A few years ago, it wasn’t uncommon to see two riverboats tied up at downtown Henderson’s docks.
The two companies operating those boats were American Cruise Lines and American Queen Voyages.
After 2022, American Cruise Line riverboats began to dock in downtown Evansville. And in February 2024, American Queen Voyages, which operated the American Queen, American Countess and American Duchess, shut down.
Last summer, it seemed Henderson wouldn’t get any riverboat dockings, but a stop by the Viking Mississippi, a craft which normally tours the Mississippi River, thrilled locals and jump-started the hospitality and tours that had been in past put on by the Henderson Tourist Commission and volunteers.
This summer, though, riverboat visits won’t be relegated to surprises.
Henderson Tourist Commission Executive Director Abby Dixon sent a release out Wednesday announcing that American Cruise Lines has once again decided to dock boats in Henderson.
This year’s schedule includes three overnight stops, offering passengers the opportunity to explore what Henderson has to offer, said Dixon in the release.
The boats are the American Heritage and the American Melody, both part of the line’s modern riverboat fleet that carry between 150-180 passengers, Dixon said.
Here’s the schedule:
- June 23-24: American Melody
- Aug. 25-26: American Melody
- Sept. 1-2: American Heritage
Dixon said the dockings break in American Cruise Lines’ past itineraries, when its boats would come in at 8 a.m. and leave at 12 noon.
With two all-day tours and another for 1 ½ days, tourist officials and volunteers have a chance to do more for riverboat guests and “re-tool” the relationship with American Cruise Lines, Dixon said.
According to the release, cruise guests will board a motorcoach at the riverfront after docking and then take a tour of the historic district and visit John James Audubon State Park. The tour will continue for guests across the river at the LST-325 in downtown Evansville, before returning to Henderson.
One returning local flourish will be King’s Highway playing bluegrass music for riverboat guests as they load into the motorcoach, Dixon said.
