• Sign Up
    • Yearly by Check
    • Monthly Recurring
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Account
  • Log In
The Hendersonian
  • Home
  • News
    • All
    • Agriculture
    • Business
    • Local
    • Police
    • Politics
    • Schools
    • Science
    • Sports
    • State
    • World

    Public hearings concerning wind turbines to begin soon

    The first Farm Fresh Fest celebrates local produce and those who grow it

    The first Farm Fresh Fest celebrates local produce and those who grow it

    A rundown of local grant award recipients

    Students and local educators prep for free Friday play at the PAC

    Students and local educators prep for free Friday play at the PAC

    BRIEFS: Wathen Lane portion closed 9 a.m.-2 p.m.; HCC named ‘Opportunity College’

    Going it alone, Carter Siewert places third in national video game competition

    Going it alone, Carter Siewert places third in national video game competition

    Trending Tags

  • Tech
    Blazing-fast broadband services now available to the majority of homes in the city and county

    Blazing-fast broadband services now available to the majority of homes in the city and county

    HMP&L signs initial agreement to build a battery energy storage system on South Green Street

    HMP&L signs initial agreement to build a battery energy storage system on South Green Street

    In some parts of the U.S., the grid of the future might be closer than you think

    Trending Tags

  • Entertainment
    • All
    • Gaming
    • Movie
    • Music
    • Sports
    July hopes to start off with a box office bang

    July hopes to start off with a box office bang

    Ellis Park opens season

    Ellis Park opens season

    2025 Handy Fest photo gallery

    2025 Handy Fest photo gallery

    Gritty Lady Cols advance to Final 4

    Gritty Lady Cols advance to Final 4

    Summer blockbusters finally arrive in June

    Summer blockbusters finally arrive in June

    A former Japanese tennis star champions Henderson County athletes

    A former Japanese tennis star champions Henderson County athletes

  • Lifestyle
    • All
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Health
    • Travel
    Grants available from Deaconess Henderson Hospital Community Program Fund

    Hospital CAO: Deaconess Henderson will not close

    Enjoy the fresh taste of summer

    Enjoy the fresh taste of summer

    Regional collaborative assists those suffering from mental health challenges with online resources

    Regional collaborative assists those suffering from mental health challenges with online resources

    Plenty of baseball to watch without stepping into a big league stadium

    Plenty of baseball to watch without stepping into a big league stadium

    Matthew 25 cuts the ribbon on new mobile sexual health unit

    Matthew 25 cuts the ribbon on new mobile sexual health unit

    The Gnomes of Audubon Forest, a Henderson Tourist Commission initiative, is a scavenger hunt for all ages

    The Gnomes of Audubon Forest, a Henderson Tourist Commission initiative, is a scavenger hunt for all ages

    Trending Tags

  • Public Notices
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • All
    • Agriculture
    • Business
    • Local
    • Police
    • Politics
    • Schools
    • Science
    • Sports
    • State
    • World

    Public hearings concerning wind turbines to begin soon

    The first Farm Fresh Fest celebrates local produce and those who grow it

    The first Farm Fresh Fest celebrates local produce and those who grow it

    A rundown of local grant award recipients

    Students and local educators prep for free Friday play at the PAC

    Students and local educators prep for free Friday play at the PAC

    BRIEFS: Wathen Lane portion closed 9 a.m.-2 p.m.; HCC named ‘Opportunity College’

    Going it alone, Carter Siewert places third in national video game competition

    Going it alone, Carter Siewert places third in national video game competition

    Trending Tags

  • Tech
    Blazing-fast broadband services now available to the majority of homes in the city and county

    Blazing-fast broadband services now available to the majority of homes in the city and county

    HMP&L signs initial agreement to build a battery energy storage system on South Green Street

    HMP&L signs initial agreement to build a battery energy storage system on South Green Street

    In some parts of the U.S., the grid of the future might be closer than you think

    Trending Tags

  • Entertainment
    • All
    • Gaming
    • Movie
    • Music
    • Sports
    July hopes to start off with a box office bang

    July hopes to start off with a box office bang

    Ellis Park opens season

    Ellis Park opens season

    2025 Handy Fest photo gallery

    2025 Handy Fest photo gallery

    Gritty Lady Cols advance to Final 4

    Gritty Lady Cols advance to Final 4

    Summer blockbusters finally arrive in June

    Summer blockbusters finally arrive in June

    A former Japanese tennis star champions Henderson County athletes

    A former Japanese tennis star champions Henderson County athletes

  • Lifestyle
    • All
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Health
    • Travel
    Grants available from Deaconess Henderson Hospital Community Program Fund

    Hospital CAO: Deaconess Henderson will not close

    Enjoy the fresh taste of summer

    Enjoy the fresh taste of summer

    Regional collaborative assists those suffering from mental health challenges with online resources

    Regional collaborative assists those suffering from mental health challenges with online resources

    Plenty of baseball to watch without stepping into a big league stadium

    Plenty of baseball to watch without stepping into a big league stadium

    Matthew 25 cuts the ribbon on new mobile sexual health unit

    Matthew 25 cuts the ribbon on new mobile sexual health unit

    The Gnomes of Audubon Forest, a Henderson Tourist Commission initiative, is a scavenger hunt for all ages

    The Gnomes of Audubon Forest, a Henderson Tourist Commission initiative, is a scavenger hunt for all ages

    Trending Tags

  • Public Notices
No Result
View All Result
The Hendersonian
No Result
View All Result
Home News Local

River cruise company calls it quits; no more paddlewheeler dockings in Henderson

Vince Tweddell by Vince Tweddell
February 23, 2024
in Local, News
0
River cruise company calls it quits; no more paddlewheeler dockings in Henderson

The American Countess docks at the Henderson riverfront last summer. (Hendersonian Photo/Vince Tweddell)

0
SHARES
276
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

You won’t see any paddlewheelers docking at the Henderson downtown riverfront this summer. That’s because the company that runs the cruises, American Queen Voyages, has shut down.

Multiple mid-week media reports said the company shut down Tuesday. Its website, www.aqvinfo.com, posted this: “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.

“We are therefore shutting down the business, and all future AQV cruises have been cancelled.”

For years, the docking of a paddlewheeler, or what’s commonly called a steamboat locally, downtown seemed a rite of summer in Henderson, with cruisers walking up the steep bank to board a tour bus led by many local historical buffs or bypassing the buses for the downtown shopping district to browse the boutiques.

But since the pandemic, as mentioned in the AQV’s goodbye notice, the number of people on the boats has dwindled, said Henderson tourist Commission Executive Director Abby Dixon.

In 2021, when the paddlewheelers began cruising again, Dixon said that the boats would come in at about 30% capacity, which left local tour buses designated for the passengers with sometimes two or three people in them. Dixon said before the pandemic tour buses were often full.

“This is just an industry that has really struggled since Covid,” she said.

She said passengers routinely gave positive reviews to their river cruising experience on the three boats that most often docked in Henderson—the American Queen, American Countess and the American Dutchess.

Dixon said “we’re obviously disappointed” because the boats have been a focal point for the downtown area in the summers.

But the economic impact from the boats’ dockings was “minimal,” she said. Most passengers ate on board because of the package deals so the impact on local restaurants wasn’t big, she said.

In summers past, the boats made 20-plus visits, but the past summer the number of visits was cut drastically, Dixon said. Before the announcement to shut down, the company had only two visits scheduled for the coming summer, she said.

Previous Post

Wathen Lane construction scheduled to begin March 4

Next Post

Distrust of fluoride ‘mind-boggling’; mineral is ‘time-tested’ and a ‘good thing,’ dentists say

Vince Tweddell

Vince Tweddell

Vince Tweddell is the founder, publisher and editor of the Hendersonian.

Next Post

Distrust of fluoride ‘mind-boggling’; mineral is ‘time-tested’ and a ‘good thing,’ dentists say

Recent News

Letter to the Editor: Garden Club of Henderson explains planter project

July 9, 2025

Public hearings concerning wind turbines to begin soon

July 9, 2025
The first Farm Fresh Fest celebrates local produce and those who grow it

The first Farm Fresh Fest celebrates local produce and those who grow it

July 8, 2025

A rundown of local grant award recipients

July 8, 2025
  • Sign Up
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Account
  • Log In

© 2025 The Hendersonian • Henderson, KY 42420

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Tech
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Sign Up
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Login

© 2025 The Hendersonian • Henderson, KY 42420