See the real Florida. Recently we cruised down the St. Johns River on a historic paddle boat, and here is everything you need to know before you book your trip.
Where
Located on the banks of Lake Monroe, in Sanford, the St. Johns Rivership Co travels up the river about 13 miles round trip. Only about a half-hour north of Orlando, the St. Johns River is home to many different trees and wildlife that are native to Florida. The St. Johns river is also the longest in Florida, and is used both commercially and recreationally by residents and visitors.
What
The St. Johns Rivership Co runs the historic Barbra Lee Sternwheeler down the river once, sometimes twice a day. Measuring 105 feet from stem to stern, the ship was built in 1986 and cruised its inaugural trip down the St. Johns River in 2012. Featuring ornate wrought iron railings and massive wooden paddle wheels, the Barbara-Lee recalls the elegance of the steamers that once plied the St. Johns River between Jacksonville and Sanford, according to the Rivership Cos website. The Barbara-Lee uses diesel engines, which are much safer than steam engines of the past, to turn its massive twin paddlewheels.
Every trip includes a full 4 course meal, with the exception on their Friday night dance cruise that happens once a month. The meals are all prepared onboard as the cruise sails down the river, and served at a leisurely pace allowing you to spend time enjoying to scenery from either your dining table, or from the open top decks.
When
There are a couple of options for booking your journey. You should always check the website for the most up to date booking options, but when we visited, they were offering lunch cruises, on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturday and Sundays. They also offer a Saturday evening dinner cruse, and on the first Friday of the month, a special “Rocking on the River” cruise.
Florida has a fairly large seasonal population, lovingly referred to as our snow birds. This outing is very popular with that group of visitors, so they really get busy in the cooler months of October- March. We visited in June, and sailed with a sold out group, but they said most of the time in the warmer months, it is a bit slower, and more laid back. Even with a full ship, we didn’t feel cramped at all, plenty of room to enjoy the views.
Why
Why should you embark on this journey? That is really up to you and your interests! But for us a few of the key things we were looking forward to, and really enjoyed on this cruise was the scenery along the St. Johns River, and learning more about this historic route used commercially years ago, and even currently used today. This is a great way to experience a look at some of Florida untouched natural beauty.
Visit their website for all the most up-to-date information on tickets and schedule! https://www.stjohnsrivershipco.com/
Paddle wheel powers the boat down the St. Johns River.
If you’d like to see more of our journey on the St. Johns Rivership, see our video on YouTube:
The Savory Suitcase 