World’s largest passenger steamboat to stop in Huntington

On Wednesday, July 12, The American Queen, which has the ability to carry 414 passengers, will be docked for the day at the port of Huntington at Harris Riverfront Park, where passengers will be able to disembark for land sight-seeing excursions to such Huntington attractions as Pullman Square, The J. Taylor Auto Museum, Old Central City, the Museum of Radio and Technology, Ritter Park Rose Garden, Heritage Farm and Marshall University’s Special Collections.

“It is the world’s largest passenger carrying sternwheel steam boat and it is a legitimate steam boat,” said Sutphin, who has written a number of books and has written and co-produced a series of short films about modern river operations for the Smithsonian Institution including, “Tested By Time To Become An American Legend: The Steamboat Delta Queen.” “This is a great opportunity to see this magnificent steamboat. Because of 911 and the general rules now you have to have a picture ID and card to get on the boat but it is a great opportunity if people want to come down and see it from the shore. When it leaves at 5 p.m. there will be a calliope concert as it heads back downstream.”

Called the Chairman’s Cruise as American Queen Steamboat Company Chairman, John Waggoner, and his wife, Claudette, will be cruising with this trip, the round-trip cruise from their hometown, Louisville, will travel upstream to Huntington and then back to Louisville with shore excursions in quaint towns such as Maysville, Augusta and Madison. The trip runs July 9-17.

Read more about this American Queen trip at https://www.americanqueensteamboatcompany.com/river-cruises/ohio-tennessee-rivers/roundtrip-louisville/#sthash.HL2UoT50.dpuf

For those wanting an actual ride on the river, note that BB Riverboats’ River Queen will be running a full tour schedule on the Kanawha River, Wednesday, June 21 through Saturday, June 24 with a special Friday blues cruise. Get tickets and times online at http://bbriverboats.com/cruises/charleston-wv-festivall-sightseeing-cruises

 And the BB Riverboats Belle of Cincinnati will be doing its annual summertime Ohio River trip July 20-27. Those stops include: July 20-21, in Portsmouth, Ohio; July 22, Ashland; July 23, Huntington and July 26-27, Maysville, Ky. Go online at http://bbriverboats.com/cruises/belle-of-cincinnati-summer-cruise-tourfor more info on the July cruises that include sightseeing, lunch, brunch and dinner cruises. Call 1-800-261-8586 to book a cruise and to make a group reservation for 15 or more.

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