Riverboats at the Gateway Arch

Riverboats at the Gateway Arch is the cruise dock on the Mississippi just below the monument. If you want to see the Arch and downtown from water level, the one-hour Riverfront Cruise is a good pick. You can watch from the open-air deck or stay inside in climate-controlled seating. Dinner cruises usually take about two hours and add a meal with live music or a DJ. It’s a ticketed outing, so reserve for the date you want.

The boats leave from the cobblestone riverfront at 50 S. Leonor K. Sullivan Blvd. From the Arch, exit by the south leg and head east toward the water; use the Grand Staircase or the separate accessible path south of it. If you’re driving, follow the riverfront approach from Chouteau Avenue and the Mural Mile—GPS directions can send you wrong. Paid levee parking is card-only, separate from the park and boat operator, and may close when the river is high.

Daily sightseeing trips run March through November, with holiday cruises in December. Cruise types vary by date, and river conditions or severe weather can cancel a sailing, so check the calendar before you go. Leashed dogs can join the one-hour Riverfront Cruise; they aren’t allowed on dinner or specialty trips, though service animals are welcome. Wheelchair ramps reach the dock and the boat’s first level only. The cobblestones are uneven, and high water can affect the ramp route.

The Paddlewheel Café is right on the dock, with made-to-order meals, snacks and a bar. Its menu includes a pulled-pork sandwich and loaded chips with pulled pork and nacho cheese, along with burgers, a Cuban wrap and salads. The Riverfront Gift Shop is there too. The café’s hours change, so don’t plan around a specific opening time without checking first.

St. Louis excursion trips date to 1910, when Streckfus Steamers began river excursions here. The Tom Sawyer was built for that company in 1966; it first worked in Tampa before moving to St. Louis. Bi-State Development bought the riverboat operation in 2001, and a new Becky Thatcher joined the fleet in August 2026. The current pages don’t consistently say which boat handles each departure, so treat the names as part of the fleet’s history rather than a promise about your trip.

Some educational sailings connect the Mississippi to St. Louis’s riverfront history and the river’s role in the country’s economy. The best photo opportunity is from the boat: frame the Arch and downtown together from the open-air deck, with the river in front of them. That water-level angle makes the monument feel part of the working riverfront, not just a shape above the park.