riverboat cruise maysville ky

Cruising the Ohio River~on the American Queen ~Maysville, Kentucky

ON THE OHIO RIVER_One thing that has surprised us on this cruise is how much we are learning about our own country. While cruising the world and travel in general is always a great educational experience, taking our first cruise on America’s waterways has been enlightening beyond our expectations.

Take, for example, our latest stop — Maysville, Kentucky. With a population of less than 10,000, it’s enjoyed a rich history from its founding by frontier legend Daniel Boone, among others. A manufacturing hub known for tobacco, bourbon and wrought iron, it also played a major role in the Underground Railroad and inspired the work of Harriet Beecher Stowe.

In more modern times, Maysville is the proud home of singer/actress Rosemary Clooney. Her first film, “The Stars Are Singing” in 1953, had its world premiere here at downtown’s Russell Theatre, currently undergoing a renovation. She is also depicted on one of town’s famous floodwall murals near the river.

We are only here for a half-day visit, so we get an early start with the bus tour. Friendly guides are on hand to greet us and talk about what we’re going to see, starting with the famous aforementioned murals, painted over a period of 10 years on the floodwall, each showcasing events of historical importance.

Our first stop is the Kentucky Gateway Museum Center, which houses the second largest collection of miniatures in the world. Viewing the craftsmanship of these miniature houses, rooms and scenes is truly unbelievable. They are faithful down to the last detail — Pam even wanted to join the Red Hat Ladies and have a drink. Wait — didn’t I see that on an episode of The Twilight Zone?

There’s also lots of history on display in what used to be the town library, now part of the museum. The multi-story windows are amazing in their own right.

You could literally spend hours here, but we had to press on to the Old Pogue bourbon history center, located just down the street from the museum. While we aren’t bourbon drinkers, we have a good friend who is, so we had to make a stop here.

Inside were displays and memorabilia that trace the history of the brand through six generations of family ownership, starting in the 1870s. We learned their limited production is only available regionally, and a bottle of their Master’s Select runs $120. Before leaving, we had a $5 tasting of their 91-proof Master’s Select. You immediately feel the heat, then the smoothness. I’m pretty sure our friend would approve.

As the bus was returning to the boat, we spied a group of kids on a street corner selling lemonade — something straight out of a Norman Rockwell painting. Pam joined the driver and a few others to offer the kids money for their efforts. As we drove off, you’ve never seen kids more excited.

Maysville is the kind of Americana that’s easy to miss as we zip around on the interstates. Kudos to American Queen for bringing it to the forefront.

Sailaway is early today — 1 pm — and the first thing on the daily planner afterwards is that all-time favorite American pastime: Bingo! Since we rarely win games of chance, it’s a perfect time for me to write about the cruise while Pam gets a cup of coffee, finds a chair on the Front Porch and listens to music via headphones. By the way, she is happy with how many coffee machines are placed around the boat.

The river lecture today centers on the tragic story of the steamboat Sultana, which exploded while transporting former Civil War prisoners back home. It was the worst maritime disaster in US history, killing more people than died on the Titanic.

At 3 pm, guests are invited to have a “Slice of Paradise” at the River Bar, where bartender Soli is serving up your favorite frozen drink while one of the ship’s musicians plays guitar. The event draws quite a crowd, and a second bartender is there is handle the overflow. We sip our drinks and admire the passing scenery as we wind our way up river.

Soon after, the skies begin to darken and we encounter our first storm since we left Louisville. The crew scrambles to move furniture as the rain begins coming down in sheets. Soon enough it’s all over, leaving us a dry and cooler evening.

Tonight’s show is “Curtain Up!”, a tribute to Broadway, performed by the American Queen Ensemble, backed by the Steamboat Syncopators orchestra. It’s very impressive, and somewhat refreshing, to watch four talented singer/dancers and a five-piece orchestra be so entertaining without the benefit of an elaborate stage production and scenery changes. They just put on a good show.

Tomorrow we arrive at Point Pleasant, West Virginia, most famous for the Silver Bridge Disaster and the creature known as the Mothman, made famous in numerous books and movies. There’s even a Mothman Museum that’s on our bus tour.

You don’t want to miss my next installment!

PHOTOS by Gerry Barker

• Pogue Bourbon on display (cover)
• Welcome to Maysville mural
• The Red Hat Ladies in miniature
• Rosemary Clooney mural

See sailings here  American Queen Voyages Cruises (cruisecompete.com)

See earlier American Queen posts here

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Cruising the Ohio River~on the American Queen ~Madison, Indiana: ‘Most Beautiful River Town in America’

Cruising the Ohio River~on the American Queen ~Indiana

Cruising the Ohio River~on the American Queen ~Louisville

Cruising the Ohio River~on the American Queen

2 thoughts on “Cruising the Ohio River~on the American Queen ~Maysville, Kentucky”

I am jealous of the Pogue. Wish I was there to enjoy a shot or two…with you. I’ve been reviewing the local history for each of your port stops. Being from OH, I’ve been to all of them but I’m enjoying catching up with their rich history. If anyone would like to learn more, I would highly recommend reading Blood and Treasure: Daniel Boone and the Fight for America’s First Frontier by Bob Drury. It was an enjoyable read about the early history of the the river’s territory.

Maysville is my hometown. I grew up there in the 50’s and early 60’d. The downtown area was thriving with business It was always a beautiful town that reminded me of some of the street with their shady two story house in Charleston or New Orleans. How fortunate I was to grow up there. Your article was so descriptive and informative. I would love to do this cruise snd be ble to visit “my hometown “ via the mighty Ohio River.

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Belle of Cincinnati Summer River Cruises

July 25, 2021 @ 12:00 pm - 9:30 pm.

Come join BB Riverboats’ Belle of Cincinnati on its summer tour of river cities. We will be stopping in Huntington WV, Portsmouth OH, Gallipolis OH, Ashland KY, and Maysville KY offering lunch, brunch, dinner, and sightseeing cruises! Come ride the boat and enjoy one of Cincinnati’s top attractions during this annual tradition! The following are times and prices for the Huntington, WV cruises on Sunday July 25, 2021.

Lunch Cruise Boarding 11am Sails 12 pm – 2 pm

Adults General Admission   $42.44 Children Ages 4-12   $26.41

Sightseeing Cruise Boarding 3pm Sailing 3:30 pm – 5 pm

Adults General Admission   $25.47 Children Ages 4-12   $19.81

Dinner Cruise Boarding 6:30 pm Sailing 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm

Adults General Admission    $56.60 Children Ages 4-12   $39.62

Make a reservation online at bbriverboats.com or over the phone 1-800-261-8586 For Portsmouth, Gallipolis, Ashland, and Maysville times, locations, and bookings please visit https://bbriverboats.com/cruises/summer-tour

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American q ueen voyages has made the difficult decision to shut down..

Despite great efforts by our team, crew and partners, American Queen Voyages (AQV) unfortunately has been unable to rebound from the effects of the pandemic. The overnight cruise industry was especially affected by changes in travel preferences and, as a result, AQV has become financially unsustainable.

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We sincerely regret any inconvenience this decision causes. Our goal is to ensure a smooth process for all AQV stakeholders.

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I have an American Queen Voyages overnight cruise booked. Should I still expect to go?

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Queen Countess Riverboat visits Maysville

Dawn Floyd [email protected]

The Queen Countess Riverboat docked at Maysville on Friday.

American Queen Voyages’ American Countess Riverboat visited Maysville on Friday morning for its last trip of the year to Maysville.

According to Maysville-Mason County Tourism Director Katelyn Bailey on Saturday the American Heritage will be stopping in Maysville as well.

“They come here 11 times or at least they have been here 11 times this year. Next year the American Heritage will be in town for two full days, so they will come in seven different times next year. They will come in on a Sunday morning and leave on a Tuesday evening,” Bailey said.

Bailey said the two cruises cost the same amount at $5,000 per person but the American Duchess is a five-day cruise while the American Heritage is a 10-day cruise though the boat is smaller. The American Countess is with American Queen Voyages while the American Heritage is with American Cruise Lines Bailey explained.

Passengers are offered a choice of two different tours when they get to Maysville currently for the half day they spend in town Bailey said.

“Old Washington is the upgraded tour where they pay a little extra to go out and visit there, a tour of downtown Maysville is included in the tour,” Bailey said.

Tourists love the miniature collection in the Kentucky Gateway Museum, they are always amazed by it Bailey said.

“People also really enjoy going through the Cox Building and they always stop at Russell Theater. The Old Washington tour, the group gets to tour there and then head to the Underground Railroad Museum before coming back to town,” she said.

Bailey said passengers commonly express they wish that they had more time to spend in Maysville or that they wanted to be able to do both tours so there is a lot of excitement for the American Heritage’s two-day stay next year.

“We are going to offer maybe some covered bridge tours, maybe some church tours so they can see all of our beautiful churches around town and a night tour might be interesting. Maybe they will be here when the Maysville Players have a show going, there is a lot we can do if they are here for two full days,” she said.

Volunteer with the Maysville-Mason County Tourism Ann Porter said the tour caters to all ages, there are many retirees but also couples and families and they start and end their cruise from different places up and down the Ohio River.

“This particular group got on from I think either Paducah or St. Louis, their last stop is in Pittsburgh,” Porter said.

Porter said passengers tell her all the time how they prefer visiting the small towns over the big towns on their trip schedules and Maysville has many returning visitors.

Often passengers who take the cruise in the spring will return in the summer with their friends who all seem to love Maysville Porter said.

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