The Queen of the Mississippi returns to Pittsburgh

The Queen of the Mississippi looked a little out of place docked along the Allegheny Riverwalk late Wednesday morning.

After all, she hasn't been spending much time here.

This is the first season in five years that the riverboat — run by American Cruise Lines — included Pittsburgh as one of its stops.

The ship docked along the Allegheny on Tuesday night after sailing into town from Marietta, Ohio. From here, it was headed on a 10-night trip to St. Louis.

The Queen of the Mississippi, with its large paddlewheel and Americana color scheme, is styled after riverboats of the 1800s. But inside the quintuple-decked river boat is a five-star hotel with all the modern amenities.

An online search showed that a Pittsburgh-bound trip departing St. Louis on July 8 offers rooms starting at $7,620. The most expensive room runs more than $16,000.

Steve Marking has been sailing the Ohio and Mississippi rivers as an entertainer since 2012.

"Getting on in one town and off at the next just wasn't enough," said Marking, who calls himself the Queen of the Mississippi's riverlorian — a term that he prefers over "historian."

When you're a historian, "everything you say has to be true," Marking explains. "I like to tell the tall tales of the river, too."

Megan Guza is a Tribune-Review staff writer.