Rollin' on the river: the River Explorer offers friendly, laid-back cruises with all the comforts of home

Travel America, July-August, 2004 by Jackie Sheckler Finch

WHEN MY GRANDSON HEARD we were going to travel from Cincinnati to West Virginia on a barge, he was puzzled.

A barge? Perhaps it was a paddle-wheeler or a cabin cruiser, he thought. Surely not a barge--not one of those ugly, long, flat-bottomed things hauling a load of coal or timber.

But this barge is one of the most unusual conveyances on the Ohio River. As America's first hotel barge, the River Explorer is a real eye-catcher. Painted red, white, and blue, the River Explorer is actually two barges--the DeSoto for eating and entertaining; the LaSalle for sleeping. Pushing the two barges along with the power of 3,000 horses is the towboat Miss Nari.

And, yes, a towboat does push. A tug-boat pulls. So says towboat pilot Dayton Scoggins.

"The Miss Nari is the only river towboat in America with a Z Peller 360-degree propulsion unit," Scoggins says from his pilothouse perch. "That is special because it can completely turn the craft in place."

After a dozen or so trips on massive luxury riverboats, I was curious to see what travel on a barge would be like. As a 12-year-old, Logan was curious about everything. I think my sister Elaine was interested in finding out how the three of us would room together for eight days.

It was easy. The 98 staterooms are fairly roomy, measuring 200 square feet each. Two twin beds and a foldaway fit quite comfortably. There was also plenty of closet and drawer spaces as well as a nice bathroom with shower and full-size tub. Extras include a mini refrigerator, satellite TV, VCR, and telephone. The TV has one channel dedicated to a camera poised on the bow of the ship to show where the vessel is headed.

All the staterooms have big picture windows that can be opened to let in the river breeze and sights. A nice touch is the complimentary binoculars that come in handy when viewing the river banks. Half the rooms have private balconies. Ours did, with a little bench, which was a neat spot to sit early in the morning or late at night in our pajamas.

What did Logan like the best? The river, the crew, some talkative birds in the lounge, the never-ending snacks, the shore stops, and a new "family" of friendly passengers who would call our room and ask if he could come out and visit.

I worried that Logan might be a bit lonely with just his grandma and Aunt Elaine. But in no time at all, he knew the boat forward and backward and had a whole set of card- and game-playing chums. The crew also invited him to watch a special crew showing of a comedy movie one night in the barge theater. There was only one other child on the trip, several years younger than Logan, and they never seemed to be in the same place at the same time.

What did Aunt Elaine enjoy most? The hot tub, the meals she didn't have to cook, the trip ashore, the river, other people, the barge library, nightly entertainment, and the opportunity to lean back and do absolutely nothing. Glorious!

What did I gain most from our river excursion? A chance to spend some quality time with two of my favorite people, watch the river flow, get some rest, and become revved up to write about a great all-American travel experience. The River Explorer is a top-notch way to see the little towns along the country's rivers, somewhat as Mark Twain must have done when he fell in love with the great Mississippi.

RiverBarge Excursion Lines was the brainchild of Eddie Conrad, who's had a lifelong infatuation with America's waterways. The New Orleans native's love for river travel began when he was 16 years old and set off in Lewis & Clark fashion to find the source of the Mississippi at Lake Itasca, Minnesota.

RiverBarge Excursion Lines was created in 1995, and the 198-passsenger (based on double occupancy) River Explorer was launched in 1998. It stretches longer than two football fields and has a crew of about 40. Each of the two barges hats its own elevator.

The River Explorer makes trips of four to 10 days on the Mississippi, Ohio, and other heartland rivers from ports such as Nashville, Memphis, New Orleans, and Cincinnati. Prices range from $750 to $3,400 per person, depending on length of cruise and type of room. You can also check for specials. The one I like allows a child 12 and younger to travel free when staying in the same stateroom as parents or grandparents. Teachers and retired teachers travel for half price with a full-fare companion.

One big plus about River Explorer prices is that there aren't a ton of hidden costs. I've taken cruises where you're constantly having to pull out more money for shore excursions, programs, tips, etc. At RiverBarge, you pay one all-inclusive price that covers all meals, entertainment, free washer and dryer, tips, taxes, port charges, and scheduled shore activities. That's right--no tips. And the crew still treats passengers as though they are the biggest tippers around.

RiverBarge isn't skimpy either about its shore activities at each landing. In Wheeling, a tour bus took us to Moundsville State Penitentiary, which served as a maximum-security prison for more than 120 years. We also visited Oglebay Park, toured the Oglebay mansion, and stopped by the glass museum to see West Virginia's famed art of glass making. Of course, we also got a chance to buy some of that locally made art glass.