American Queen Steamboat Company
What better way to experience the nostalgia of yesteryear than on a romantic Mississippi river cruise. Travel up the Mississippi river aboard the newly refurbished America Queen Steamboat. Explore charming riverside communities as well as historic riverside ports. Along the way, guest lecturers will discuss the culture and history of the places you visit.
The American Queen offers river cruises on the Mississippi, Ohio and Rennessee rivers. Discover the charm, history and cultural that has developed along the shores of the iconic Mississippi River.
Upper Mississippi Cruises
Early explorers and native tribes left their legacy behind in town names here: Joliet. Red Wing. Dubuque. Rolling farmland stretches out to the horizon; barges are measured in acres; man-made lakes and locks channel the river’s flow. What to do on a river day? Grab your binoculars and study a pair of American bald eagles. Wave to the motorboat captains locking through the dam beside you. Study red in ten different shades of fall foliage. Tap into the sense of wonder that caused early pioneers to call the heartland home.
River cruise destinations handpicked to pique the interest of nature lovers, history buffs and culture enthusiasts let you delve into beauty and adventure on an epic scale. After all, this is America’s Heartland, envisioned by Washington and Jefferson, celebrated by Mark Twain and stitched into the very fabric of a nation. From Chippewa country in the north to the confluence of the Missouri near St. Louis and Ohio Rivers at Cairo, the Upper Mississippi flows through the pages of U.S. history.
Lower Mississippi Cruises
Memory flows deep and sentiment eddies and swirls along the Lower Mississippi River on these river cruises. Once divided by these very waters, when cotton was king and the plantation lifestyle was at its zenith, the North and South were at war, each armed with conflicting visions of what was worth dying for. Look back as each battlefield and grave marker has a story to tell. Then celebrate the living, breathing places where southern culture continues to enjoy a modern-day renaissance.
Ohio & Tennessee Rivers Cruises
By any measure, the Ohio River is no mere tributary to the Mississippi, but a mighty river itself. Coursing nearly 1,000 miles with a watershed encompassing 14 states, the Ohio opened up America’s movement West. Here too are the great Wilderness Rivers coursing through Bluegrass country, conjuring up tales of Davy Crockett, Daniel Boone, and raids by Cherokee and Chickamauga tribes. From small towns crowned by church steeples to big city thrills like the Grand Ole Opry® and Churchill Downs, on these river cruises, adventure awaits by the mile.
Columbia And Snake Rivers
FRONTIERS, PIONEERS AND VINEYARDS
Nowhere is the timelessness of rivers more apparent than here in the pristine Pacific Northwest where the Columbia and Snake Rivers wind through gentle hills, impressive mountains, vertical canyons and fertile fields. The land appears in 2014 just as it did to Lewis and Clark in 1805 – majestic, unspoiled and unimaginably glorious.
Sacajawea, Lewis and Clark’s faithful Native American guide, knew how to read these lands and soon you will too thanks to the legacy of the expedition that opened the West to settlement. Pioneering reminders range from Fort Clatsop outside Astoria, Oregon where they survived the harsh winter, to the sister cities of Clarkston, Washington and Lewiston, Idaho 400 miles to the east. The explorers overcame the formidable Celilo Falls and currents near The Dalles, Oregon, a struggle brought to light at Rock Fort Campsite. The role of Sacajawea in the expedition’s success is interpreted at the state park in Washington’s Tri-Cities Region.
As you relive the daring exploits of frontiersmen and adventurers, you are treated to the very same natural wonders. Columbia Gorge cuts through the Cascade Mountains thanks to the Missoula Floods of the last Ice Age. At Multnomah Falls, snowmelt streams plunge over 600 feet in two tiered cascades down a sheer cliff face. Deeper than the Grand Canyon, Idaho’s Hell’s Canyon is a dramatic crack in the earth with raging waters best explored on an exciting jet boat ride. Near Portland, understand the raw power of nature in the collapsed volcanic crater of Mount St. Helens. Along the Columbia River, fish ladders help salmon swim upstream and bison, deer and elk graze freely.
With the American Empress serving as a floating boutique hotel for your river cruise journey, travel into the heart of Washington’s wine country. The acclaimed Maryhill Winery overlooking the Columbia River has made its mark among wine connoisseurs while the celebrated Walla Walla Wine Trail in the “Napa of the North” offers the tastes of Canoe Ridge, Cayuse, Leonetti and Five Star Cellars, among others.
From Portland’s lovely International Rose Test Garden to the hallowed artifacts on the Nez Perce Reservation, the region comes to life. Tour a millionaire’s Victorian home in Astoria, Oregon and marvel at the engineering achievement of the Bonneville Dam. Whether you choose to take in the scenery from Mt. Hood’s Timberline Lodge nestled among the pines or climb a lighthouse to view the expansive Pacific, a voyage on the Columbia and Snake Rivers will show you the world from a new perspective.
Book any of the fabulous steamboat cruises with our Virtuoso Travel Advisors & enjoy free upgrades, great airfare deals & VIP perks: Recommended by Conde Nast & The NBC Today Show.
