becky thatcher riverboat st louis

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Becky Thatcher - Riverboats at the Gateway Arch

• United States    
• Missouri (MO)    
• Saint Louis    
• Saint Louis - Things to Do    
• Riverboats at the Gateway Arch

The outside speakers on this boat really need to be fixed and replaced. About 5 minutes into the... read more

As of December, 2023, the directions on how to get to parking area were confusing. They say don’t... read more

Becky Thatcher

The cruise was nice and the staff was friendly, the food presentation was very nice. It was a late night private party and the dance floor was nice. The boat is older but I had a great time.

We travelled a long way to experience a Dinner cruise aboard a paddle steamer on the Mississippi so to not have it moving by paddle was the first disappointment . We did enjoy our cruise even tho it is mainly industrial sights . Dinner ... We started off with a plate of lettuce & tiny bit of tomato + crouton. If they had splashed out and bought a cucumber & onion to add to it we could then have said it was a salad. The main course was ok even with the meat not being cooked properly. It is very rushed so the second you put your fork down they want to serve you dessert. We managed to wait a bit longer for the cheesecake which was nice. The bun is nice but there was not enough butter on board ! Having your coffee in a paper cup is disappointing when you spend good money for dinner . If you want wine with your dinner order 2 drinks at the start. I ordered a second drink to go with my meal but the waiter got busy with other people /

I had a grand romantic illusion of going for a riverboat cruise on the Mississippi with wonderful scenery on each side of the river. I guess it's my own fault for not doing my research on what is on either side of the river, but I figured if there was nothing to see there wouldn't be a riverboat cruise. How wrong was I?! While it was nice to go out in one of these old boats, the only noteworthy thing to see from the river was a different angle of the Arch and the Old Courthouse. Everything else is very industrial.... plus old bridges and half finished bridges. It was quite a disappointment.

Maybe I have been spoiled by a marvellous paddlewheeler trip out of New Orleans. I think the main problem is that this part of the Mississippi lacks attraction and the river is pretty workaday. Over on the east side is Illinois with absolutely nothing to recommend it. It is interesting to see the Arch from the river, and the new Lewis and Clark statue, but although those on the boat worked hard to make us comfortable, it fell a little flat. The paddlewheel didn't even touch the water - maybe it's too shallow here. But it's not a total write-off if you want to while away an hour on the water.

It was hot hot hot -- 102 degrees on the day we cruised. But the pro photographers moved us along so we were able to get aboard quickly to the air conditioned quarters. We had a guest narrator from one of the parks who did an outstanding job of telling us the history of the area, boating knowledge and even threw in some humor. We could hear him very clearly, and the hour was money well spent. We are still quoting some of the tidbits we learned! The view isn't all that scenic, but if you want scenery, go to the Grand Tetons for heavens sake.

My hubby and I visited St. Louis and purchased the All Access Pass which included an hour long sightseeing cruise. Went with another couple and had a 12 noon boarding time. A suggestion would be this: In the summertime or when the temp reaches high 90's and beyond offer the guest waiting to board the boat some shelter from the sun! Guest are let into a boarding area that is outside by how many people are in your group(this is done so your photo can be taken to purchase later), so while photos are being taken of every single guest, other guest are standing under the blazing sun with no shelter. We stood outside for approx. 15-20 minutes while we patiently waited for all pictures to be taken. Once you board the boat you have the option of sitting outside or inside which is air-conditioned. Once the sightseeing cruise begins the narration starts(the microphone used is very low and so its seems as if the guy speaking is muffled)..10 minutes into the cruise you will realize that whatever the guy is saying doesn't matter because for the ENTIRE cruise there is nothing to see but old abandoned warehouses, former steel companies, un-used buildings and lots of graffiti. There is really nothing to see. Spent the entire hour laughing and talking with friends inside the boat.

Gateway Arch Riverboats

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Review Highlights

“ Louis we decided to ride this riverboat along the river and it was such a fun experience! ” in 17 reviews

“ There were concessions on board, but no one minded that I brought a drink onboard with me that I had purchased in the arch cafe . ” in 2 reviews

“ You'll pass your dock and go under a few more bridges before turning around and heading back to the dock . ” in 11 reviews

Location & Hours

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50 S Leonor K Sullivan Blvd

Saint Louis, MO 63102

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About the business.

Take a relaxing cruise and discover the best view of the St. Louis skyline from replica nineteenth-century paddle-wheel riverboats, the Becky Thatcher and the Tom Sawyer. They were brought to St. Louis in 1964 so spectators could get a close-up view of the Arch as it was being constructed, and are the only riverboats on the St. Louis Riverfront today. During a variety of cruises offered, hear the waters churn and admire the view as you ride along the mighty Mississippi River, where Lewis and Clark completed their historic journey. Choose a One-Hour Sightseeing Cruise, Skyline Dinner Cruise or one of many specialty cruises. Hours Cruises run March-November, rain or shine. Departure times and costs vary for each cruise. Tickets Advance ticket purchases are recommended, and are required for certain cruises. Tickets available by phone or online. On-board concessions vary for cruises. Also your entire family may enjoy casual dining, dockside at the Paddle Wheel Café, with a spectacular view of the Gateway Arch. Parking is available on the levee in front of the riverboats. Parking on Leonor K. Sullivan Boulevard is illegal and cars will be ticketed. Accessibility Ramps from the street to the levee provide wheelchair access to the riverboats. The first floor of both riverboats and the riverboat dock are wheelchair accessible. The second and top decks of both riverboats require using stairs. …

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Is this available starting in April?

They opened March 15.

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Overall rating

The Arch is always a nice touch to a STL visit! The entire experience was fun and informative. Going up the arch was fun. Before we got on the tram, we participated in a learning session. We saw videos of how things were constructed and about the builders. I believe that there are sessions held with the founders and builders as well. I love how organized everything was. We stayed with our group took fun photos and learned so much! Once we made it to the top, it was a really nice view. Now I don't know if it was my fear of heights or what, but I became super dizzy and nauseous. But I did get a few pics and videos. Once we came back down, we stopped in the restaurant to eat. They have a really good system to make sure you get your food quickly. We had the ribs and wings. All of the sides come with original lays potato chips. We also had the juices. They were good! Finally, we shopped in the souvenir shop. It had so many great items. I always get a magnet for my refrigerator collection. If you are in St. Louis, this is definitely a place to visit!

Take a cruise on the Mighty Mississippi River. Board on a replica 19th century paddle-wheel riverboat for a different view of the Gateway Arch and the banks of the Mississippi. Love the names, the Becky Thatcher and the Tom Sawyer, that were originally used to take sightseers to view the construction of the Gateway Arch in the 1960s. Today, the cruise goes under several bridges, the Eads, the MLK, the MacArthur. On a beautiful sunny fall day, it was nice to be on the river enjoying the sunshine, but the tour itself was not that interesting and it was hard to hear the narration. Buy tickets at the National Park Service office inside the Arch and then walk down the steps to the riverbanks to board. The sixty-minute cruise is $25 ($24 plus a $1 service fee). If I had to do it again, I'd opt for a themed cruise like the Blues Cruise or Halloween for $30.

See all photos from Helene S. for Gateway Arch Riverboats

Now I can say I've been on a riverboat on the Mississippi. Otherwise not much to write home about. We did this before going up in the arch, so we knew some landmarks to look for from the top. I was glad they had food on board because we had totally run out of time to grab lunch after landing at the airport and needing to head straight to the riverboat!

View of the arch from the boat

Good food is not something I would have expected from a riverboat, but the food on our boat was really good. I'm still thinking about the gooey butter cake. The service was amazing and very friendly, too. You should know: When the boat is up and running, it gets very loud in the dining room area of the riverboat. I was trying to hold up a conversation with people at my table while I was eating, and I felt like I had to shout and ask them to repeat what they said. Upstairs on the deck, it's a little more quiet. But inside, you hear the roar of the engine from start to finish. But you should't spend too much time inside, anyway. The point of these riverboat cruises is to look out at the scenery, and your best view is from the deck. There is no bad seat on the deck, so just pick a spot and relax while the St. Louis skyline whooshes past you. From the riverboat, you can see the St. Louis Arch really well, as well as the behind-the-scenes graffiti and whatnot that you typically don't see from land. I love urban decay, so this is right up my alley. You also pass under bridges and see other watercraft go by. Our riverboat ride was about two hours. Just enough time to eat, snap some selfies on the deck, and bask in the sunshine on a really cool boat that's chugging down the Mississippi River.

I wanted to do a riverboat tour when in town as I had fond memories of doing it when I was a kid. Boarding process was quick, they take your photo ( you can skip it) and they bring it to you on the boat hoping you buy it. We initially sat on the upper deck but it started raining with thunder and lightening so we went down to a covered deck. Should have went indoors as it had the air conditioning! As you go down the river there is a staff from the Missouri history society talking about what you are seeing and changes in history. The sites themselves were actually pretty depressing. As someone who grew up here and came down to visit the floating McDonald's, eat or shop in Laclede's landing it was very bleak. Lots of unhoused person encampments, a rotting casino dock. You cruise up the river for 30 minutes and come back down for a total of an hour. They had food and drinks at the dock, as well as restrooms. It wasn't a terrible experience just sad if you remember this area in it's former glory.

On our trip to St. Louis we decided to ride this riverboat along the river and it was such a fun experience! The riverboat was really big and had lots of seats for people to sit and relax in... but it really didn't help that it was a pretty humid day, but we were prepared beforehand. As we cruised down the Mississippi River, we got to see so many cool things such as historic sites and landmarks. There were big bridges that we went under, and we even saw some big cargo ships that were carrying all kinds of goods. We also saw some wildlife, like birds and fish jumping out of the water. The best part of the cruise was when we got to see the Gateway Arch from the river. It looked even bigger and more impressive from down below! The captain of the boat also told us lots of interesting facts about the history of St. Louis and the river. Overall, I would definitely recommend the Gateway Arch Riverboat cruise if you're ever in St. Louis. It's a great way to see the city and the river from a different perspective, and it's a fun and relaxing way to spend an afternoon.

View right before we went under the bridge.

The old power plant, I think. I was melting due to the heat so I would forget some things the tour guide would say.

My friends and I were looking for something convenient to our location (Busch Stadium) it's only about 3 blocks away and right past the Arch, down the stairs. It was sadly only an hour but filled with lots of info. Bar on board had nice choices.

The Riverboats at the Gateway Arch: we did the Tom Sawyer riverboat cruise. Actually took it as part of the Arch ticket. The margarita by the bartender was really good. Some history is narrated throughout about the bridges etc seen while sailing on the Mississippi River, but the cruise is just too slow; and the speaker had this crackling sound while announcing, didn't feel like listening to it. Super hot as well. Overall didn't feel worth the money. We went at 4.30 pm. Don't know if they have a better experience at other times.

Ehh... This really isn't a "must do." The Mississippi River water is pretty disgusting and the sights around aren't that spectacular. The approximately one hour narrated tour (by a park ranger and also the captain) seemed to be a little strapped for fun facts around the area.

It's nice and scenic and informative, and it's nice you can bring your own drinks on and enjoy the view. However the plastic chairs are old and filthy, you can't tell me for one second they can't afford to buy new chairs to make it look a little better. It would make the experience so much nicer. They are simple plastic lawn chairs that run for 20-30 a piece at most stores. Those chairs need to be thrown out immediately. If the company is reading this, do better.

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