Gateway Arch National Park guide · 1 min read
Paddlewheel Riverboat Cruises on the Mississippi
The Tom Sawyer Riverboat Cruise is a trip down the Mississippi River from the St. Louis waterfront, beside Gateway Arch National Park.
The boat has paddle-wheels, but they are there for display only. A narrator guides passengers past the industrial buildings that line the waterfront.
The standard trip is a narrated Mississippi River cruise. The river forms the city's eastern boundary, separating it from Illinois.
Some trips go beyond the standard route. Dinner and live music cruises are offered at certain times, and a day trip heads to historic Kimmswick, Missouri. Both give the river a different feel from the standard narrated trip.
For tours on the riverboats south of the Arch, tickets are sold at the Gateway Arch Visitor Center, so you can buy them before walking down to the water. The riverboats there offer tours of their own.
You do not need a boat ticket to enjoy the river. Barges travel up and down the Mississippi, and the riverfront is a good place to watch the river traffic. The St. Louis Riverfront Trail, part of the Mississippi Greenway, follows the water, and walking it gives you a view of the historic Eads Bridge.
