Philip found this story about the . Lawwill learned about it from Fred Way, but it had been in river lore for decades. The Fred Way directory says was still on the books in 1892. . Chugging merrily on its way to Cincinnati to provide the main course for many Thanksgiving dinners. Philip Newton has located the plans for the boat and a photo of a model boat of the Katie Prather, but research continues. He hopes to find photos of the boat and his ancestors. To read more about the Katie Prather, click here: June 3, 2024 The Eugene Murphy Library Special Recognition Award was established in 1986 to recognize those who have significantly contributed to advancing the library's mission. This year the Award is being posthumously awarded to the late Dave Thomson. Dave was a steamboat historian, enthusiast and collector of all things steamboats. His unexpected passing in 2021 left his brother, Darryl, searching for a new home for Dave's vast collection valued at $64,000. Murphy Library's reputation led Darryl to reach out, resulting in the 2022 cross-country journey of Dave's materials from Southern California to their new forever home in Special Collections at the University of Wisconsin at La Crosse. Click here to read more: June 2, 2024 Steamboat researcher John Bernhardt compiled a thesis on the 1838-1865 efforts to address the problems with steamboat boiler explosions. Bernhardt sent his document to publish at this site and wants to reach out to steamboat societies and archives that have a serious interest in archival steamboat history. Bernhardt said: This document describes how our government got to the creation of the Steam Boat Inspection Service, the precursor to the U.S. Coast Guard. You can read the whole paper here: THE PRACTICAL ENGINEERS' REBELLION: EVANS PATENT SAFETY GUARD AND THE FAILURE OF SCIENTIFIC TECHNOLOGY IN THE STEAM BOAT INSPECTION SERVICE, 1830-1862 John A. Bernhardt III, Master of Arts, 2008 Directed By: Dr. Robert Friedel, Professor, History Department, University of Maryland. (Author's errata note on p.191: "Engineers Dickey and Watson were NOT exonerated.") May 2, 2024 The great steamboat race took place yesterday in Louisville, Kentucky. Congratulations to the . "It was amazing when the boats crossed the Finish Line. We could hear on land the crowds on both boats cheering and having such a great time," said Matt Gibson, Kentucky Derby Festival President & CEO. "You could feel the vibe the entire race." April 18, 2024 We encourage sharing this posting with colleagues and friends who may be interested in applying. Click on job title below to see description of SSHSA Current Job Openings: in Houma March 18, 2024 Google Alerts brought this newly-recorded footage of the in Houma, Louisiana. Take a look: March 5, 2024 Recently I was discussing with Ben Truwe how unfortunate it was to have never had a paddle wheel boat on his river, the Rogue River in Oregon. However, he wrote back with the good news there once was a paddle wheel boat on the Rogue River! Sometimes riverboat history breaks our hearts, but it's good to know the truth. On Feb 23, 2024, Ben Truwe wrote: I was astounded to find mention of a paddle wheeler on the Rogue River - briefly. This is all I have: Rogue River's Only Steamboat Sinks. The steamer Rogue River, property of the Rogue River Packing & Navigation Company, capsized and sank last Thursday in the Rogue River below the mouth of the Illinois, and is a total loss. When the little steamer was within half a mile of its destination, in lining over a rapid the line parted, throwing the steamer against the bank and completely demolished the driving wheel. The boat was disabled and at the mercy of the current. The steamer drifted down the river a distance of three miles, when upon striking an eddy upset in about 20 feet of water. The steamer was of 25 tonnage, and carried merchandise and machinery valued at $6000. The Rogue River was valued at $6000. The loss on vessel and cargo is total. The Rogue River was built last spring by Joseph Supple and shipped from Portland in knock-down shape. - , November 25, 1902, page 1. SOHS Research Library M77F2 Posted: March 1, 2024 Event: September 8, 2024 We apologize for circulating this rumor! Don't believe everything you hear. - your editor correction dated 03-23-2024 February 5, 2024 American Queen Voyages Ceases Operations Editor's note: These rumors were circulated on Facebook and at cruise ship news sites. Apparently due to floods that cancelled a few cruises the AQ company had to reimburse some passengers. This turned into a rumor that AQ had an existential crisis on their hands. Long live the American Queen and her retinue. We need more historic paddlewheel steamboats on the rivers. ~~> December 30, 2023 Two years ago the small town of Kimmswick,Missouri, built a new dock but just in two years the water receded and boats cannot access the dock. The news came out today in the . Since the has a connection with Kimmswick, the article includes a few paragraphs about the : sustained damage from Hurricane Ida, Johnson said. "Only recently did the insurance monies come through and repairs to the vessel get underway," he said in an email. "The damage was primarily to the roof and outer decks, such as railings and a few windows. The interior of the vessel remains in good condition and thanks to the new roof has remained dry and preserved. "We are currently in talks with a couple groups to secure a future for the as an overnight cruise vessel," Johnson said. "Should we be successful we most certainly plan to stop in Kimmswick." To read the whole article, go to . December 25, 2023 During this time of turmoil in our world and in our own country, we pray that everyone take a moment to reconsider. It's a fact we human beings are more alike than we are different. We all share common needs and feelings. So let's pray for peace in the coming new year even though it almost sounds like too much to ask. December 23, 2023 One of our readers, Lorri Conklin, sent us a picture of this drawing of the . The print had been stored in the back of her closet for many years. served as a steamboat for Disney in Florida from 1971-1980. Sadly, like many other riverboats, the suffered a tragic death. In 1980 during a routine dry dock operation, the crane broke and dropped the boat, destroying it beyond repair. Rest in peace . While the boat suffered an early death, the boat's namesake lived to be ninety-nine years old. For more information about this boat, see . December 18, 2023 , by Arthur L. Smith, is now available in a hefty, four hundred page hardcover. Amazon calls it "a thrilling story of the days of excursion riverboat glory on the great Mississippi and Ohio rivers." History doesn't save itself, but books on the history of our favorite boat lines will help preserve steamboat history for decades to come. Purchase the book now at and other online venues. You can also order it at your local indi bookstore. December 1, 2023 If you've been following The River, by Captain Donald J. Sanders, published weekly in the you will be happy to learn the good captain's stories are now available as a book! . Buy it now through the Kentucky Center for Public Service Journalism: . November 19, 2023 Earlier this year we lost Keith Norrington who was a pillar of the steamboat community. He was an encyclopedia of steamboat history and his teacher and mentor was Ruth Ferris. Keith was one of the first people I met after starting steamboats.com. He sent me a pack of photos to post and it was the first exhibit on steamboats.com - . I would like to share this post from a friend in Florida: On Nov 19, 2023, at 11:58 AM, Carole Matthews wrote: Keith E Norrington died 8 30 2023 services 9 5 2023 burial 9 5 2023 Keith's services were at Naville Grace Seabrook Funeral Home located at Chapel of Naville 1119 East Market Street New Albany Indiana 47150 They have a 20 minute film about his life and it was so fascinating to watch I was afraid to move. It shows him with Ruth Ferris will explain later accepting the bell from the destroyed Mississippi Queen on the Belle of Louisville on the Becky Thatcher and on the Keith enjoyed playing organs and calliopes and belong to several organ clubs Now about Ruth Ferris a close longtime friend of Keith's She wrote with the help of Elizabeth A Picard a book called Ruth's River Dreams she was a former schoolteacher it is on sale in paperback online. Ruth Ferris died in 1997 As far as thinking about Keith my friend for 14 years he can be described as a KIND SOUL I would send him little riverboat models every year for Xmas and I would get a fast reply saying KEEP UP STEAM and how much he liked them MISS MY FRIEND TERRIBLY Riverboat Carole September 13, 2023 by Dennis Brown Reviewed by Nori Muster Dennis Brown took eight cruises on the in the seventies and eighties, then got the ultimate invitation to stay for three cruises in a row. This is something any of us could only dream about! Brown was a CBS Entertainment publicist who helped out with the production of the three-part Civil War documentary, . The documentary features actor Sterling Hayden, who portrayed abolitionist John Brown. When the documentary was set to play on three consecutive cruises, they invited Dennis Brown to introduce the show and tell behind-the-scenes stories from the production. Brown says he brought along a tape recorder just in case he might get some good interviews. In 1987 he used his recorded interviews to write the first hundred pages of the book he envisioned. Then he put it aside for more than thirty years. When he found the unfinished manuscript he read it over and found the interviews were "as timeless as the river itself," so he went ahead and completed the manuscript [p. 2]. Brown's interviews are candid conversations from random moments like sitting around the dining room table or watching the shore go by in lounge chairs on the deck. He also included relevant stories from people who weren't on the . A good example is a long conversation with a taxi driver in Memphis. Dennis asked Walter if he was working on the day Elvis Presley died. The Taxi driver recalled fans from around the country flooding into Memphis to congregate at Graceland. He also shared his memories of the death of Martin Luther King Jr. [pp. 248-250]. Dennis embeds each discussion with background about the river, the boat, and sentimental memories he's held over many years. He also discusses his favorite moments from his years with CBS. The memoir is packed with stories from the history of the places the boat takes him on this twenty-two day voyage. The book is composed of three sections, one for each back-to-back cruise, and each of the twenty-two chapters cover one day of the cruise. Anybody who loves the would appreciate the amount of history contained in this book. One example is when Brown speaks with dinner table friend Russ Zahn from Wisconsin. Zahn and his family happened to be on the in 1979 when President Jimmy Carter and his family were on the boat. Zahn's narrative filled in a lot of blanks spots for me because I knew the Carters were on the boat, but there's a lot more to it than that. It was fascinating to learn the Secret Service referred to the as "Steamboat One." Captain Fred Way, the man who helped bring the to the South, was also at the table. After Zahn told his memories of that cruise, Captain Way told his most prominent memory. He said Mr. Robert Simonton, the savior of Green Line Steamers, died in California while the Carters we on the boat. He said right after Mr. Simonton died, a squall hit the with seventy-five miles-per-hour winds and rain. [pp. 100-104]. After hearing from Mr. Zahn and Captain Way, Zahn asked the author if he had ever met Jimmy Carter. Then Brown recalls his encounter with President Carter and that's how day seven wound up. [pp. 105-109] This book includes a sixteen page insert with historic photos and each chapter has additional pictures. Plus, each section features a map of the rivers they visit on that cruise. It's not easy to find a map of the Western Rivers, and this book would make a great gift for anybody on your list. is now available at Amazon.com: September 5, 2023 After sixty years, a memoir of one man's travel on the Delta Queen Steamboat has come to light. The author is Russell E. Vanderbilt, and he went on a three wek cruise, beginning in Cincinnati, traveling to Minneapolis-Saint Paul on the Mississippi River, and back to Cincinnati. He describes the boat, the itinerary, and river history of the areas he visits. This concise eighteen page memoir will take you back to the time when Greene Line Steamers was based in Cincinnati. Steamboats.com thanks the author's granddaughter Linda Dietrick for sending the memoir and asking that we post it at the site. Click here to read the memoir, with introduction by Linda Dietrick: August 9, 2023 , a historic 19th century paddle wheel gives river tours out of the Downtown Montgomery riverfront. This boat has a permanent, assigned docking slip at the riverfront. Don't steal this lady's parking spot and beat up the captain. That's just wrong! The people who did this deserve to be in prison at the least. Support all riverboats, and everyone who takes care of the boats - especially the historic boats that are still with us! I couldn't find Harriott II Riverboat in the Fred Way Directory, but added her to the . I put in a call to find out if it runs on steam. If this boat was renamed since 1994, let me know so I can find out more about it! July 21, 2023, updated August 8, 2023 After Dave Thomson, primary contributor and historian of Steamboats.com, left us, his brother and sister-in-law spent two years processing and packing Dave's photos, books, model boats, and other steamboat materials. The major part of the collection was bound for the Murphy Library at the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse. Murphy's Special Collections Library already had one of the largest paddle wheel steamboat photo collections in the world. Now it's doubled in size. . --> Video of reception of the Dave Thomson Collection: UWL campus news article: "Steamboat photos and memorabilia continue to flow into the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse" . July 19, 2023 The editors at Steamboats.com would like to encourage the 21c Museum Hotel and greater Louisville community to get poor old David some cover. For many years he's been standing around naked on Main Street. At first that sounds like fun, but it's got to wear on a guy. We think David would look great in a pair of running shorts with steamboats. So let's go Louisville. Let's get David some steamboat shorts! July 5, 2023 Over the Fourth of July weekend I went on the Belle of Louisville and came back with video and photos. It's all posted here: . April 11, 2023 Sometimes we lose track of our favorite steamboats because, obviously they can move around, and furthermore, they can change their names. Recently Ellen McCroskey, who lives on the Ohio River, wanted help locating her favorite boat, Valley Voyager. I searched everywhere and had no clue. But then she realized the name had changed several times - Valley Voyager - Dottie G. - and now Anastasia. You can go for a cruise on the Anastasia, now located in Stillwater, Minnesota, as part of Stillwater River Boats' fleet. Ellen sent some pictures she found, and I'm grateful we rediscovered this beautiful boat. I do my level best to keep track of the paddle wheel steamboats in America here: . If you notice any that are missing, or listed in the wrong location, please feel free to contact me! Kindle The book above has more pictures while the blue book is more definitive with some pictures and more historical text. Buy directly from the author for a discount on these books - $15 each plus $3 each for shipping. Send cash, check, or money order to: Annie Blum, 6239 Westway Pl., St. Louis, MO 63109. For more information. For more information email Annie at . March 1, 2023 Robert Powell wrote: Hello Nori Muster, Over the years I have enjoyed your site along with another riverboat/steamboat website. I have seen many photos and stories about the Idlewild/Avalon/Belle of Louisville and most all were great photos and stories about this boat. Now I would like to share my story about this great boat. Like Mark Twine, so to speak, and a few other individuals that grew up in a river town so did I. My hometown of New Albany, Indiana had its fame and glory during the Golden Age of Steamboats. New Albany's six shipbuilders had the reputation for building fast & elegant boats, I am sure every riverboat captain knew of New Albany, if not before The Great Race they sure did after the Robert E. Lee beat the Natchez to St. Louis from New Orleans. Captain John W. Cannon specifically chose New Albany to build his boat because he wanted to have the fastest boat on the Ohio & Mississippi Rivers. Back to the Belle of Louisville - before I was born my parents went on many dance cruises on the Avalon as I did when I became a young man living in New Albany and partying in Louisville, although it was not called the Avalon by then. But even before that, back when I was in high school, we had our Junior/Senior prom in May of 1961 on the Avalon. That was not the first time New Albany High School held their prom on this boat, I know it dates to at least the 1940s. My class wanted to hold our 1962 prom on the boat for the following year but that night when we tried to book our prom, we were told the company was going out of business and this will be our last trip home to Cincinnati. Well, as you know, the city of Louisville bought the boat and renamed her the Belle of Louisville. February 19, 2023 Duane E. Mann wrote: I am writing to you in reference to the showboat pages on the steamboats.com website. You were the first contact information that I found. I have some sad news relating to the Golden Rod, National Landmark, ShowBoat. I had some contact with the people who were trying to return her to service somehow in the early 2000's As I was contacted by them inrelation to a project that I started working with around that time, The James Adams Floating Theatre, JAFT.Sadly my website for the JAFT seems to have lost it's URL But I hope to gt it running again now that I have seen it is no longer linked to my pages, Upon first hearing about showboats and before writing her Novel Showboat Edna Ferber contacted both the GoldenRod and the James Adams for the purpose of research. Only Charles Hunter and Beulah Adams from the JAFT, responded, having followed her stories in the magazines. She then went down to meet them in Bath North Carolina and spent four days, I believe she said,aboard doing various things helping around, as often happened on showboats, mainly waiting for Charles Hunter to have time to speak with her. Once he did she took many pages of notes from his experiences as, evidently, his father was a riverboat captain on the Ohio river that propelled showboats in his youth. I "assume" that one was the original Cotton Blossom, and inspired much of the name's association with the novel and therefore both stage and movie offerings. Another similarity of the subject showboats is that they both succumbed to fire. The James Adams in 1941 near Savanah, GA while going in for refitting after her sale. And from what I saw on the GoldenRod's facebook page, the GoldenRod burned up, I believe on the Indiana River in the 2000s sometime, likely due to vandals. I have several photos given to our organization by the author Richard C. Gilespie who wrote a fine book about the James Adams Floating Theatre: I have some pictures of the James Adams Floating Theatre, some scanned in high resolution. And I have some facebook followers that were descendants of crew/cast members on our facebook page: I belive the the last living performer, Rachael Brown, passed away here in Maryland in the early 2000s. I would be interested in maintaining contact with you and or Dave about these lovely pieces of American history, as I continue to try and return the James Adams Floating Theatre experience to Mid-Atlantic coastal communities. On another note the Majestic was purchased a few years ago and was being moored near Manchester, Ohio: . I hope to make a trip there one day soon to look her over. I suspect the plan is to put her back into operation as a stationary attraction vessel: A a side note the Steamboat ERA museum in Irvington, VA, has the absolute hands down best model of the James Adams that I have seen to date. - Duane E. Mann Chesapeake Bay Floating Theatre Photos of one of America's great showboats, lying in pieces in a yard in the St. Louis area in 2015. January 5, 2023 Thank God somebody finally put a steamboat in the Pasadena Rose Parade! We love you Louisiana! December 20, 2022 This site has boats built out of Legos, and Simple Ship Designs made a Lego model of the Delta Queen. He doesn't list his name, but he dedicated it to his girlfriend. Have a look! November 17, 2022 2023 Sternwheel Wall Calendar is Available! Back by popular demand, the 2023 calendar features early photos of sternwheel towboats. The calendar contains 13 large photos printed on heavy card stock, suitable for framing. NEW & IMPROVED !! This calendar is our best yet, with higher quality images, extra images, and added color throughout! Each month features a specific boat along with its history, and a complete calendar page, with holidays marked. The boats featured for 2023 include: MARY WOODS No. 2 BELFONT JUDGE ROSS PHILIP RITCHIE SUSIE (EDNA & DIESEL) PITTSBURGH L. G. BEAVER R. J. B. MARY ALICE ST. DENNIS PROSPERITY TENNESSEE PATTIE T (LOUISE) CHARLOTTE The 2023 calendar marks our 22nd year of wall calendar offerings! Calendar Price: $15.95 Plus Shipping: $ 4.50 for one calendar. (add $1 for each additional calendar) Please mail check or money order to: Draftware Inc. 41 Ems W32 North Webster, IN 46555 Online credit card ordering is available on our web site: Below are images of the calendar's front and back covers: November 13, 2022 Doc Hawley, New Orleans riverboat captain and calliope player, dies at 87 Retired Natchez captain was 'one of the keepers of the flame of steamboat romance' - NOLA The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate Northern Kentucky Tribune The Waterways Journal Weekly WorkBoat Calliope concerts with Doc. Hawley Swashbuckling Family Adventure - September 25 Crossing the Ohio: Exploring the Underground Railroad and River Connection - October 8 Dream Within A Dream: A Journey With Edgar Allan Poe - October 13 & 14 Fall Foliage & Geology Cruise - October 22 Dining and Sightseeing options available! Hull-o-ween Family Cruise - October 29 Haunted River Cruise (Ages 21+) - October 29 Book your cruises now: September 22, 2022 We of course knew the Western Rivers were full of sunken steamboats, but now it turns out Moosehead Lake, in Maine, had sunken steamboats. Plus, the owners sank the boats because of a dip in tourism. Learn more about the era and what remains . . . . September 4, 2022 This year Andrew Trovato procured a collection of steamboat ephemera and shared some of his great finds with steamboats.com! History is constantly disappearing, so we all need to do our part to save a as much history as we can for future generation. In that spirit, we want to share one of Andrew's great finds: a 1909 brochure for the steamers on Lake George. July 31, 2022 Steamboats.com sends our sympathies for the families affected by the horrific floods in Kentucky. We are in this together as a union of states. Hang on, better times will come. June 24, 2022 Cory Schuh, deputy director of the Jefferson County Port Authority, Kimmswick city officials, and the Kimmswick Historical Society are working to restore Kimmswick's history as a hub of paddle wheel steamboat activity. The American Queen and other paddle wheel boats have committed to stopping in Kimmswick more often. The owners of the Delta Queen Steamboat are also expected to make Kimmswick their home port. Congratulations to Kimmswick for keeping history alive. To read the full article, click here: May 9, 2022 Three boats competed, but only the Belle of Louisville is a genuine steam-powered boat. Thus, even though the Belle crossed the finish line last, the judges declared her the winner. There will be no recount. The silver antlers remain with the Belle of Louisville. Two other boats, the Belle of Cincinnati and the American Countess, competed. Here at the Steamboats.com editorial room, we believe somebody should have warned these boats their lack of steam boilers would disqualify them from winning. According to Wave 3 News in Louisville, "Belle of Louisville Captain Mark Doty ordered the steamboat's cannon to fire around 6 p.m. Wednesday, signaling the start of this year's celebration." It's almost like he knew they would win before the race even started. See video and article here: . For anybody who is upset with this outcome, donate generously to the Delta Queen Steamboat Company. Only by bringing the Delta Queen back to the rivers can you defeat the Belle of Louisville! Frankly, we love all the boats, and are grateful for their participation. However we are secretly in favor of the judges' decision to award the silver antlers to the Belle of Louisville. Please don't tell anybody!! Tickets now available for the Chaser Boat for the Great Steamboat Race! . February 28, 2022 Enclosed below is an ancestry story of Valentine Livingston St. Ceran, written, documented, and submitted by Adam Selino. December 14, 2021 "Little Boats on Little Rivers" For 2022 we revisit scale model sternwheelers, which was the theme for our 2005 calendar. Steam and diesel models are featured in great detail. The calendar contains 13 large photos printed on heavy card stock, suitable for framing. NEW & IMPROVED ! This calendar is our best yet, with higher quality images, extra images, and color throughout! Each month features a specific scale model boat along with related information, and a complete calendar page with holidays marked. The boats featured for 2022 include: IDLEWILD PRINCESS DUNCAN BRUCE RAINBOW OHIO VALLEY SUNSHINE W. E. PULLEM CHICOT FAR WEST VIRGINIA LEE CHAPERON THOMAS A. EDISON WILD GOOSE The 2022 calendar marks our 21st year of wall calendar offerings! Calendar Price: $15.95 Plus Shipping: $ 4.50 for one calendar. (add $1 for each additional calendar) Please mail check or money order to: Draftware Inc. 41 Ems W32 North Webster, IN 46555 Online credit card ordering is available on our web site: Below are images of the calendar's front and back covers: November 2, 2021 ) September 16, 2021 The Delta Queen was under the eye of Hurricane Ida August 29 and sustained damage. According to the article below, Read the article for more information: . We are deeply saddened and await more news of repairs. August 18, 2021 Cincinnati is considering two bids to bring their waterfront to life. One idea is to add a retired casino boat from Dubuque, Iowa, and turn it into a hotel, restaurant, event center. Here at steamboats.com, we think this is the best choice. First, there are so many grand boats that need good homes. Second, Cincinnati had the Delta Queen Steamboat on their waterfront for decades, and it was an iconic symbol for their city. The Delta Queen still bears a plaque on the bow that says "Port of Cincinnati." A paddle wheel boat could bring people together and provide a sense of identity for every true Cincinnatian. Here's the story: August 11, 2021 The American Queen Steamboat Company started the 2021 season on August 8, with an all-vaxxed crew and all-vaxxed passengers. This is the first cruise in eighteen months, due to the pandemic. We celebrate the return of the American Queen, the youngest of the three sisters of the Greene Line / Delta Queen Steamboat Company. The boats changed hands many times, and had a tragic break-up under Majestic America Line / Ambassador Cruise Line. When the company went into bankruptcy in 2009, they murdered the Mississippi Queen and abandoned the Delta Queen. The third and youngest sister, the American Queen, had a government loan, so the government took possession of the boat. They took good care of it and the Great American Steamboat Company, then headed by Jeff Krida, bought the American Queen for $15 million. The boat was in near-perfect condition thanks to the US government, and soon returned to the rivers. You can read the article here: . George David Thomson Jr. graduated from the California Institute of the Arts, CalArts, in 1968, then worked at Disney Studios in Burbank for twenty years. He ran the scene planning department for many years and worked with the animators on many Disney classics like and . Following his time with Disney, he worked for Warner Brothers, Hanna-Barbera, and Hyperion Studios. All told he was in the cameraman's union, the International Cinematographers Guild, for thirty years. After retiring in 2000, Dave threw himself into Mark Twain and paddle wheel steamboat history. He was a prolific collector of vintage steamboat photos, oil paintings, model boats, and other steamboat artifacts and paraphernalia. In January 2002 he contacted Nori Muster, web designer of Steamboats.com, and began to send her images and information to post at her website. The Dave Thomson Collection is comprised of 240 pages displaying 2,990 steamboat images. It is the largest collection of steamboat photos on the Internet. Over his twenty years as the primary contributor and historian for Steamboats.com, Dave answered hundreds of questions for people about their ancestry or a particular boat or captain they were researching. In addition, hundreds of people contacted the museum for permission to use Dave's images for book covers, museum exhibits, magazine articles, and other commercial use. Dave wrote all the captions for the steamboat jpgs he sent for the museum, and his writings now serve as a valuable bank of information. Losing Dave to medical complications is a loss for the entire steamboat community. He was one of the elders, and took an encyclopedia of history with him when he left. Sadly, it is a history that was already disappearing. Dave grew up in Palos Verdes, in Los Angeles County, California, and is survived by his brother and sister-in-law, Darryl and Jerri Thomson. They will spread his ashes in San Pedro, nearby Palos Verdes where Dave and Darryl used to walk along the breakwater as kids. One final note from Nori Muster: In 2015, Dave and I had a telephone conversation about the museum and wandered into the subject of our spiritual beliefs. Neither of us were ultra-religious, but we both felt a connection to the numinous through steamboats. He said: "Worshiper of steamboats perhaps? I think we're onto the key to a positive afterlife where steamboats are our reward and compensation for rough times we experienced on planet earth." Visit the Dave Thomson Museum: Dave's favorite songs: (from the 1974 Caribou Album) (from the 1980 motion picture soundtrack The Jazz Singer) Contact: Nori Muster, Steamboats.com author and web designer 480-275-7889 May 20, 2021 : Dave Thomson said, "It could have been inspired by this boat with '1870' on the paddlebox. But of course in the fun stylized version by Kiyoshi. The whole thing is abstracted and transformed into something brand new." May 17, 2021 Latest update - the Kimmswick port about ready to open. Read the whole article here: May 11, 2021 update - St. Louis TV Channel 5, KSDLK, has some good news after Covid and floods "nearly wiped the town and it's festivals off the map": Kimmswick making comeback this Mother's Day! Mayor Phil Stang said Kimmswick is making inroads with riverboat companies, like the Delta Queen, to make Kimmswick a stop along their Mississippi River journey. The dock at the Kimmswick port is complete and they should be ready to receive riverboats this summer. Read more: April 17, 2021 update - Check the latest news on the progress in Kimmswick, future home port of the Delta Queen Steamboat! Also enclosed below is the new logo. by Nori Muster, Steamboats.com editor April 7, 2021 The anniversary of the loss of the Sultana is coming up this month. The boat exploded on April 27, 1865, en route from Memphis to New Orleans with the loss of 1,547 lives. Of those who died 1,100 were Union soldiers returning North from Southern battlefields at the end of the Civil War. My great grandfather, John Muster , spent most of the Civil War in Confederate prisions, including Andersonville. For many of us who have ancestors who fought in the Civil War, this was a terrible loss. Here at Steamboats.com, we received a letter from Dee Cody, whose great-great-great grandfather was on the Sultana when it exploded, but his life was spared. At Dee Cody's request, I will pass along the information she sent about the Sultana Association, dedicated to preserving the memory of the event, and those who lost their lives. The Sultana Association, formed in the late 1980s, holds an reunion ever April. Due to Covid, they postponed the reunion last year, but plan to hold the reunion on Zoom this month. Contact The Sultana Association (thesultanaassociation @ gmail.com) for more information about the event. More resources . . . The Sultana Association: Website Facebook Documentary: Museum: Monument: Wikipedia: Civil War History: Books Loss of the Sultana and Reminiscences of Survivors, by Chester Berry (survivor of the disaster, published in 1829), University of Tennessee Press and The Sultana Tragedy: America's Greatest Maritime Disaster, by Jerry O. Potter and Disaster on the Mississippi: The Sultana Explosion, by Gene Eric Salecker and Sultana: Surviving the Civil War, Prison, and the Worst Maratime Disaster in American History, by Alan Huffman and - A New Memoir March 14, 2021 , by Dell Franklin, a storekeeper on the . He worked behind the scenes making menus with the chef, and ordering and stocking supplies for cruises. Check out his book - it will either take you back to the good old days or introduce you to a time when the was cruising the rivers with abaondon. Description at Amazon: Almost a century after Mark Twain wrote Life on the Mississippi, the legendary river imparted different lessons to a young Dell Franklin, fresh out of the army in 1969. Most of the lessons a young Samuel Clemens learned came from the captains of the boats he served on, helping him to become a pilot with the knowledge to navigate the snags and tricky currents of the Mississippi. But during Dell Franklin's brief but colorful life on the river the lessons came from the lower decks, the galley, storeroom, and sleeping quarters he shared with Black crew members and the Black chef, Henry Joyner Sr., a master of his galley and a true life character who is unforgettable. Click here to see the book: February 13, 2021 Ripley, Ohio, is raising funds to build a dock for the Delta Queen Steamboat and other large boats. The village is seventy miles east of Cincinnati on the eastern side of the Ohio River. To read the entire article, click here: Ripley is known for its role in the Underground Railroad in the nineteenth century, and the location of the new dock will be in Freedom Park Landing. January 4, 2021 Waterways Journal reports: Read the whole article here: January 5, 2021 This week, our elves at the Steamboat Museum posted all the new items for your perusal! When there's time, we will place these in the permanent collection. Get 'em now! Putting them in their permanent spots will take place later this year. December 31, 2020 Last evening, Patrick Doornbos posted 49 photos of the Delta Queen taken September 30, 2020. Here at steamboats.com we think the boat looks darn good for being tied up since 2008. We want to thank Patrick Doornbos for posting these, and thank Cornel Martin, head of the Delta Queen Steamboat Company, for his words to rally support for the Queen as we merge into 2021. Cornel Martin said: I am sorry that so many are saddened and some are shocked at these photos. Many of you have asked why and even expressed anger that no one stepped up to save the Mississippi Queen. And now she is gone. Well, a few of us have stepped up to save the Delta Queen from suffering the same fate as the Mississippi Queen. Had the owners not bought the Delta Queen in 2015, she would be gone. We got the exemption through Congress after a nine year battle when so many had given up and said it would never happen. And yes, we had several resources who assured us that the funds to fully restore her would be available once the exemption was secured. Unfortunately during that nine year battle, some moved on to other investments, some suffered their own setbacks and some lost interest and faith in the project, but the owners never gave up. Immediately after buying the Delta Queen the owners had to spend $250,000 to move her from Chattanooga to Louisiana when the mayor of Chattanooga said the boat had to go. For nearly 6 years the owners have kept the boat safe with security personnel onboard 24 hours a day 7 days a week. We have paid $15,000 to $20,000 on security insurance, rent and utilities every month since owning the Delta Queen. We have put together a budget with marine architects, marine surveyors and venders and developed a very detailed business plan as well as a very reliable repair and renovation plan. We have solid estimates on how much it will cost to replace the boilers, main steam line, generators, galley, sewerage system, HVAC, electrical work and to repair the superstructure, interior passenger and crew spaces and cabins, the hull and the paddle wheel. Over the last six years, the owners have spent over a hundred thousand dollars to make necessary repairs so that when full funding becomes available the Delta Queen is still viable and can be restored and returned to service. We have had about $84,000 in very generous donations since 2015 to help Save the Delta Queen, and to date, our owners have spent several million of their own dollars to keep the Delta Queen from the scrap yard. The owners will continue to keep the Delta Queen safe and dry as long as we are able, hopefully until we can find the $20+ million needed to fully restore the Delta Queen and return her to overnight river cruise service. That total includes full restoration, crew training and start up capital. COVID has interrupted our efforts to secure those funds, but we will not give up. To those who continue to support us, thank you! To those who are disappointed, all I can say is we are doing our very best to save this National Treasure. To read more comments, go to the Save the Delta Queen group at facebook ( ) December 24, 2020 A December 23 report on the Cincinnati waterfront reveals trouble in the river city. Here's an excerpt from the article: Read the article: December 15, 2020 Updates from Kimmswick, Missouri, the future home port of the Delta Queen Steamboat: Read the article: Kimmswick port construction has begun By Steve Taylor My Leader newspaper December 14, 2020 2021 Steamboat Calendar - Belle of Louisville giftshop - (or scroll down) Updated November 27, 2020 The Belle of Louisville is home for the winter, safe and sound. They want to encourage everyone to visit their gift store for apparel, drinkware, accessories, paddle wheel wood art, membership, and gift cards. Or donate! Let's show our support for the Belle this year! Editor's note: this is routine maintenance, but in the time of COVID, our historic steamboats can use all the help they can get! Back by popular demand, the 2021 calendar features early photos of sternwheel towboats. The calendar contains 13 large photos printed on heavy card stock, suitable for framing. NEW & IMPROVED !! This calendar is our best yet, with higher quality images, extra images, and added color throughout! Each month features a specific boat along with its history, and a complete calendar page, with holidays marked. The boats featured for 2021 include: GRACO PETE ATLAS EXPRESS DIXIE HELEN Z JANE RHEA KATHRYN DONALD B MARTHA E. GREENE VENUS S F.S.W. KEENE The 2021 calendar marks our 20th year of wall calendar offerings! Calendar Price: $15.95 Plus Shipping: $ 4.50 for one calendar. (add $1 for each additional calendar) Please mail check or money order to: Draftware Inc., 41 Ems W32. North Webster, IN 46555 Online credit card ordering is available on our web site: Below are images of the calendar's front and back covers: Editor's note: get one while they last! Steamboat calendars make great stocking stuffers! August 30, 2020 Due to the pandemic, the fate of the Kimmswick marina was in doubt last spring. However, things are back on track now. When completed, Kimmswick port will be the home port of the Delta Queen Steamboat. However, due to the pandemic and social distancing, work on the Delta Queen is moving along at a slower pace. Read the entire article for details: Kimmswick port project on track for 2020 By Steve Taylor Editor's note: another update to the situation in Kimmswick - go to August 16, 2020 The River: Tracking down particulars of a certain riverboat calliope; answer may never be known, by Don Sanders, from his ongoing column in the Northern Kentucky Tribune: July 16, 2020 . June 16, 2020 From Rolling Stone: "A tribute album and an LP of unfinished Hartford instrumentals reflect new interest in the bluegrass picker, songwriter, and all-around Renaissance man." Article by David Browne: by Nori Muster June 17, 2020 | updated Steamboats.com has always supported #BlackLivesMatter and we urge people to acknowledge the discrimination and violence white America has inflicted on Black Americans for four hundred years. We support removing monuments and statues, and updating names that refer to the Confederate era. Most of these monuments were erected during the Jim Crow era, into the 1970s. White people installed these monuments to threaten Black Americans in the twentieth century. The same goes for the Confederate flag, which also dates back to the Jim Crow years. Not everybody takes it that way, but if you do not understand the history of the symbol, consider not idolizing it. Better to identify with the pirates of history and fly a pirate flag. You don't need a to brandish a weapon - or weaponized symbol - to prove who you are. The swastika was adopted by Hitler as a symbol of Nazism during World War II, when America and Europe came together to fight back fascism in Europe. That war ended in 1945 and Europe stopped using the swastika. In America, the Civil War ended in 1865, but 155 years later, people cannot let it go. If Europe was still displaying the swastika at their official government sites for 155 years after WWII, that would go on until the year 2100. It's time for America to come to terms with its original sin of slavery and discrimination. It's time we accept one another as equal citizens here - and not just accept - but embrace our fellow Americans. It's way past time to end police brutality, so let's get more community services to create civility and solidarity in our cities and towns. When my father was president of the Delta Queen Steamboat Company, he designated black officers to manage some boat operations. He told everybody if they hand a problem with it, he would pull the boat over to the shore and let them off. Paddle wheel steamboats were all around the world at one time, but Mark Twain made the Mississippi River famous for paddle wheel steamboats. It's a positive, appropriate symbol of the South and all of America. With a long line of artists, authors, and musicians from the South, steamboats are up there as positive symbols. Paddle wheel boats are known for settling the western territories before trains came along. They brought jazz to the North, and were a link in the Underground Railroad. Editor's Note: Today Quaker Oats announced they ended the Aunt Jemima line of foods, and it's about time. has its Preston and Child Cabinet of Curiosities aspects. Who knows what mysteries are in there. As curator of the collection, I have blocked racist images, and also work to cull them out. If you find any, tell me . Besides racist images in our collections, I would like to complain about social discrimination against workers. What makes people think the working class are automatically criminals? Like they are somehow trying to cheat the government, or like they don't deserve a living wage, or decent unemployment. Now, due to the pandemic, we realize the value of people who work for big companies at minimum, or near-minimum wages. Let's get it through our heads: all people are created equal. As Americans pledging to the flag since childhood, we realize equality for all is the basis of our beliefs. Everybody knows people who work for a living are usually the best people you will ever meet. Please stop attacking each other anonymously online or on the road, and be friendly to strangers. We reside in the home of the brave. Helping each other along the way is how we will keep our freedom. May 4, 2020 If you have the means during this crisis, the Belle of Louisville could use your help. History does not save itself, especially at times like this. Excerpt: --> Like on an airplane, we recommend you put the mask on yourself first, then help others. If you are feeling suddenly financially insecure, just send your thoughts. But if you can manage it, send cash money to the Belle of Louisville. Every little bit will help, and doing something to help others during a crisis makes you feel good too. - mail your check with a friendly positive note: Belle of Louisville, 401 W River Rd, Louisville, KY 40202, or visit on line to send your positive thoughts: April 1, 2020 paper, out of Festus, Missouri, has an update on the town of Kimmswick, home port of the . The article by Tony Krausz appeared March 28, 2020. He said in part: riverboat to a port being built for it in Kimmswick. "It was supposed to come in around late spring of 2021," Stang said. "(The port, which is under construction) is still moving along, but like anything else, I have no idea." Read the entire article: Steamboats.com will keep Kimmswick and the in our thoughts during this pandemic. The pandemic is burning it's way through the human race, which presently has zero to negligible immunity. The object now is for everyone to stay physically separated to slow the rate the virus can spread. One important factor is to protect the hospitals. Plus, the more we slow it down now, the sooner we can begin putting our lives back together. There's a big debate about whether to wear a mask when we venture out for food and other essentials. First of all, we're not talking about medical-grade masks. We're talking about a cloth bandana or handyman mask from the hardware store. We want our medical professionals to have the good masks, of course. As far as the debate, I've heard everything from "hogwash - it's no use wearing a mask" - to - "my opinion has evolved over the last few days" - to - "people in South Korea already do this with good results." Steamboats.com's official position is: "better to err on the side of caution" and "it has to be better than sneezing and coughing into our elbows." Therefore, we advise everyone to put on a mask or bandana and - don't rob a bank. Don't scare your neighbors. Just get your groceries and get back home without spreading anything. Even if you are asymptomatic, a mask or bandana is a wise choice since you don't have to have symptoms to be a carrier. So we recommend washing hands and wearing masks when you go out for your essentials. Here's a video on the importance of masks: One more comment: the future of cruise ships. We have long doubted the health standards on large cruise ships. None of them register in the United States because they do not want to meet the high standards the USA requires. Plus, they are notorious for past epidemic failures. The biggest ocean cruise ships may never get back to where they were before the pandemic. Some of them carry four or five thousand passengers, and that's just too many. On the other hand, American river cruise boats all register in the USA and follow the highest health standards. Plus with a small boat like the the number of passengers is lower. Plus, to avoid prolonged air travel, more people may plan to take a river cruise, here at home in the USA. Here at Steamboats.com we offer our full support to the and Kimmswick during this trying time. --> February 26, 2020 Read the Confessions of a Steamboat Addict - now at Steamboats.com. Jerry Canavit grew up with paddle wheel steamboats and tells all. Close to twenty of his stories now posted. Go to: . December 29, 2019 What to do during the holidays, when there's a few spare minutes? How about adding everything from our new acquisitions vault to the Steamboat Museum? All these jpgs come from Dave Thomson, our primary contributor and historian for the site. We still have approximately fifty new items that appear on the site in January. When they're online, I'll post the new links! These items will make their way into the category pages, but even though they're all mixed up, they're ready for prime time! Best wishes for the new year, 2020! December 12, 2019 The Delta Queen received Coast Guard approval while it undergoes renovation and updates to prepare the boat to go back into service as early as 2020. Read more: . Editor's note: not sure why the caption to the photo says, "The Delta Queen may return to the Mississippi River once it receives a federal exemption to a passenger limit on wooden boats." The Senate passed the Save the Delta Queen bill November 14, 2018, the House passed it November 27, 2018, and the president signed it December 4, 2018. November 14, 2019 Get your 2020 Delta Queen calendar!! On Nov 11, 2019, at 11:26 PM, John Weise wrote: My new 2020 Delta Queen Calendar will be going to print shortly. Get your order in so I can get enough of them printed. This is the 13th year in a row that it has been published! The photos were taken between 1998 & 2008. The price of the calendar $15 remains the same. The price of mailing an individual calendar has increased to $4 or two calendars for $5. - jrweise @ fuse.net Or by snail mail: John Weise 5552 Dry Ridge Road Cincinnati, OH 45252-1800 December 22, 2019 October 10, 2019 On Oct 6, 2019, at 8:26 PM, David Thomson wrote: I had not heard from New Zealander Lewis Verduyn in quite a while. His site Steamboat Times is a great resource and I hope that it will continue to be available online since his passing. An intuition on my part led me to search for him online today and I was shocked and deeply saddened to discover that he passed on at age 60 on the 21st of August 2019. A ceremony to scatter his ashes in his beloved Clutha River occurred (yesterday) the 5th of October, 2019. Lewis was a wonderful correspondent and his e-mails were always full of tales of his life, times and many adventures as a river rafter and conservationist. I will miss him and wish that we had met in person. Message from Lewis 23rd December 2018: OBITUARY Lewis VERDUYN Published in Southland Times from Aug. 21 to Aug. 24, 2019 Sadly Lewis passed away at his home in Luggate; aged 60 years. Much loved youngest son of Catherine and the late Jacob, loved brother of the late Roger, a much loved nephew, uncle, and cousin of all his family in New Zealand and Holland. In accordance with family's wishes a private cremation has been held. Memorial service for Lewis Verduyn was held at 2.00 pm Saturday 5th of October 2019 The memorial will be in order to pay tribute to the life of a friend, teacher and visionary. Lewis' ashes will be scattered at the river and there will be anvopportunity for those who knew him to say some words. Bring a cup for Manuka Tea. Red Bridge River Park Charitable Trust We are fundraising to create and maintain a river park and native recovery centre at the Luggate Red Bridge near Wanaka. The Clutja Mata-Au River Parkway Group, New Zealand, was formed in October 2003 in response to land development issues along the Clutha Mata-Au River corridor, much of which has high scenic and recreational values. The project aimed to establish a regional river parkway, including a river trail, along the entire 338 km river corridor from Lake Wanaka to the Pacific Ocean. The project was initiated by Lewis Verduyn, a rafting operator on the Upper Clutha Mata-Au who has rafted the river since 1981. Lewis became Chairperson of the project and was known as an advocate for river protection and conservation. August 12, 2019 Here's a description of the boat from Captain Don Sanders: Fifty-three by thirteen-foot authentic stern hydraulic paddle wheeler. Powered by 35 HP Kubota, four-cylinder diesel engine. Full galley, Captain's Quarters and Pilot Bunk. Full bathroom (head) with toilet, shower, and sink. Holding tank. for black water. Potable water tank plus three diesel full fuel tanks and one hydraulic oil tank. New Bow Thruster Tunnel installed last year. Bottom prepped and coated with coal tar epoxy and four coats on Bar-Rust 235 two-part epoxy bottom paint. Marine hull survey completed, June 2018. The CLYDE is on the Middle Ohio River and is accessible to all points wherever the rivers flow. Will consider any and all reasonable offers. Contact the Captain at - Listing on . Nine-thousand photos of the CLYDE are on My phone # is: 859-445-8912. The first cal anyone will likely need to leave a voice mail. . August 5, 2019 Our thanks to Shawn Douglass for unearthing this rare 8 mm footage of a steamboat cruise aboard the Gordon C. Greene. Shawn located the footage while going through his grandfather's home movies, then shared it with Steamboats.com and Steamboats.org. He also posted it on Youtube and asked that we share it! Enjoy. July 4, 2019 The was in the news again - two days in a row! "The Delta Queen Will Set Sail Once Again in 2020," by Mackenzie Manley, came out July 2 in Cincinnati's . The story includes quotes from Phillip Johnson, who along with Cornel Martin and Leah Ann Ingram, make up the Delta Queen Steamboat Company. Read the article: . July 1, 2019 Today Preservation in Mississippi highlighted a recent article about the with updates. Read the articles here: Delta Queen Coming Back to the River By Elmal Vaney, July 1, 2019 Saved and Safe, Beloved Steamboat Looks Forward to 2020 Launch By Carson Bear, May 9, 2019 June 28, 2019 Learn all about the history of the sternwheelers of Freedomland USA, a theme park in The Bronx, 1960-1964. Our thanks to Mike Virgintino for sending history and photos from his collection! Click here to see the exhibit: . June 15, 2019 We just added rooms full of photos to the Steamboat Museum - see the new items: Also check the main directory for steamboats in all categories - . These photos are from the private collection of Dave Thomson, primary contributor and historian for Steamboats.com. June 15, 2019 created the logo for the Delta Queen Steamboat in the 1960s. Tie dye added at Steamboats.com - just for fun. Craig Stitchtenoth said (August 14, 2019): "If you look in the DQ photo album in the gallery , you will see all sorts of examples of the logo used in many different ways. It borders on crazy." May 7, 2019 The National Trust for Historic Places published a great article about the , including her history, and the successful effort to get the Congressional exemption reinstated. The article said, Read the whole story: January 12, 2019 Editor's note: we recently heard from KV Bunker, who recognized these photos were taken near Old Town Sacramento. I've traveled there many times to stay on the Delta King Steamboat Hotel - but never picked up the connection. Editor's Note: the woman river captain was Mary Greene, see: January 12, 2019 If you are interested in this boat, read more: for historic stern wheel towboats for Delta Queen Media coverage: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • December 5, 2018 Delta Queen Calendar Now Available December 1, 2018 @ jrweise @ fuse.net Or by snail mail: John Weise 5552 Dry Ridge Road Cincinnati, OH 45252-1800 Delta Queen November 26, 2018 Tomorrow will be a historic vote for the . As your US Representative to vote YES on the Coast Guard Authorization bill, S 140, which includes provisions for the . The bill passed the Senate last week. Following is a press release from the Delta Caucus: November 15, 2018 Yesterday the U.S. Senate passed the Coast Guard bill, including provisions for rescuing the . Following is a statement from the Delta Queen Steamboat Company: Following is a statement from Senator Roy Blunt: Nov 14 2018 Blunt-McCaskill Bill to Get Historic Delta Queen Back on the Mississippi Cruises Through Senate WASHINGTON - Missouri Senators Roy Blunt and Claire McCaskill today announced that their legislation to bring the historic 1920's riverboat Delta Queen back to the Mississippi River passed the Senate as part of the Coast Guard Reauthorization bill. The legislation reinstates a decades-long exemption to allow the boat to operate from its new home port of Kimmswick, in Jefferson County - creating jobs and strengthening economic growth and tourism. The Coast Guard Reauthorization bill now heads to the House and, if passed, will be on its way to the president's desk. "I'm thrilled the Delta Queen is another step closer to making its way back to Missouri and once again cruising the Mississippi," said Blunt. "Getting the Delta Queen, one of our National Historic Landmarks, back in full operation will create jobs, boost economic growth, and strengthen our state's tourism industry. I'm grateful to all those involved in helping to bring the Delta Queen back to our state and look forward to seeing it at its home port in Kimmswick." "We're finally full steam ahead to get the Delta Queen back home to the St. Louis region where she belongs," said McCaskill. "Buoyed by bipartisan support, her return means tourists up and down the Mississippi can once again enjoy the rich history of one of our historic landmarks, and will give Jefferson County an infusion of jobs and economic growth." According to the Jefferson County Economic Development Corporation, returning the Delta Queen to the St. Louis area will create more than 170 local jobs. The Delta Queen is expected to begin and end a number of its cruises each year in Kimmswick, and will visit more than 80 other ports in the United States. Built in the 1920s, the Delta Queen is an historic, wooden American steamboat that carried dignitaries (including three U.S. Presidents) and thousands of other passengers through the tributaries of the Mississippi River. The boat also served as a naval ship during World War II. For more than 40 years, the Delta Queen was exempted from a law passed by Congress regulating passenger vessels carrying 50 or more passengers overnight on domestic U.S. waters. That exemption expired in 2008. The bill passed by the Senate today restores the long-running exemption and requires the Delta Queen, which is fully compliant with all other Coast Guard safety regulations, to annually modify at least ten percent of the wooden portions of the vessel's superstructure to comply with the federal safety law requirements. The Delta Queen is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is classified as a National Historic Landmark. In 2013, it was designated as a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. More articles: • (caution: Roll Call dislikes the Delta Queen and this articles contains anti-Delta Queen lies) • • • • • • • DATE AND TIME Tue, October 23, 2018 7-10 PM EDT LOCATION Montauk Club, 25 8th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11217 This October, the SS Columbia Project is hosting its Fall Supper Soiree at Brooklyn's Montauk Club, gathering together to celebrate the season. A limited number of discounted Early Bird tickets are on sale now for $125 a ticket. Included in the price of ticket are dinner, an open bar, and live vintage jazz with Jason Prover and the Sneak Thievery Quartet. Don't miss this very special evening supporting the restoration of SS Columbia at the beautiful and historic Montauk Club. This is certain to sell out, so order your tickets now! SS Columbia is the oldest remaining excursion steamboat in the United States, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, designated as an historic landmark in 1992, and in service from 1902 to 1991. Our goal is to bring her to the Hudson River and revive the grand old tradition of steamboats on the Hudson. Here, she will become a moving historic and cultural venue. Help Save the P.S. Ryde August 28, 2018 You can help get the word out on the work to save this venerable British steamship built in 1937. Sorry, no wheel, but let's be fair! All steam vessels deserve preservation. Saving the past makes the present and future richer. Go to the P.S. Ryde Trust website to learn the history of this ship, and the contemporary efforts to save her. From the timeline: Go to the site: July 27, 2018 Hi - Great website. My granddad lived most all his life on the Mississippi in Burlington, Iowa, and I just developed an interest in the rivers and what all took place on them in this country. I've been involved with the mining industry in the U.S. for over 40 years now and yes taking a little time to stop by all the museums out there is very fun. Best regards, Grant B. Editor's note: Grant found evidence of a long-gone paddle wheel boat in Utah. The Cliff Dweller is remembered in the Powell Museum. To learn more about the Cliff Dweller, visit the Powell Museum - , and there's a photo of a model of the boat at this blog: . . The model display offers the following history of the Cliff Dweller: BOAT #2 - Grant found memories of another long-deceased paddle wheeler, the Bertrand, on display at the DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge . June 29, 2018 Ever since last December, the Northern Kentucky Tribune has carried a weekly installment from Don Sanders' memoir of his life on the river. Now, with express permission from the NKyTribune, the series is archived at Steamboats.com. . The NKyTribune said: The series is ongoing, so Steamboats.com will collect Don's river stories for our archive. May 15, 2018 One of our readers sent this photo, given to her by her aunt. It's the Towboat Elinor, built in 1905, and worked in the St. Paul area. We could not find any additional information. We're looking for information about the Elinor, including where this photo may have been taken. If you can help, please contact Steamboats.com. We will pass the information along to Bonnie. February 19, 2018 Back in 2002, my mentor for building websites made this graphic for me in Flash. We never did anything with it, then after that it was lost on a disk for sixteen years. The other day while loading up a new hard drive, and tossing out old CD-Rom disks, the thing turned up! It brought back fun memories - and now it's online just for fun. . (Only works with Flash Player.) --> , by Lisa Wingate Reviewed by Nori Muster This novel tells the haunting tale of five children who grew up in the Depression era on a shantyboat near Memphis. The Foss family was poor, but their parents made it work, and provided love and a feeling of security to the children. However, one night when the parents needed to rush to the hospital to welcome another baby, authorities kidnapped the children and put them in an orphanage. The oldest of the children, twelve-year-old Rill Foss, tells the story of the children's journey. The Tennessee Children's Home Society included strict and cruel caretakers, and child abuse. My own father was orphaned in 1934 and spent part of his ninth year in an abusive Chicago orphanage. His older half-brother rescued him and got him into a better situation in a foster agency. Although my father had aunts and uncles on both sides, during the Great Depression, people were not looking for more children to support. The painful history of Rill and her siblings is beautifully told. In alternate chapters, we meet Avery Stafford, a woman who lives in current times. She's born into a rich Southern family and her father is a politician in the midst of a re-election campaign. Avery expects she will follow in her father's footsteps. She takes up temporary residence with her parents in Aiken, South Carolina, to help her father through a health crisis. While there, Avery strikes up an unlikely friendship with May Crandall, an elderly woman who has a mysterious connection with Avery's grandmother. Further, Avery has a connection to the Depression Era orphans that comes to light at the end of the novel. The fun is in the pursuit of the truth, which Avery pursues with a local man who inherited all the secrets from his father, a private investigator who "finds people." The book is a matter of finding identity, holding onto identity, and realizing roots are precious, and truth is sometimes hard to bear. Due to her privileged background, Avery looks down on poor folks who grow up on shantyboats, and cannot exactly accept that her own roots may be much different than she was led to believe growing up. While on the track for the truth, she comes to realize she is torn over whether she really wants to know the truth. The novel is based on a true story, a story shared by many who grew up as orphans during the Depression Era. The author, Lisa Wingate, is a masterful storyteller with more than twenty novels to her credit, and multiple awards. She says the history of Georgia Tann and the Tennessee Children's Home Society inspired . She explains, We also thank Lisa Wingate for contacting us during her historical research, and we were glad to share pictures of shantyboats in the Dave Thomson Collection. Blueprints Now Online January 24, 2018 For years I had a link to a set of 253 blueprints (now offline: http://www.zenreproplanroom.com/ . Make 2018 a steamboat calendar year! Two available: - click here & or scroll down Memories December 29, 2017 Earlier this week on Facebook, Travis Vasconcelos posted several photos from the first trial run. The first leg was down the river, which went fine. I arrived in time for part two - going back up the river to Cincinnati with the help of a towboat. One of the photos from Travis is this one of my dad and Betty Blake. Dad was just two weeks into his fiftieth year at the time. . To access the . December 12, 2017 A new article in the outlines the continuing struggle to pass HR 619 in the House and save the . As the article reports, American Cruise Line owner Charles Robertson is lobbying against the bill. It's difficult to understand why a two hundred passenger ship poses any threat to his company, which is building multiple gigantic cruise ships for the Mississippi River system. Rather than fight the , Robertson would be better off to embrace the historic steamboat that will draw positive attention to river cruises on the Mississippi. Read the article, then ask your US Representative to call for a vote on HR 619. Read now: December 4, 2017 Photos from John Fryant show one folk art model and one that's a scale model of a real boat. Here at Steamboats.com we love 'em all! folk model. scale model. * * * * * *

• Anniston/Gadsden

What is the Harriott II, riverboat involved in Montgomery riverfront brawl?

• Updated: Aug. 13, 2023, 1:54 p.m.
• | Published: Aug. 11, 2023, 5:00 a.m.

The Harriott II riverboat sits docked in Montgomery, Ala., on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023. A riverfront brawl occurred on Aug. 5 when a crew member was punched for trying to move a pontoon boat that was blocking the riverboat from docking. (AP Photo/Kim Chandler)

• Mary Colurso | [email protected]

The Harriott II riverboat has been in the news lately, figuring into the infamous riverfront brawl in Montgomery that happened on Saturday, Aug. 5, and quickly captured national attention via viral videos.

The videos showed a Black riverboat co-captain attacked by a group of white people as other Black people rushed to his defense. As of Friday morning, Aug. 12, four people had been charged with assault in connection to the large fight, and another was being sought for questioning in connection with the incident.

The melee was ignited, police said, when the Harriott II, which had been out on the Alabama River for a dinner cruise, was trying to dock in a spot that had been designated and reserved for the riverboat. A private pontoon boat was docked too close to the spot, and the captain used a public address system to try to find the pontoon’s occupants and get them to move it.

The Harriott’s co-captain, Damien Pickett, was taken by a smaller boat to the dock to try to address the situation. That’s when a confrontation ensued between Pickett and some of the pontoon boat occupants.

READ: Montgomery riverboat crew says they were attacked by drunk people yelling n word, records state

“The co-captain was doing his job,” Montgomery Police Chief Darryl Albert told CNN . “He was simply trying to move the boat in just enough to where the cruise ship could park safely in its identified location. However, it quickly escalated.”

Police responded to break up the fight, and 13 people were detained and questioned for several hours Saturday, officials said. Meanwhile, videos taken by bystanders during the brawl were posted on social media, causing a national sensation. An investigation is ongoing, police said.

READ: Montgomery Riverfront Park brawl: 2 defendants jailed on assault charges

The Harriott II, a familiar sight on the river, might have been taken for granted by folks in Montgomery in the past, but no longer. Recent comments on the Harriott’s Facebook page , both positive and negative, have mentioned the brawl, and the incident has significantly raised the riverboat’s profile.

So what is the Harriott II? What role does it serve on the city’s entertainment and tourism landscape? What services does it provide, and how much does it cost to ride? If you’re unfamiliar with the riverboat, here’s a primer.

The Harriott II riverboat sails down the Alabama River in March 2013 at Union Station Train Shed in Montgomery, Alabama. (AL.com file photo/Julie Bennett)

What is the Harriott II?

The Harriott II, a 19th-century riverboat, offers public and private cruises on the Alabama River. The riverboat is part of Montgomery’s entertainment district, and was part of a downtown revitalization effort in the city that revved up in 2008-2009.

Right now, Montgomery’s website for parks and recreation and special events touts the Harriott II as “center stage of Montgomery’s entertainment district.” The City of Montgomery website lauds the Harriott II as a prime attraction on its “vibrant riverfront,” and also points to “ballets, sports complexes, museums, civil rights memorials, city parks.”

The Harriott II arrived in Montgomery in October 2008 , after taking a 1,400-mile trip that took about 28 days from its origin in Savannah, Georgia. The Montgomery Riverfront Development Foundation paid about $500,000 for the riverboat as an entertainment and tourist attraction, according to a report by WFSA TV , an NBC affiliate in Montgomery. Reports at the time said the riverboat could hold up to 400 passengers.

The Harriott II is maintained and managed by the City of Montgomery/Riverfront Facilities, according to an online brochure with rental information.

Right now, the riverboat offers regularly scheduled cruises for the public on Fridays through Sundays through October. There’s a two-hour dinner cruise on Fridays at 6:30 p.m., a two-hour getaway cruise on Saturdays at 4:30 p.m. and a two-hour blues cruise on Sundays at 4:30 p.m. Food, drinks, and live entertainment are part of the cruises.

Tickets are $30-$55 for adults, $15-$35 for children. Packages for birthdays and anniversaries cost $49.95-$79.95, the riverboat’s website says. The agenda trims to Saturdays and Sundays in November. (See this online brochure for details.)

People board the Harriott II about a half-hour before departure, at 255 Commerce St. near Riverfront Park . Tickets can be bought online or at the box office at 213 Commerce St. At least 35 paying customers must be on board for a cruise, the brochure says. About 227 people were on the Harriott when the riverfront brawl happened on Aug. 5, according to CNN.

Charter rentals for the Harriott II range from $3,700 to $10,500, depending on the day, the cruise and the services provided. There’s also an educational cruise that lasts one hour and has a minimum of 75 passengers, with historic narration and a box lunch, that costs $22 per person.

The Harriott II has scheduled several specialty cruises this year, including a Halloween costume party cruise on Oct. 28; a murder mystery cruise on Nov. 19; holiday cruises Dec. 1-2, 8-9 and 15-16; and a New Year’s Eve cruise on Dec. 31.

Food entrees on the riverboat range from barbecue chicken to beef tips over rice to spaghetti and meatballs, according to the rental brochure, and grill area offers burgers, wings, nachos and other casual fare. Beer, wine, liquor and specialty drinks are available at the bar.

The Harriott II has a rating of 4 out of 5 on TripAdvisor , based on 82 reviews. It’s got 4.5 stars on Google, based on 300 reviews.

MORE ON THE RIVERFRONT BRAWL:

21-year-old woman is 4th person charged in Montgomery riverboat brawl

3 white men in pontoon boat charged in Montgomery brawl; Black man with chair sought for questioning

Johnson: Montgomery brawl defenders embody broader Black resolve, ‘Not today, y’all’

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Alabama riverfront brawl videos spark a cultural moment about race, solidarity and justice

As bystanders trained their smartphone cameras on the riverfront dock while several  white boaters pummeled a Black riverboat co-captain , they couldn’t have known the footage would elicit a national conversation about racial solidarity.

Yet, a week after multiple videos showing the now-infamous brawl and valiant defense of the outnumbered co-captain were shared widely on social media, it’s clear the event truly tapped into the psyche of Black America and created a broader cultural moment.

What You Need To Know

Bystanders who trained their smartphone cameras on an alabama riverfront dock, as several white boaters pummeled a black riverboat co-captain, couldn’t have known the footage would elicit a national conversation about racial solidarity but last weekend's now-infamous brawl has truly tapped into the psyche of black america and created a cultural moment many see the ordeal on the riverfront dock in montgomery as a long-awaited answer to countless calls for help that went unanswered for past black victims of violence and mob attacks alabama’s capital city is steeped in civil rights history, including being the first capital of the confederacy.

Andrea Boyles, a sociology professor at Tulane University, said a long history of anti-Black racism and attacks and current events likely magnified the attack's impact and response.

“Especially at a time like now where we see an increase in anti-Black racism through legislation and otherwise, whether we’re thinking about history, the banning of Black history and curriculum and all sorts of things across the state of Florida” and elsewhere, Boyles said. “So this is why it is on the forefront of people’s minds. And folks are very much tuned in, Black people in particular."

Many see the Aug. 5 ordeal on the riverfront dock in Montgomery, Alabama’s capital city steeped in  civil rights history , as a long-awaited answer to countless calls for help that went unanswered for past Black victims of violence and mob attacks.

“We witnessed a white mob doing this to him,” said Michelle Browder, an artist and social justice entrepreneur in Montgomery, describing the attack by boaters on the Black riverboat co-captain.

“I call it a mob because that is what it was, it was a mob mentality,” she added. “It then became a moment because you saw Black people coming together.”

After being inundated with images and stories of lethal violence against Black people, including motorists in traffic stops, church parishioners and grocery shoppers, the video from Montgomery struck a chord because it didn’t end in the worst of outcomes for Black Americans.

“For Montgomery to have this moment, we needed to see a win. We needed to see our community coming together and we needed to see justice,” Browder said.

Videos of the brawl showed the participants largely divided along racial lines. Several white men punched or shoved the Black riverboat co-captain after he took a separate vessel to shore and tried to move their pontoon boat. The white boaters’ private vessel was docked in a spot designated for the city-owned Harriott II riverboat, on which more than 200 passengers were waiting to disembark.

The videos then showed mostly Black people rushing to the co-captain’s defense, including a Black teenage riverboat crew member who swam to the dock. The videos also showed the ensuing brawl that included a Black man hitting a white person with a folding chair.

As of Friday, Alabama police had charged four white people with misdemeanor assault. The folding chair-wielding man turned himself in Friday and was charged with disorderly conduct.

Jim Kittrell, the captain of Harriott II, told  The Daily Beast  that he thought race might have been a factor in the initial attack on his co-captain, but the resulting melee was not a “Black and white thing."

“This was our crew upset about these idiots,” Kittrell also told  WACV radio station .

He later explained that several members of his crew, seen confronting the pontoon boat party after the riverboat docked, “felt they had to retaliate, which was unfortunate.”

“I wish we could have stopped it from happening but, when you see something like that, it was difficult. It was difficult for me to sit there in the wheelhouse watching him being attacked,” Kittrell told the station.

Kittrell told The Associated Press by phone that the city had asked him not to talk about the brawl.

Major Saba Coleman of the Montgomery Police Department said on Tuesday that hate crime charges were ruled out after the department consulted with the local FBI. But several observers noted the presence of a hate motivation, or lack thereof, on the part of the pontoon boat party was not why the event resonated so strongly.

“All these individuals having smartphones and cameras have democratized media and information. In the past, it was a very narrow scope on what news was being reported and from what perspectives,” NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson said.

The technology, Johnson added, “opened up an opportunity for America as a whole to understand the impact of racism, the impact of violence and the opportunity to create a narrative that’s more consistent with keeping African Americans and other communities safe.”

The riverfront brawl spawned a multitude of memes, jokes, parodies, reenactments and even T-shirts. “Lift every chair and swing,” read one shirt in a play on “  Lift Ev’ry Voice And Sing ,” the late-19th century hymn sometimes referred to as the Black national anthem.

Another meme likened the co-captain’s toss of his hat into the air to sending the “bat signal,” a reference to the D.C. Comics character Batman. One image of the scene captured from bystander video was altered to imitate Marvel Comics’ Avengers characters assembling through magic portals on the dock to defend the Black co-captain.

Many observers on social media were quick to point out the significance of the city and location where the brawl took place. Montgomery was the first capital of the Confederacy and the riverfront is an area where enslaved people were once unloaded to be sold at auction. The area is a few blocks from the spot where Rosa Parks was arrested for disobeying bus segregation laws.

“Much of (the riverfront brawl reaction) is emblematic of the history of Montgomery,” said Timothy Welbeck, the director of the Center for Anti-Racism at Temple University in Philadelphia.

“This is the home of the bus boycott; this is the home of intense, racialized segregation and various forms of resistance today,” he said. “Even if there wasn’t an explicit mention of race, many people saw a white man assaulting a Black man as a proxy for some of the racist behavior that they’ve seen before. It brought about a sense of solidarity and unified fate, too, in this particular moment.”

Then there’s the lingering trauma of seeing past Black victims of violence and mob attacks suffer without help or intervention. Here was the rare event in which bystanders not only chronicled the moment but were able to intervene and help someone they saw being victimized.

In other notable instances, such as  George Floyd’s murder  by Minneapolis police, bystanders were restrained because the perpetrators were law enforcement officers. In a video of Floyd’s encounter with police filmed by Black bystander  Darnella Frazier , people can be heard pleading for the Black man's life as he gasped for air with a white officer's knee held to his neck.

Physically intervening in Minneapolis would have invited arrests and placed the would-be rescuers at risk for harm themselves.

Historically, lynching victims were often taken from their families as the Black community had to stand by mutely. Emmett Till’s family members in Mississippi were  haunted by their inability to stop the white men  who kidnapped and killed him.

Bowder, the Montgomery artist, said the conversation needs to continue.

“I’m hoping for a hopeful message out of this,” she said.

Katrina Hazzard, a Rutgers University professor in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Criminal Justice, said she has seen that hopeful message in the comments of support that have crossed racial and ethnic lines in identifying the aggressors and the right for people to defend themselves and the crewman.

“That’s just been refreshing for me to see and for me to hear across the board,” she said.

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Russian River Cruises

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Russian River Cruises fleet

Ms pyotr velikiy.

Year build	2022  /  Age : 2
Passengers	310

MS Mustai Karim

Year build	2020  /  Age : 4
Passengers	329

Scenic Tsar

Year build	2012  /  Age : 12
Passengers	112

Viking Akun

Year build	1990  /  Age : 34
Passengers	104 - 210

Viking Ingvar

Ms general lavrinenkov.

Year build	1990  /  Age : 34
Passengers	182

MS Lunnaya Sonata

Year build	1988  /  Age : 36
Passengers	280

Viking Truvor

Year build	1987  /  Age : 37
Passengers	104 - 210

Year build	1987  /  Age : 37
Passengers	278

Year build	1987  /  Age : 37
Passengers	288

MS Yuri Andropov

Year build	1986  /  Age : 38
Passengers	296

MS Zosima Shashkov

Year build	1986  /  Age : 38
Passengers	298

MS Crucelake-Lebedinoe Ozero

Year build	1986  /  Age : 38
Passengers	256

MS Leonid Sobolev

Year build	1985  /  Age : 39
Passengers	284

MS Mikhail Sholokhov

Year build	1985  /  Age : 39
Passengers	260

Review of Russian River Cruises

CruiseMapper's "Russian River Cruises" hub provides detailed information on ships, itineraries, tours and prices on cruises along rivers and lakes in Russia. Here you'll also find concise info on the largest Russian cruise companies, including Vodohod , Mosturflot , Infoflot , Doninturflot-Orthodox , Imperial River Cruises Russia .

In the "Fleet" section you will find an extensive list or Russian cruise ships. By following each ship link you will find the ship's review, deck plans, scheduled itineraries and cruise pricing information. Live ship tracking is also provided on a digital map. It shows the vessel's current location, cruising speed and course.

In the "Itinerary" section you will find maps and day-by-day scheduled activities planned by Europe's largest cruise companies, also operating in Russia via chartered riverboats.

Volga River Cruises in Russia

Volga river cruising in Russia places you in another time. The longest and largest river in Europe stretches from Ivan the Terrible to Catherine the Great. Today, live along the central artery of Russia looks like it always has - the villages, the churches, the people, just like an old painting you have seen in a gallery.

The Volga flows through central Russia into the Caspian Sea and is often called the national river of Russia. 11 of the 20 largest cities of the country, including the capital Moscow, are in Volga's watershed. Some of the world's largest reservoirs can be found along the river, which has a symbolic meaning in Russian culture, referred to as Mother Volga (Volga Matushka) in Russian folklore and literature.

Explore the land of the Tsars while sailing down the historic Volga river, typically between Moscow and St Petersburg , the traditional homeports (of embarkation and debarkation). Tour landmarks are the Red Square and Kremlin in Moscow, the Hermitage and Catherine Palace in St Petersburg.

Once unthinkable as a cruise vacation destination, Russia is today more accessible than ever, with stops along its largest European lakes and rivers. For river travel lovers accustomed to European itineraries, the Russian experience will be quite different. Russia has a special feel of uniquely designed riverboats. Built to handle larger lakes (Lake Ladoga for example, is the largest European freshwater body of water), these vessels usually feature larger size and capacity (up to six decks), deeper draft, and most of them are refurbished instead of being newbuild.

The itineraries offered are activity-intensive in Moscow and St Petersburg, with long periods of cruising and less ashore time in the middle. Smaller "Golden Ring" cities (so named due to their historic significance) are full of icon-riddled monasteries and Orthodox churches. Most cruise lines hire local experts and fill the days of sailing along the river with lectures on country's history, cooking demonstrations and language lessons.

Most of the tours offered by the companies sailing along Volga River are identical, so customers choosing between the different itineraries should look at how the river ships spend the time within Moscow and St. Petersburg. Some lines have their guests stay onboard, which can be as far as 1 hour out of both cities. Others put their clients up at hotels near the center of the city, with several meals at customer's expense.

Compared with other river routes, Russia features a short season, between early May and late October, with high season in June (known as White Nights because of the endless daylight), July and August. Even if the weather is chilly, there are some advantages to sailing early or late: you'll beat the crowds which can make a visit to the Hermitage a bear. Most Russian museums lack air-conditioning, and while the climate is generally temperate, in the summer Moscow often experiences high humidity heat waves.

Remember to think about your Russian visa at least 2 months before your voyage, to have enough time to fill out the paperwork, including a lengthy online application. And don't forget that the Russian language uses the Cyrillic alphabet. Even in the cities, you'll rarely find signs in English, so learning some letters and a few phrases will help you get around.

Doninturflot-Orthodox Cruise Company

Orthodox Cruise Company operates a fleet of USSR-design large river ships and serves mainly foreign tourists. The parent company Doninturflot (established in 1992) is the shipowner and manages the fleet.

• Doninturflot started operations with the ships MS Maxim Litvinov, MS Mikhail Sholokhov and MS Sergei Dyagilev.
• Since 2002, Docturflot charters Akademik Glushkov (currently MS Igor Stravinsky) owned by OOO Rosflotinvest.
• In 2004 was acquired MS Anton Chekhov from Yenisei River Shipping Company (Russia).
• In 2006 were acquired MS Peter Tchaikovsky and MS Ivan Bunin from the Moscow-based cruise shipping company "Passenger Port".
• In 2008 was bought MS General Lavrinenkov from "Ukrrechflot" (Ukraine).
• In 2011 was bought MS Marshal Koshevoy (from Ukrrichflot, Ukraine) but in April 2013 the ship was sold to Viking Cruises (now operates as Viking Akun ).
• In 2016, was purchased MS Tikhi Don from the UK-based Grand Circle Travel company. In 2017, the ship started operations for Orthodox Cruise Company serving international tourists.

Imperial River Cruises Russia

"Imperial River Cruises Russia" was founded in 1992 and operates on inland waterways in both Russia and Ukraine. Company's chartered ships navigate on the rivers Volga, Don, Neva, Svir, Dnieper (also on the Danube) and the Russian lakes Onega and Ladoga.

The most operated itineraries are between Moscow and St Petersburg (visiting Uglich, Kostrom, Yaroslavl, Goritzy). Specially designed itineraries visit Vladimir, Suzdal, Zagorsk, Solovki Island. Also offered are itineraries Moscow-Volgograd and Moscow-Rostov, roundtrips from Kiev, and even grand voyages connecting two seas - Baltic and Black. Also offered are themed cruises - especially on food and music, with live performances by grand orchestras and choirs.

Imperial River Cruises Russia has an exclusive partnership with "Orthodox Cruise Company" - one of Russia's largest tour operators. As their names suggest, both companies target mainly foreign tourists - booking in the USA, Canada, UK, Australia. Ships' capacity varies between 180-250 passengers. English (or German) speaking licensed tour guides are provided on all excursions. The daily onboard entertainment program offers live musical performances, folk shows, enrichment lectures.

Russian river cruise deals

• Departure port (dock/berth), check-in, boarding and landing times are indicated on the company's website and on passenger boarding passes. Ship's exact departure time is clarified on the website the day prior departure.
• Kids discount ticket prices are offered for children up to 14 years of age (14-yo including), the age being fixed on departure day.
• Kids from 2 to 5 years of age (5-yo including) travel free of charge, but without providing an additional bed (if there are no free beds in the cabin). Shore excursions are also free of charge.
• Toddlers (kids under 2) travel free of charge, but the bed, food, and tour services are not provided. Extra beds in staterooms (baby cribs, cots) are not available on the ship.
• TWIN (double cabin) single supplement rate is 75%.
• Ticket prices are inclusive of 3 meals a day. Onboard dining includes Breakfast (buffet style, drinks - cocoa, milk, juices, hot-cold dishes), Lunch (buffet style) and Dinner (waiter-served, 1 Starter, 1 Main course (choice of 3 / meat-fish-vegetarian), 1 Dessert (choice of 2 or fruits). Water in pitchers is always provided. Tea/coffee is served.
• On embarkation day and disembarkation day (at the end of the voyage) meal times depend on landing times. If a land tour coincides with a meal time (lunch), passengers are provided with complimentary food at a local restaurant (cafe) or given "dry rations".
• Ticket price inclusive onboard events are Welcome Aboard ("bread and salt" ceremony), Welcome Cocktail (complimentary 1 glass of champagne or juice per person), "Tea Ceremony" (with traditional pies), "Vodka Show" (blini and vodka tasting), Cocktail Party (once per cruise, complimentary 1 cocktail per person), Captain's Dinner (gourmet menu, once per cruise), mulled wine or ice tea (weather-depending / upon returning from excursions), complimentary Coffee Station (coffee, hot water, packed tea, milk, cocoa, cookies), 1 bottled water (0.33l pp per day in cabins). Tickets are also inclusive of foreign language speaking guide services, onboard entertainment (language class, singing lessons, live music, nightly dancing music, Wheelhouse tour).
• Complimentary excursions are detailed in the ship's cruise itinerary program. Optional tours are available for onboard booking. For excursion services, foreigner passengers may be charged with additional fee pp per day (varies by cruise tour length).
• Cruise tickets don't include land transfers (excepting foreign travel agency bookings), beverages and snacks (in onboard bars-lounges), phone calls, sauna visits, optional excursions, travel insurance, gratuities, personal spendings. Ticket prices include 18% VAT.
• Smoking on the ship is allowed only in designated areas (marked with "Place for smoking" signs). Smoking is prohibited in all interior spaces and on open decks (except at designated areas).
• On most ships are available health gymnastics and morning exercises (led by a certified physician/ship's doctor), oxygen cocktail, dietary food.
• On most ships are provided (free of charge) the following medical services - emergency medical care (assistance required for sudden acute illnesses, conditions, exacerbation of chronic diseases), measurement of blood pressure and body temperature, primary treatment of wounds.
• Boarding starts 2 hours prior to departure. All passengers must be boarded at least an hour prior to departure. Late passengers missing their cruise tour are not refunded.
• Russia's main river cruise departure ports are Moscow , St Petersburg , Astrakhan , Nizhny Novgorod , Perm , Samara , Kazan , Volgograd , Rostov-on-Don , Saratov .

Russian cruise ships

Currently, in Russia is operated a huge fleet of over 200 river cruise ships. All these vessels were built during the USSR (Soviet Union) times, roughly in the period between 1950-1990. Depending on class and series, these boats differ in terms of size, equipment (different engine designs), passenger capacity, onboard facilities and venues, cabins (types and number). Amenities additionally differ by shipowner (cruise company).

All these old-design Russian ships were completely refurbished and rebuilt for their new shipowners, Some of these ships are operated (via partnerships or under charter) also by foreign companies (like Viking, CroisiEurope, Uniworld, AMAwaterways, Grand Circle, Nicko). During their multi-million-dollar drydock refits, vessels passenger capacities were considerably reduced to improve travel comfort and safety.

Most boats are of the following classes:

• "Rossiya" (Project 785, 36 vessels built 1952-1958)
• "Baykal" (Project 646, 15 units built 1953-1956)
• "Rodina" (Project 588, 49 vessels built 1954-1961)
• "Oktyabrskaya Revolyutsiya" (Project 26-37, 14 units built 1957-1962)
• "Dunay" (Project 305, 47 vessels built between 1959-1964)
• "Kuybyshev" (Project OL400, 9 units built 1975-1983)
• "Vladimir Ilyich" (Project 301, 22 vessels built between 1975-1983)
• "Dmitri Furmanov" (Project 302, 27 vessels built between 1983-1991)

Regardless of their age, all these motor ships undergo regular drydock refurbishments , machinery and safety checks, scheduled repairs (including annual surveys). Drydocks are every 5 years and include repairs, hull inspection, propulsion-steering inspection, general maintenance works.

Each ship is equipped with life-saving appliances (lifeboats and rafts) in amounts exceeding the boat's max passenger and crew capacity. Each cabin is equipped with lifejackets with illustrated instructions in several languages. All ships are equipped with modern fire-fighting systems. Crew and staff are experienced and highly professional certified employees.

Itinerary of Russian River Cruises

CruiseMapper's "Russian River Cruises" itinerary section provides information on itineraries and ports of call offered by the largest Russian and European river cruise companies - Vodohod, Viking, Uniworld, Scenic, CroisiEurope. Each foreign company has a partnership with a local company and operates as a joint venture one or more Russian ships.

For detailed itinerary information (routes) visit our pages of the following departure ports - Saratov , Volgograd , Samara , Perm , Nizhny Novgorod , Cheboksary , Rostov-on-Don ,  Kazan , Astrakhan , Moscow , St Petersburg .

Volga River cruise ports highlights

• St Petersburg (Russia's second-largest city - after Moscow) was built by Tzar Peter the Great in 1703. It is located in the Neva River delta (Gulf of Finland's east coast). Saint Petersburg includes the territories of more than 130 islands interconnected by over 300 bridges. The city has a huge number of cultural and historical sights, architectural landmarks, museums, magnificent palaces (Russian Tsars' former residences), grand parks, wide avenues, bridges, numerous monuments. Among its most famous tourist attractions are the Hermitage museum (housing over 2 million pieces of art). Two days is never enough to see everything in this remarkable city. However, passengers will usually visit the Hermitage, admire the city's 19th-century architecture during a canal cruise tour, take in a cultural performance, visit one of the Versailles-style palaces in St. Petersburg's countryside (Pushkin or Peterhof).
• Moscow (Russian Federation's capital and largest city) was founded in 1147 by Prince Yuri Dolgoruky. The city was destroyed several times - by the Mongolians, Napoleon, the Nazis. The heart of the city lies in the Red Square, which contains Lenin's Tomb, St Basil's Cathedral, and GUM Department Store. Kremlin's red walls also border the square. Inside the fort are the Armoury (containing the Faberge eggs) and 9 onion-domed churches. Art-fans can seek out Pushkin Gallery or see a show at Bolshoi Theatre.
• Yaroslavl is one of the Golden Ring cities of Russia, and the largest city to visit during the middle of your Volga cruise. The town is famous for its gorgeous churches. It also offers several pedestrian-only streets full of shops and cafes, as well as a lovely embankment used as a park.
• Uglich has a provincial setting. It was found in the 10th century and was a scene of some of medieval Russian history's most remarkable events. Here were exiled the Ivan Terrible’s 7th wife and her son Tsarevich Dmitry. Soon after, Tsarevich was mysteriously murdered here. Soon after, a dedicated to this event church ("Church of St. Demetrius on the Blood") was erected. Within the Uglich Kremlin walls is the town's oldest building - "Prince’s Palace". Other attractions are St. John’s Church and the Transfiguration Cathedral.
• Astrakhan was founded at the end of the 13th century and is located on the Volga's left bank. Port’s activities extend 100 km downstream and over 300 km upstream along the river. The city is a major trading center and its main business is freight shipping (coal, timber, salt, food, industrial products). Astrakhan is not linked to the railroad network. Cargoes are transferred by floating cranes from river ships to seagoing vessels.
• Goritsy is a small village on River Sheksna, famous for its Resurrection Convent, At approx 4 ml (7 km) from Goritsy is Kirillov - a pilgrimage site with many historical and architectural monuments. Among those are the Kirillo-Belozerski monastery, Ferapont monastery (UNESCO site), 12 churches, 25 civil monuments.
• Kizhi Island (Lake Onega) is located approx 70 km (40 ml) to the northeast of Petrozavodsk. The island has two onion-domed churches. Also here is the 17th-century-built 22-domed church - constructed without using a single nail. Its "Church of the Transfiguration of our Savior" and "Church of the Intercession" were rebuilt several times and are preserved in their original 17th-century design.
• Mandrogi (Mandroga) is a small village on the Svir river recently created as a tourist attraction. It features small wooden log cabin houses. Its “town of masters” is a market for hand-made Russian art craft, including paintings, painted wooden dolls, embroidery, pottery. Other attractions are the elk nursery and the quail farm, horse-riding tours, food tasting (pastry), vodka tasting (museum of Russian vodka).
• Kostroma is also one of the Golden Ring cities, and once was one of Russia's 3 largest cities - after Moscow and Yaroslavl, It is located at the confluence of the rivers Volga and Kostroma. Among the attractions are the St Ipathy monastery, an open-air museum (traditional wooden architecture- izbas, mills, churches are gathered in one place).
• Kizhi is famous the whole world over. It has become the symbol of the grandeur of unique Russian culture. Visiting the Kizhi Islands gives a great chance to appreciate the enchanting medieval atmosphere and get acquainted with the customs and free spirit of men living in a spacious area with a rigorous climate
• Kazan. The largest port in the Volga basin, it transships cargoes transported by water alone or by water and rail. The port receives coal from Kuznetsk Basin for Kazan's heat and electric power plant, food and industrial products, and ships out products of city's enterprises and Siberian timber. The port includes Tsentral’nyi, Kama, and Volga cargo areas, as well as a number of landings, the biggest of which is Naberezhnye Chelny and Chistopol’. The basin of the Tsentral’nyi Cargo Area and passenger area are protected by a breakwater.
• Novgorod (Nizhniy Novgorod) is an ancient stronghold founded by Gran Prince Yuri as a frontier post, is now the 5th largest city of Russia as well as one of the main centers of river tourism in the country. In the 19th century, Nizhniy became the trade center of the whole state as it was the place of the biggest fair in the Russian Empire. A proverb of that time says: "Moscow is the heart of Russia, St. Petersburg is its head, and Nizhniy Novgorod - its pocketbook". The city was renamed "Gorky" in Soviet times, in honor of the writer Maxim Gorky, born there. Until 1990, Nizhniy Novgorod was “closed” to foreigners as USSR protected its military secrets. Nizhniy Novgorod is included in the UNESCO list of 100 cities constituting world cultural and historical value.
• Samara - during the Soviet period the city was named Kuybyshev, in honor of the Soviet party figure Valerian Kuybyshev. The shortest ways from Central and Western Europe to Kazakhstan, Siberia, and Central Asia run through Samara. The city has a rich cultural heritage: Alexey Tolstoy spent his childhood and youth there. Maxim Gorky started his literary career in the city - he worked in "Samara Newspaper". The Czech writer Yaroslav Gashek also worked in Samara, during the Civil war. Famous artists like Ilya Repin, Ivan Ayvazovsky, Vasily Surikov, lived in the city. During the Great Patriotic War, the Seventh Symphony of Dmitry Shostakovich was performed in Samara for the first time.
• Tver - the White Trinity Church (1564) is the sole ancient monument of Tver as in 1763, there was a great fire after which the city was rebuilt in Neoclassical style. There are also a lot of buildings of Catherine the Great. Tver State University is highly rated in the region. In 1931, Tver received the name Kalinin, in honor of the Soviet leader Mikhail Kalinin. The city was occupied by the German army in 1941. Only 2 months later it became the first big city in Europe liberated from the occupation.
• Ulyanovsk is located on the right bank of the Kuibyshev Reservoir. Port's activities extend 90 km downstream and 100 km upstream along the Volga. The port unloads mineral construction materials, food, and industrial products for the cities of Saransk and Uljanovsk, and ships out coal from Kuznetsk Basin, automobiles, foodstuffs. Its passenger area was rebuilt in 1969 and includes a large number of landings, the biggest being Melekess and Sengilei. The basin of the port of Ulyanovsk is protected by a breakwater.
• Saratov (founded in 1590) is the capital city of a huge province that as size equals the territories of Albania, Belgium and Switzerland combined. In the late 19th century, Saratov became a center for industry and trade, Among the city's attractions, are Moskovskaya street (Europe's longest straight street), one of Europe's longest bridges (2,8 km long), children’s theater, puppet theater, Russia’s oldest circus, musical conservatory, beaches, Art Galleries, Lipki Park, two large casinos.
• Volgograd (currently Stalingrad) was founded in 1589. This is a major port and shipping hub linking Donets Basin with the Urals and Upper Volga Region. It ships grain, coal, food, and industrial products upstream and receives mineral construction materials and timber. The port’s districts are situated within the cities of Volzhsk and Volgograd (Tsentral’nyi). Kamyshin is the biggest landing belonging to the port. Among Volgograd's attractions is the Mamayev Hill with numerous sculptures devoted to the WW2 victims and topped with the world’s largest freestanding statue “Mother Russia” (height 52 m / 171 ft). Adjacent is the "Museum of the Defense" (war artifacts, weapons, uniforms).

All ships listed here operate on Russian waterways. To this long list should be additionally added the following boats, which are currently listed in the fleets of their own companies:

• Scenic Tsar (company Scenic Cruises )
• River Victoria (company Uniworld )
• Viking Rurik , Viking Akun , Viking Helgi , Viking Ingvar , Viking Truvor (company Viking Cruises )

Viking River Cruises in Russia - Itinerary "Waterways of the Tsars"

Viking's itinerary is named "Waterways of the Tsars" (13-day cruise) inclusive of:

• all transfers and port charges
• Riverview stateroom
• 10 guided tours (audio headsets provided)
• all onboard meals (including 12 breakfasts, 11 lunches, 12 dinners, Welcome Cocktail Reception, Gala Dinner)
• complimentary beverages (wine, beer, and soft drinks with all dinners and lunches)
• complimentary Wi-Fi
• visiting four UNESCO World Heritage Sites
• enrichment events (onshore live music and dance performances), onboard Russian language lessons, history-themed lectures, Russian cooking workshop, Russian tea time).
• Viking's Russian cruise fares are between USD 5,100 - 5,600 PP. Prices are inclusive of international airfare from 30 USA airports.
• Airport transfers (meet & greet) are included only when flights are purchased through Viking Cruises.

Optional (additionally priced) extensions are:

• (pre-cruise) 2-night Moscow hotel package (Radisson Royal Hotel or similar), with included 2 breakfasts, Moscow Subway guided tour, Viking host services.
• (post-cruise) 3-night Helsinki hotel package (Radisson Blu Plaza or similar), with included 3 breakfasts, guided walking tour, Viking host services, train travel (St Petersburg to Helsinki), all hotel and ship transfers.

Itineraries are two: northbound (Moscow to St Petersburg) or the reverse southbound (St Petersburg to Moscow).

• (Day 1) Moscow arrival, airport to ship transfer, onboard dinner
• (Day 2) half-day Moscow tour (Bolshoi Theater, Red Square, St Basil’s Cathedral, GUM Department Store, Moscow Metro)
• (Day 3) free time full-day Moscow touring, or an optional morning tour to Tretyakov Gallery Russian fine art museum). Other optional tours are in the afternoon (Cosmonaut Museum, Jewish Moscow) and in the evening (Moscow by Night).
• (Day 4) Moscow tour to Kremlin (Tsar’s Canon, Tsar’s Bell, 2 cathedrals), scenic Moscow Canal cruise (after lunch) as the ships departs the city.
• (Day 5) Uglich arrival (after lunch), disembarkation for a guided walking tour (Kremlin of Uglich, Church of St Dmitry on the Blood, tea at a local family home), before dinner departure
• (Day 6) Yaroslavl arrival in the morning, guided tour (covered food market, handcrafted souvenirs shopping), free time, ship lunch, departure.
• (Day 7) Kuzino morning arrival, tour to Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery (guided walk- wooden chapels, Assumption Cathedral, museum), children’s school, ship lunch, afternoon departure.
• (Day 8) Kizhi Island (Lake Onega cruising) afternoon arrival, walking tour (Open Air Museum of Architecture- wooden houses, windmills, churches, Preobranzhenskaya Church), evening departure.
• (Day 9) Mandrogy (Svir River cruising) afternoon arrival (Vodka Museum, handmade Russian craft shopping, optional banya / Russian bathhouse visit, optional tour (matryoshka doll making workshop), Lake Ladoga cruising to Neva River.
• (Day 10) — St Petersburg (Neva River cruising), early morning arrival, onboard breakfast, guided tour (Winter Palace, Hermitage Museum), onboard dinner and evening live Russian ballet performance.
• (Day 11) St Petersburg tour to Pushkin district (Catherine Palace), ship lunch, city tour (St Isaac’s Cathedral, Peter and Paul Fortress, Nevsky Prospekt), optional evening folklore performance.
• (Day 12) free time St Petersburg touring (optional morning tour to Peterhof Palace, optional afternoon kommunalka tour, optional St Petersburg canal cruise from), onboard lunch and dinner.
• (Day 13) St Petersburg - onboard breakfast, ship disembarkation, ship to airport transfer for the return flight.

Uniworld Cruises in Russia - itinerary "Imperial Waterways of Russia"

The 13-day long itinerary is named "Imperial Waterways of Russia" and operated by the ship River Victoria. Uniworld's Russian cruise fares range between USD 5,200 and 9,900 PP (depending on cabin category.

• Day 1 – Moscow (Sheremetyevo Airport arrival, ship transfer, embarkation)
• Day 2 – Moscow (city tour, metro tour, Arbat Street) - Bolshoi Theatre, Red Square, St Basil’s Cathedral, Russian lunch included, onboard Captain’s Welcome Reception, Gala Dinner
• Day 3 – Moscow (Kremlin, Armory Museum)
• Day 4 – Moscow (leisure day)
• Day 5 – Moscow Canal and Volga River cruising to Uglich (walking tour)
• Day 6 – Yaroslavl (Lake Rybinsk cruising) - city tour
• Day 7 – Goritsy (Lake Onega cruising) - monasteries, St Cyril of the White Lake Monastery, Children’s Arts and Crafts,
• Day 8 – Kizhi Island (Lake Onega cruising) - Open-air Museum of Wooden Architecture
• Day 9 – Svir River cruising to Mandrogi, Lake Ladoga cruising - Mandrogi walk tour (picnic lunch)
• Day 10 – St Petersburg (city tour, canal cruise, Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood, ballet performance at Alexandrinsky Theatre)
• Day 11 – St Petersburg (Catherine Palace, Pushkin Park)
• Day 12 – St Petersburg (Winter Palace - Hermitage Museum, Captain’s Farewell Reception, Gala Dinner)
• Day 13 – St Petersburg (disembarkation, transfer and return flight).

Scenic River Cruises in Russia - itinerary "The Imperial Wonders Of Russia"

The itinerary is operated by Scenic Tzar and named "Imperial Jewels of Russia". Its duration is 15-day, along Volga and Svir rivers. Scenic Cruises deals are inclusive of:

• Scenic Enrich - handcrafted, Scenic passengers exclusive tour experiences (private shows, family meals prepared by local hosts)
• Scenic Sundowners - exclusive cocktail events
• all onboard meals (including complimentary wine, beer and soft drinks with lunches and dinners)
• onboard doctor
• onboard entertainment
• in-cabin room service
• Wi-Fi internet (Mac mini infotainment system via the cabin's TV)
• all gratuities
• Scenic's Russian cruise fares are USD 11,500 PP.

Day-by-day itinerary info: Day 1 (Moscow), Day 2 (Moscow, Sundowners canal cruise), Day 3 (Moscow - Kremlin), Day 4 (Moscow - Cosmonaut meeting), Day 5 (Moscow - Tretyakov Gallery), Day 6 (Uglich), Day 7 (Yaroslavl - city tour), Day 8 (Goritsy - Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery), Day 9 (Kizhi Island - Church of Transfiguration), Day 10 (Mandrogi - Museum village), Day 11 (St Petersburg - Hermitage), Day 12 (St Petersburg - Peterhof Palace), Day 13 (St Petersburg - Private Ballet performance), Day 14 (St Petersburg - canal cruise), Day 15 (return flight).

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