Thoroughly enjoyed the Bourbon Dinner Cruise! The dinner and dessert were amazing! The staff were attentive to our every need and we couldn't have asked for a more beautiful March day for the cruise. read more

We took the 10 hour boat trip up the Ohio River and it was wonderful! The weather wasn't great the whole time but with the enclosed area, we stayed dry and comfortable. The boat is big enough that there is plenty of room for everyone to move around and watch the sights going by. I really liked that we had assigned tables so there wasn't an issue with finding a place. They served us breakfast, lunch and dinner and it was all very good! The staff were all very nice and friendly and the captain gave us some interesting information about various places on the river. I highly recommend this trip! read more

Valley Gem Sternwheeler - This was when we were coming into the Willow Island Lock. - Boat Charters Near Me - Marietta, Ohio

Awesome 1 hour tour of the Muskingum and Ohio Rivers on a beautiful sternwheeler. The captain was outstanding and was constantly feeding us history. I went up to talk to him for a few minutes great guy who gave me so much information. If you go to Marietta, make the time for this tour, it's definitely worth it!! read more

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This was a great trip for us! Very relaxing and enjoyable trip. Captain was very informative and provided a LOT of information of the area, the waterways and locks. The staff was excellent. We were served breakfast and lunch onboard as this was a long trip. Food was more than just a buffet, more than we expected. Would do this all over again! Looking to see what other trips they have available!! read more

The lock through cruise was very enjoyable! We saw a bald eagle, hawk, and several blue cranes. Very relaxing and interesting. The captain was very knowledgeable in the history and mechanics of the dam systems. The luncheon was extremely generous: rosemary chicken, garlic red skin mashed potatoes, carrots, salad, rolls, cake, and all the tea, water, and coffee you wanted. Well worth the trip! read more

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. read more

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The meal was good! Plenty to eat! Loved the entertainment! First time on a a cruise boat! read more

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. read more

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It was a nice boat ride. The only 2 drawbacks were the cleanliness of upper deck of the boat and the amount of chairs for people to sit on the upper deck. read more

Terrific experience. We drove more than two hours (each way) and it was well worth it. Informative and enjoyable as we travelled along the Muskingum and Ohio rivers, enjoying a nice box lunch. Our thanks go out to Captain Sands and his crew. read more

Wonderful ride on the Valley Gem on the Ohio River. Travel from the older days. Loved this trip!

Was looking forward to a great trip with 3 generations of family. The trip took off from the dock and the narration began. We had trouble hearing the narration due to low volume and few speakers. We tried to rectify the situation by moving closer to the speaker but still had trouble hearing. The narration only lasted about 15 minutes of the hour and a half cruise. Could have been much better if more information was give throughout the cruise. There is a small parking lot under the bridge and we bot the last parking space even though we were early for our departure time. There are 4 handicap spaces all were take but it did not matter none were to code. I drive a van with a ramp and the spaces were all on the hill. The parking lot and down to the boat were all on a steep hill. Once on board I went to use the restroom and fortunately a have a very small wheelchair other wise I could not have used the restroom. Again not compliant with the ADA Standards. Very disappointed after driving 3 hours one way to get there. read more

Interesting and relaxing cruise. The crew was very nice! The boat has great sight lines and very clean

We came to Marietta to see our son race in the regatta on October 11, 2025. This sternwheeler had an arrangement that they would only run their boat during the breaks for the regatta. They did not adhere to this and interrupted several races and almost hit multiple boats. Their disrespect for the arrangement and the rowers in the regatta resulted in multiple races not having official race times at the end of the day and many teams and rowers that *should* have received medals, walking away at the end of the day with no medals and no idea if their race times were correct. My son was extremely disappointed and we as a family were as well. I certainly hope that in the future this company adheres to the arrangements and respects the teams and their families. read more

This was our second visit to Marietta this year. We missed going on the tour the first time as we visited in February and we were for sure going to attend this week. We had a wonderful time! The staff was super friendly. Sandwiches, snacks and drinks are available. Very relaxing - we highly recommend for all ages! read more

Great evening of pirates and murder. We had a wonderful time. Dinner was well prepared. The murder mystery was so much fun and entertaining.

Great time on the Valley Gem Steamwheeler celebrating Cinco de Mayo. We had a good dinner that was Mexican themed and water and iced tea were included. Drinks were available for an additional price. In all, well worth the price. We had a great time. read more

Valley Gem Sternwheeler - So much fun. Great time at Cinco de Mayo! - Boat Charters Near Me - Marietta, Ohio

We were blessed with a perfect fall day and beautiful views for our first ever Valley Gem dinner cruise. The food was fine but the musical entertainment provided by Wendy McGlynn was the highlight of the cruise! read more

My first time on the Valley Gem although my wife had been on once before. Lunch was good although maybe a little over spiced but OK nevertheless. It was a 3 hour tour (yikes!) of the Muskingum River. Worthwhile, I would recommend it. read more

First time on the Valley Gem. Took the lock and lunch cruise, the food was delicious, the trip through the locks was very interesting as was the history narration. We had a very good time. read more

Very nice and relaxing as well as informative. The meal was an actual meal of chicken, seasoned mashed potato, green beans, salad as well as dessert. Other lines i checked on just had something like chicken salad and that does not go over for me. Other than all the food being very good, and I know food as I was in the restaurant business, the organization on board was great. The crew was friendly and very accommodating including the captain too, which I spoke to. I have been on several lunch cruises before but felt there was more personal attention here. read more

We took the 4 hour Willow Island Lock and Lunch cruise. The food was excellent. The service was excellent. The captain explained how the lock worked and we entered through the lock and turned to go back through the lock to our starting point. I would recommend this trip. read more

On a Thursday afternoon. Able to get out of the sun, or sit on the deck. Cooler in the downstairs if a warm day. Bar and snackS available. read more

Valley Gem Sternwheeler - Boat Charters Near Me - Marietta, Ohio

Don't hesitate to do the dinner cruise. The food is very good. The staff is amazingly friendly. And overall paddle wheel is a great experience. read more

Dinner was very good and the entertainment was very good. Nice relaxing evening. The ladies that sang for us was very entertaining. You can tell that they enjoyed what they were doing. read more

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. read more

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I took the 11:30 cruise and ordered lunch. Staff were very friendly and helpful. Cruise was good. There was some interesting narrative but I wish there had been more. read more

Read online reviews and managed to exceed our expectations. Boat and surrounding area very clean. Narration was just enough information and a very relaxing boat ride. We even saw 2 deer on the shoreline. read more

The good was amazing and the boat ride was very nice. The boat was clean and the staff were very nice.

We did the captains dinner cruise and it was great! The food was delicious. They don't give you very much at first but you are welcome to come back and get seconds and even 3rds if you wanted! It was a very nice date night read more

Trip was nice. We left at 6:00 and weather was good. Dinner was chicken and beef. In our opinion the food was just okay. But keeping in mind it was a dinner cruise, I weigh the cruise part heavier. read more

Such a great evening - and what a deal! The experience, food and entertainment were all wonderful!!

We had a great relaxing time. we enjoyed the view and the brief history of the boat and river.

We went for the Mother's Day Dinner cruise; it was fantastic. We had a nice meal while viewing outside from the inside cabin area. After we finished eating, we went up top on deck and viewed the scenery while listening to beautiful music being played by a local pianist. Such a great way to end a perfect day! Thanks to all the wonderful and welcoming staff who served us. We will be back for sure. read more

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

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! read more

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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. read more

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. read more

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This was nothing like my recent adventure on the Seaport Elite Yacht - but hey, a booze cruise is a booze cruise. If you're looking to set sail down the Ohio River with a bunch of friends for a big party - why not call up the Valley Gem and charter it out of the day or night. With plenty of room to drink, dance, and be merry - you can't go wrong with this sternwheeler! A word to the wise - if you decide to get naked and jump ship, they will put the spot light on you and call the cops (Ohio or West Virginia depending on which shore you swim to). I graduated with some smart kids, let me tell you. read more

Valley Gem Sternwheeler - Boat Charters Near Me - Marietta, Ohio

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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. read more