History on the River, our educational cruises, will be back for another season this summer! Join us out on the river on either the Cal Fremling or Winona Tour Boat, both leaving from the Winona Levee. Cruises are on Thursday evenings, and are 90 minutes long with a program and sightseeing time. A variety of refreshments are included with each cruise as well.
Tickets will go on sale for WCHS members May 1 and then to the public May 6 and are sold in advance at the History Center or by calling 507.454.2723 ext. 0. Tickets are $27 for non-members and $22 for WCHS members. Save with our pick 3 option, and go on your choice of any 3 History on the River cruises for $75 for non-members or $60 for our members.
Parking is available near the Levee off Johnson St. and Walnut St. as well as on Cal Fremling Drive. The Cal Fremling (CF) is docked near Johnson St., and the Winona Tour Boat (WTB) is near Walnut Street.
Boarding begins 15 minutes prior to the listed departure time on the schedule below. Please note the changing departure times as we near the end of the season when the sun sets earlier.
Weather related cancellations will be determined 4 hours prior to departure time and are decided by the captain. We will go in rain. Plan that the cruise will go unless you get a call from us. If a cruise is cancelled due to weather or river conditions, ticket holders can choose another cruise or can be issued a refund, otherwise cruise tickets are non-refundable. Any cancelled cruise topics are not rescheduled.
2019 Cruise Program Topic Schedule Date, Departure time, program, aboard CF – Cal Fremling, WTB – Winona Tour Boat June 13, 7:00 - Steamboat Stories with Robert Taunt, CF 20, 7:00 - Indigenous Women Leaders and Their Communities with Audrey Thayer and Colette Hyman, CF 27, 7:00 - Rockin’ on the River with Jeani and the Dreamers, WTB July 4, - NO CRUISE, Have a great Independence Day! 11, 7:00 - History of the Upper Mississippi River Refuge: Will Dilg to Today with Ranger Edward Lagace, CF 18, 7:00 - Photographing the River: Then and Now with Mary Farrell, CF (Bring your camera if you wish!) 25, 7:00 - Winona’s Boathouse Communities, WTB August 1, 7:00 - Wood, Concrete, Stone and Steel: Minnesota’s Historic Bridges with Denis Gardner, CF 8, 7:00 - Mississippi, Missouri, or Big Muddy: What’s in a Name? with Dean Klinkenberg, CF 15, 7:00 - Sifting Through the Years: The History of Bay State with Al Simanovski CF 22, 6:30 - Rockin’ on the River with Jeani and the Dreamers, CF SOLD OUT 29, 6:30 - Winona’s Railroad History, with Erik Brom, WTB September 5, 6:00 - Steamboat Stories with Robert Taunt, CF 12, 6:00 - Mammals of the Upper Mississippi with Ranger Edward Lagace, CF 19, 5:30 - Eagles on the Mississippi with the National Eagle Center, CF 26, 5:30 - The Lock and Dam System of the Mississippi, WTB
