Ohio River Barge Cruises

The Ohio River is a nearly 1,000-mile long tributary of the Mississippi River flowing through the Midwestern United States. The river is trafficed heavily by both commercial shipping vessels and private boats and is considered especially useful because it runs through several large metropolitan areas, including Pittsburg, Cincinnati and Louisville. Because of the river's proximity to these larger, scenic cities, Ohio River barge cruises have become quite popular, offering guests the chance to travel down parts of the river and experience the scenery along the way.

  1. BB Riverboats

    • Located on the banks of the river on the southern edge of Cincinnati, BB Riverboats offers several barge cruises for different purposes. Dining cruises take you aboard a converted barge for either a brunch or dinner trip down the river and back. Sunday brunch trips are offered each week and feature a full afternoon of travel. The popular dinner cruise option includes a regular day of sightseeing as the barge makes its way down the river, culminating in a multi-course dinner under the stars with the views of the city skyline in the distance. Guests that don't wish to dine on board the vessel can opt instead for the sightseeing-only barge cruise. These are more budget-priced one-and-a-half hour trips aboard one of the company's converted barge cruises. You'll travel up and down a portion of the river viewing the various sights of both the waterway and the city as a tour guide narrates the trip.

      BB Riverboats
      101 Riverboat Row
      Newport, KY 41071
      859-261-5800
      bbriverboats.com

    Celebration Riverboats

    • Celebration Riverboats offer both public and private chartered group trips on board their barge cruise along the Ohio River. Leaving out from the Kentucky side of the river near downtown Cincinnati, the barge features both an open-air deck full of seating for viewing the sights along the way and a fully enclosed area for the included dining. Daytime lunch cruises consist of a two-hour sightseeing and dining trip up the river and back, providing excellent views of the city's skyline and several wilderness areas along the river.

      The dinner cruise follows the same basic tour path along the river but lasts three hours and includes a more expansive meal choice. Menu's change throughout the year, with a large spread offered no matter what meal or day of the week. Drinks are also served on board and tour guides will assist during the trip to point out the sights that are passed along the way. Additionally, the entire barge can be rented for private trips by large groups up to several hundred passengers in size.

      Celebration Riverboats
      848 Elm Street
      Ludlow, KY 41016
      859-581-2600
      celebrationriverboats.com

    Queen City Riverboat

    • Queen City Riverboats offers both public dining and sightseeing cruises as well as full-service chartered trips aboard their own river barge. Public cruises are scheduled frequently, though not every day, and offer always-changing menus of food options on board. Meals include a full array of entrees and sides including fried chicken, sliced turkey breast and a hot dog and burger bar among other options. Cruises consist of a three-hour tour from Cincinnati's main harbor out into the Ohio River and up-river away from the city. Eventually the barge will turn back and make its way back toward the harbor, along the way offering stunning views of the lighted skyline and waterside attractions. Chartered private trips aboard the barge are also offered and can be customized to any sized group. When booking a barge charter, you can choose the type of meal and menu items as well as add entertainment choices such as a live band or DJ.

      Whether you choose the public cruise or the chartered barge, each trip is fully staffed with food and drink servers, tour guides to explain the attractions along the way and guests services personnel to provide any amenities you may require.

      Queen City Riverboat
      303 O'Fallon Street
      Dayton, KY 41074
      859-292-8687
      queencityriverboats.com