gateway arch riverboats updates

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News Release

Riverboats at the gateway arch reopen to the public.

NPS/Sue Ford

Contact: Jenna Todoroff, 636-530-1235, ext. 225

• Requirement for visitors ages 9 and up to wear face coverings. Guests with pre-existing health conditions unable to wear a mask/face covering for medical reasons are exempt.
• Significantly reduced cruise capacity.
• Dining tables and other physical layouts arranged to ensure appropriate physical distancing of 6 feet between groups.
• Hand sanitizing stations located at key guest and employee entrances and contact areas.
• Signage throughout the dock and vessels with reminders of physical distancing guidelines.  
• Plexiglas barriers placed at point of sale areas.
• Hourly cleaning and sanitizing of public and employee spaces and communal areas, with an emphasis on ticket counters, door handles, public restrooms, handrails, seating areas and dining surfaces.
• On the Riverboats, increased frequency of air filter replacement and HVAC system cleaning; fresh air exchange will be maximized.
• Temperature checks before each shift.
• Requirement to wear gloves (in positions deemed appropriate by medical experts) and face covering, which will be provided by the Riverboats at the Gateway Arch.
• Use of hand sanitizing stations throughout employee areas.
• Complete health and safety training provided by Servsafe before returning to work.
• Staying home if they do not feel well and contacting a manager if they notice a coworker or guest with symptoms of respiratory illness. Employees who are exhibiting any of the symptoms of respiratory illness while on property are instructed to immediately notify management.

Last updated: June 10, 2020

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Contact info, mailing address:.

11 North 4th Street St. Louis, MO 63102

314 655-1600

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Gateway Arch Riverboats

Services Offered

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Boat charters

Review Highlights

“ Louis we decided to ride this riverboat along the river and it was such a fun experience! ” in 18 reviews

“ There were concessions on board, but no one minded that I brought a drink onboard with me that I had purchased in the arch cafe . ” in 2 reviews

“ You'll pass your dock and go under a few more bridges before turning around and heading back to the dock . ” in 13 reviews

Location & Hours

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50 S Leonor K Sullivan Blvd

Saint Louis, MO 63102

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About the business.

Take a relaxing cruise and discover the best view of the St. Louis skyline from replica nineteenth-century paddle-wheel riverboats, the Becky Thatcher and the Tom Sawyer. They were brought to St. Louis in 1964 so spectators could get a close-up view of the Arch as it was being constructed, and are the only riverboats on the St. Louis Riverfront today. During a variety of cruises offered, hear the waters churn and admire the view as you ride along the mighty Mississippi River, where Lewis and Clark completed their historic journey. Choose a One-Hour Sightseeing Cruise, Skyline Dinner Cruise or one of many specialty cruises. Hours Cruises run March-November, rain or shine. Departure times and costs vary for each cruise. Tickets Advance ticket purchases are recommended, and are required for certain cruises. Tickets available by phone or online. On-board concessions vary for cruises. Also your entire family may enjoy casual dining, dockside at the Paddle Wheel Café, with a spectacular view of the Gateway Arch. Parking is available on the levee in front of the riverboats. Parking on Leonor K. Sullivan Boulevard is illegal and cars will be ticketed. Accessibility Ramps from the street to the levee provide wheelchair access to the riverboats. The first floor of both riverboats and the riverboat dock are wheelchair accessible. The second and top decks of both riverboats require using stairs. …

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They opened March 15.

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• 2 star rating Could’ve been better
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Overall rating

106 reviews

I really enjoyed the Riverboat ride. As you travel up river the captain points out structures or businesses and describes their history or current functions. For instance, you learn a little bit about all the bridges, the electric building built for the World's Fair, the history of the tide wall and depth of the river, and commerce along the river. In the way back the Ranger for the national park provides a history of the river and notable stories associated with it. You take shelter inside the boat or enjoy the sun and breeze on the decks. The total time on the river is about 1 hour. I recommend this at least once.

See all photos from John M. for Gateway Arch Riverboats

One of the main attractions that I could not wait to go on when visiting St. Louis for my first time. Descriptions for the parking situation are entirely too vague. We walked from our hotel at the Drury which was very close but I have disabilities and even though I researched all of my destinations ahead of time for this vacation they definately did not make it clear what a challenge this is for handicapped individuals. Just getting to the level above the riverfront, the long walk from the entrance to the park, past the arch and then across the park to get to the top of the steps (which resemble the scene in the movie Rocky) is a marathon in itself. Then, the handicap ramp is a nightmare. It literally goes downward to the right of the steps and the length is so long just to be sent back in the oposite direction for even a farther distance, down a steep incline to reach the ramp to the dock and then onto the boat. In order to be "outside" on the boat you then have to climb several stairs to get to the first level of the boat because the main level of the boat is only a dining room which is located completely inside. I was using my cane and not one single person working offered to assist me in any way nor find a location for me to sit while on the tour. The staff on the boat were all extremely rude except for the woman working in the gift shop printing the tickets. She was very helpful and kind. Every single other employee that I encountered was rude. They looked annoyed to be there, unhappy and unwilling to assist in any type of friendly way at all. The staff that greet you upon entering the boat (or the staff that are "supposed" to greet you) are rude and look at you as if you are bothering them for even daring to enter the boat. Even the gentleman walking around showing guests the pictures that were taken upon entering the boat was clearly aggitated with his job. He was not at all friendly in any way and looked as if this was the last place he would like to be. No matter where you try and sit on the boat it was still practically inpossible to hear the person that was describing everything along the way. We tried several different locations trying to hear the history that was being described but even when we were right next to a speaker we were still unable to clearly understand what was being said. My advice to anyone looking to take this ride is to skip it. It was uninformative (because you can't hear what they are saying anyways) and the staff are so rude you will wish you wouldnt have even entered the boat to begin with. Save your money for the food in the area. Now, that was awesome!!!

The experience itself was a blast! I can not take away from that. I enjoyed the adventure and what it was suppose to be. Maybe I had higher expectations because of how it is viewed on the page and how it's described. It gives a better image than I received in my experience. The service was well understood for the hot conditions they were working in. The whole staff did exceptional with how warm the cruise was throughout the entire experience. Unfortunately, this was a reschedule of a reschedule and we were not warned or notified the AC was out. A lot of the guest were hot, seemed sick, complained all about the quality of food. The inconsistency of the food given to guest and much more. We tried to muster through the best we could but once the meal came it was unbearable to sit and enjoy our meal. I might have taken a bite of each item to experience it but quickly joined more than half of the guest outside to have some type of fresh air. We wish we were given the opportunity to choose to attend or reschedule due to the AC being out. Thank goodness for the name cards and being able to use them as fans. Again, great job to the staff and band for working in such rough conditions.

Seafood dish & steak dish.

The Arch is always a nice touch to a STL visit! The entire experience was fun and informative. Going up the arch was fun. Before we got on the tram, we participated in a learning session. We saw videos of how things were constructed and about the builders. I believe that there are sessions held with the founders and builders as well. I love how organized everything was. We stayed with our group took fun photos and learned so much! Once we made it to the top, it was a really nice view. Now I don't know if it was my fear of heights or what, but I became super dizzy and nauseous. But I did get a few pics and videos. Once we came back down, we stopped in the restaurant to eat. They have a really good system to make sure you get your food quickly. We had the ribs and wings. All of the sides come with original lays potato chips. We also had the juices. They were good! Finally, we shopped in the souvenir shop. It had so many great items. I always get a magnet for my refrigerator collection. If you are in St. Louis, this is definitely a place to visit!

Take a cruise on the Mighty Mississippi River. Board on a replica 19th century paddle-wheel riverboat for a different view of the Gateway Arch and the banks of the Mississippi. Love the names, the Becky Thatcher and the Tom Sawyer, that were originally used to take sightseers to view the construction of the Gateway Arch in the 1960s. Today, the cruise goes under several bridges, the Eads, the MLK, the MacArthur. On a beautiful sunny fall day, it was nice to be on the river enjoying the sunshine, but the tour itself was not that interesting and it was hard to hear the narration. Buy tickets at the National Park Service office inside the Arch and then walk down the steps to the riverbanks to board. The sixty-minute cruise is $25 ($24 plus a $1 service fee). If I had to do it again, I'd opt for a themed cruise like the Blues Cruise or Halloween for $30.

See all photos from Helene S. for Gateway Arch Riverboats

Over priced. Food was not what it was advertised. Medium steaks were well done. Hot as an oven as there was no air conditioning. Not one wait staff member acknowledged us, said good evening or asked how our meal was. P/A system was unintelligible. Not sure what the announcement was As we cruised down the river, no one narrated what the different buildings were. Probably for the best as the P/A system was static filled and you couldn't understand a thing that was said. Save your money and go to a nice restaurant instead.

Now I can say I've been on a riverboat on the Mississippi. Otherwise not much to write home about. We did this before going up in the arch, so we knew some landmarks to look for from the top. I was glad they had food on board because we had totally run out of time to grab lunch after landing at the airport and needing to head straight to the riverboat!

View of the arch from the boat

Good food is not something I would have expected from a riverboat, but the food on our boat was really good. I'm still thinking about the gooey butter cake. The service was amazing and very friendly, too. You should know: When the boat is up and running, it gets very loud in the dining room area of the riverboat. I was trying to hold up a conversation with people at my table while I was eating, and I felt like I had to shout and ask them to repeat what they said. Upstairs on the deck, it's a little more quiet. But inside, you hear the roar of the engine from start to finish. But you should't spend too much time inside, anyway. The point of these riverboat cruises is to look out at the scenery, and your best view is from the deck. There is no bad seat on the deck, so just pick a spot and relax while the St. Louis skyline whooshes past you. From the riverboat, you can see the St. Louis Arch really well, as well as the behind-the-scenes graffiti and whatnot that you typically don't see from land. I love urban decay, so this is right up my alley. You also pass under bridges and see other watercraft go by. Our riverboat ride was about two hours. Just enough time to eat, snap some selfies on the deck, and bask in the sunshine on a really cool boat that's chugging down the Mississippi River.

I wanted to do a riverboat tour when in town as I had fond memories of doing it when I was a kid. Boarding process was quick, they take your photo ( you can skip it) and they bring it to you on the boat hoping you buy it. We initially sat on the upper deck but it started raining with thunder and lightening so we went down to a covered deck. Should have went indoors as it had the air conditioning! As you go down the river there is a staff from the Missouri history society talking about what you are seeing and changes in history. The sites themselves were actually pretty depressing. As someone who grew up here and came down to visit the floating McDonald's, eat or shop in Laclede's landing it was very bleak. Lots of unhoused person encampments, a rotting casino dock. You cruise up the river for 30 minutes and come back down for a total of an hour. They had food and drinks at the dock, as well as restrooms. It wasn't a terrible experience just sad if you remember this area in it's former glory.

Beautiful site and enjoyed the tour , will go back soon , we enjoyed the trip to the top and exploring the grounds .

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Riverboats at the Gateway Arch host happy hour on Thursdays

The events take place on st. louis’ only dock bar and café on the mississippi river.

By Lauren Healey // August 21, 2024

It’s finally not super hot, so naturally we need to drink outside. Earlier this month, Riverboats at the Gateway Arch announced the revival of its weekly happy hours, and we can't wait to get down there.

The happy hour takes place from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. every Thursday when weather allows on St. Louis’ only dock bar and café on the Mississippi River at 50 South Leonor K. Sullivan Blvd.

Happy hour menu offerings include reasonably priced cocktails such as classics like a Mint Julep and a Dark and Stormy, along with a Mississippi Breeze Cocktail with 1220 Spirits gin, cranberry and grapefruit juices. Mocktails are a steal for only $5 and you can get an NA version of a Mojito, plus a few other juicy concoctions. On the food side, look for Cowboy Caviar, a black bean and corn salsa served with chips, shrimp cocktail, a jumbo pretzel, fries and a fruit and cheese plate.

After happy hour, you can enjoy views of the city on a two-hour Skyline Dinner Cruise, which also includes live music for entertainment. Tickets for the cruises are available online and must be purchased 24 hours in advance. You can simply show up for the happy hour, and both activities can be enjoyed separately. An end date for the happy hours has not been set, but the organizers expect it to run at least until the end of September.

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Visiting the Gateway Arch: Enter the monument through the Gateway Arch Visitor Center, which faces Fourth Street and the Old Courthouse. The Gateway Arch legs are exits only. Please allow at least 30 minutes to go through security. Tickets sell out early and often, advance reservations are strongly recommended. Pending availability, additional tickets may be available for same-day purchase beginning at 9am each day through our website, call center, and ticket center at the Gateway Arch. Same-day ticket availability is not guaranteed and sells out early and often.

• Sample Itinerary
• Hours & Pricing
• Directions & Parking
• Tram Ride to the Top
• Riverboat Cruises
• Virtual Reality Theater
• Old Courthouse
• Activities & Attractions
• Tour Operators
• Field Trips
• Private Events
• Group Pricing
• Submit Photos

Skyline Dinner Cruise

Make any night special. Our flagship evening cruise features live music, a chef-inspired menu and captivating views of the St. Louis skyline. This two-hour cruise is perfect for celebrating a special occasion, enjoying a romantic night out or just relaxing on the water. Take a stroll around the top deck to see the city from brand new angles as it lights up the night sky.

For current COVID-19 health and safety protocols including face covering requirements, please visit our  COVID-19 FAQ page.

Adults $54*

Children (3-12) $20

* Group pricing available

Dinner cruises will resume in April 2022

Reservations required.

Cruise dates and prices are subject to change.

50 S. Leonor K. Sullivan Boulevard., St. Louis, MO 63102

Cash parking is available on the levee.

For more information, click here .

Please note: Levee parking is not operated by the Gateway Arch or Riverboats at the Gateway Arch.

Spring Dinner Cruise Menu 2023

Salad House salad with tomatoes, red onions and cheese served with ranch or balsamic vinaigrette dressing

Entrée  (choice of one) Chicken | Grilled chicken breast topped with an herb sauce served with mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables Seafood | Grilled shrimp served on a bed of fettucine pasta tossed in a creamy Alfredo sauce served with a side of seasonal vegetables Beef | Bistro filet steak* topped with a red wine demi glaze served with mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables (*All steaks will be cooked to medium – no special orders) Vegetarian | Grilled portabella mushroom served on a bed of rice and sautéed spinach topped with roasted red bell pepper sauce  (vegan/gluten & dairy free)

Kids meals (ages 3-12 only) Chicken tenders, mac ‘n cheese and a fruit cup

Dessert Chef’s Seasonal Selection

Meal includes coffee, tea and water. Soft drinks and alcoholic beverages are available for purchase on-board.  Cash and credit cards accepted.

*Menus are subject to change at the chef’s discretion.

Standard Ticketing Alert: Enter the monument through the Gateway Arch Visitor Center, which faces Fourth Street and the Old Courthouse. The Gateway Arch legs are exits only. Please allow at least 30 minutes to go through security. Tickets sell out early and often, advance reservations are strongly recommended.

• Hours & Pricing
• Directions & Parking
• Sample Itinerary
• Tram Ride to the Top
• Riverboat Cruises
• Virtual Reality Theater
• Old Courthouse
• Activities & Attractions
• Tour Operators
• Field Trips
• Private Events
• Group Pricing
• Submit Photos

Riverboats at the Gateway Arch Reviews

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