Valley Gem Sternwheeler

The Valley Gem Sternwheel was a little more than a two hour drive from my parents' house. I traveled with them and my sister on a Tuesday, and we boarded for the 1:30 PM, tour.

Our ride took us out on the Ohio River. There was a short history lesson at the beginning of the ride over the speaker. We saw many bridges and several islands, lovely homes, and a few of Marietta's oldest riverfront buildings. Bonus, we saw a bald eagle;)

We all enjoyed the ride. The staff were super friendly, and yes, there was a restroom onboard.

There were many boating options, days and times. One of the options you could get off the boat and tore a historic home. But since my Mom can't walk for long periods of time, I opted for the stay on ride.

Booking online was fast and easy. It was so cool watching the stern wheel! If relaxing boat rides are your thing, I highly suggest booking a tour.

The River Gem is a very modern rear paddle wheel boat that tours portions of the river below Marietta OH. It's very comfortable with excellent ADA access for people looking for a slow tour of the river.

There is food (snacks mostly) and drinks on board, and the prices were fair. The seating areas provide lots of access to see both sides of the boat, and since the boat goes up and down the same stretch of river, it doesn't matter which side you sit on.

We sat on the top deck under the awning, and it was great. The staff is really friendly and the trip went perfectly. Small kids won't be too bored as it isn't a long trip and there is plenty of space to move around.

The narration of the "history of Marietta" was informative, but short lived. The captain only spoke for about 30 minutes, though it was interesting. Overall, a great trip and a nice way to see the area.

Nice, relaxing 2-hour boat tour on Muskingum and Ohio Rivers with 20-minute narration.

We just enjoyed Christmas with the Blennerhassetts. Our tour was for 1230-330pm. Boarding started 30 minutes prior to departure. The actors were super friendly and very knowledgeable. We enjoyed a nice meal on the way to the island. Toured the mansion then headed back and they provided hot chocolate on the way back. They have a bar on the stern wheeler. They do accept cards for drinks on the boat. Highly recommend taking one of their tours. We took our 3 year old and he had a blast as well.

LOVE this!!!! We've lived on all three U.S. coasts, and we love being on the water. Living in West Virginia we feel landlocked, so we made it a point to learn to about river life! The Valley Gem Sternwheeler docked in Marietta, Ohio was just the ticket. A tour hour ride with a nice Sunday Brunch, plus Bloody Marys made for a perfect day! I think the tickets were $32, which to me was a real steel. They offer other promotions besides brunch, so check them out in season!

Took the Willow Island Lock trip. Lunch was served - nice food and service.
The trip to the lock was scenic and some commentary by the captain, regarding what we were seeing.
The trip through the lock was really cool. Very informative and fun. The guy (can't remember his name) who was tying off and such, was really personable and answered a ton of questions I threw at him. Really fun and knowledgeable guy.
In this world of poor customer service, I have zero negative things to say about our entire day trip!! Will definitely be visiting Valley Gem again.

We took the 2 hour dinner cruise and really enjoyed the ride. The weather was perfect and the boat in pristine shape. Lots of staff on hand and they were super efficient and friendly. The first hour is spent downstairs in the dining area where you get a full buffet of prime rib (cooked perfectly), chicken Marsala, and vegetarian lasagna. There were also some sides, salad, and dessert options. Alcohol is available for purchase, but only when we are on the Ohio River, which I thought interesting. Otherwise, there is tea and water. Once dinner was over, we went upstairs for the last hour to enjoy the cruise. The owner spoke of the history of the area and we were able to ask questions. All in all a wonderful evening. I was skeptical about the food before going as most of these types of events have subpar food, but they did great. Not surprising they have a restaurant as well. If you're in the area, or even if you want something fun to do, it's worth the drive.

If you want an enjoyable 2 hour boat ride, this is the way to go. One suggestion if you want to be out of the sun is to get there early because there are limited shaded area on the upper deck. There is a lot room on the lower deck but I like the outside. It is a very scenic ride and a lot to see on a relaxing boat ride.

We took the 1.5 hour sightseeing tour. We sat in the upper deck which is where we prefer to be. The staff were very friendly. The ride was pleasant. The price was a good value. Subs, chips, and pop were available to purchase if wanted. Having taken other boat tours, I thought there would be more narration, but what was said was informative and interesting. I would definitely take one of the other tours.

What a wonderful relaxing time on the Muskingum River. Lots of narrated historic information presented from the river, the same view of The Pioneers who founded the city in 1788.