The American Queen Is Back!

The American Queen

This morning before 8:00 the paddle wheel steamboat, American Queen, rolled in and docked at our City Front.  She is a 418-foot beauty.  It has been three years since we have heard the sounds of her calliope playing at the foothills of Vicksburg.  The old-time calliope is fitted with 37 gold-plated brass pipes, according to the website Steamboats.org.

This is her maiden journey since being acquired last year by Great American Steamboat Company of Memphis.

The American Queen left New Orleans Friday and after her stop here, will turn around and head back sometime around 4:00 this afternoon.  I will try and get some pictures as she leaves Vicksburg later today to post tomorrow.  Thursday, the boat will return upriver on its second cruise and stop again in Vicksburg April 23 on its way to its home port of Memphis.

While here, passengers will disembark for day excursions that include time to visit downtown shops and museums, the Outlets of Vicksburg and tours of the Old Court House Museum and Vicksburg National Military Park.

About $5 million was spent to ready the ship for the 2012 season.

Other lower-Mississippi River cruises this year will feature day stops here, and in the summer, Vicksburg will be a featured city for several Civil War-themed cruises that will originate or terminate here.

For more info and American Queen river tour schedules, visit http://www.greatamericansteamboatcompany.com/american_queen/

Grande Caribe

People were boarding the Grande Caribe at the waterfront.  I was surprised to see this boat at the water front.  The Grand Station Casino boat is in the background.

There was two American Queen buses plus another bus that could have been for the Grande Caribe for tourists to make way to their destinations.