Spirit of Cincinnati

A classic paddlewheel experience

About the Spirit of Cincinnati

The Spirit of Cincinnati is an authentic sternwheel paddlewheeler, the kind of boat that once crowded the Cincinnati riverfront three deep. She carries up to 220 guests across a climate-controlled main deck and an open-air top deck, with a full-service bar, a dance floor, and a professional sound system, and she sails every private charter and public cruise Queen City Riverboats runs from Dayton, Kentucky.

There was a time when a boat like this one was the only way to see Cincinnati from the water. The Spirit of Cincinnati keeps that tradition working: a real paddlewheel at the stern, red scalloped awnings over the decks, and the same stretch of the Ohio River that made this town the Queen City of the West. She has sailed for Queen City Riverboats since 2003, and she's U.S. Coast Guard inspected and certified every season.

Inside, she's built for a crowd. The enclosed main deck seats 132 at white-linen tables for a full dinner service and holds 220 for a cocktail-style reception, with the buffet line, the bar, and the dance floor all on one level so nobody misses the toasts. Climate control keeps the room comfortable from the first April sailing to the last one in October.

Up top, the open-air deck is where the river does the work: the skyline, Great American Ball Park and the stadiums from the water, the Roebling Suspension Bridge overhead, and a sunset that turns the whole boat gold. Most nights the crowd drifts upstairs for cocktails, comes down for dinner, and goes back up for the lights on the way home.

Read the riverboat history behind her

Features

Authentic paddlewheel design
Climate-controlled main deck
Open-air top deck with panoramic views
Full-service bar
Professional sound system
Dance floor
Iconic Cincinnati skyline views

Specifications

Total Capacity: 220 guests
Seated Dining: 132 guests
Cocktail Style: 220 guests
Decks: 3
Sound System: Yes
Dance Floor: Yes
Climate Controlled: Yes
Full Bar: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes

Walk the Boat

Deck by Deck

Three stops on the walkthrough we give every group that tours her at the dock.

The Main Deck

Enclosed and climate controlled. The dining room seats 132 at white-linen tables, with the buffet line, the full-service bar, the dance floor, and the sound system all on one level. Wheelchair accessible from the dock.

The Top Deck

Open air with lounge seating and tables, views in every direction, and the best seat in the city for the Roebling Bridge and the skyline. Cocktail hour, sunset, and the fireworks cruises all happen up here.

The Stern

The red paddlewheel is the reason she looks the way she does, and it's the most photographed spot on board. Stand at the rail and watch it churn; it's the same view river travelers had 150 years ago.

On Board