Dining Delights Gourmet Cuisine on Our River Cruise Menus
The Barbara-Lee uses diesel engines for the twin paddlewheels, ensuring safety and reliability compared to traditional steam engines. The St. Johns River has a rich history, dating back to the early 1500s when it was explored by Europeans. Steamboats were first known to sail the St. Johns River in the 1830s, becoming a vital link between north and central Florida. Tourism to Florida boomed in the late 19th century, and Jacksonville became a gateway to the warm winter retreats in Central Florida. Wyatt’s passion for hospitality and appreciation for providing exceptional experiences to customers has now been directed towards this historic and historically relevant attraction housed in the Downtown Sanford Marina.
St. Johns Rivership Co.
By 1885 cities along the river grew as the local economy flourished (St. Johns Riverkeeper). The Rivership Barbara-Lee is an authentic sternwheeler that sails the St. Johns River. The ship measures 105 feet from stem to stern and was built in 1986, refurbished in 2012 for its inaugural St. Johns River cruise. Featuring ornate wrought iron railings and wooden paddle wheels, the Barbara-Lee exudes the elegance of historical steamers on the St. Johns River.
News About St Johns Rivership Co.
This was the first extensive use of steamships in warfare, according to Francke (Robison). They were also used to trade goods from Tampa Bay to Cuba and the Caribbean. Flagler in the 1890s built hotels along the Biscayne Bay and used steamships to carry passengers to the different hotels (Gannon). Steamships contributed to the Florida economy by attracting rich northerners to come and enjoy nice, warm Florida weather so they could get away from the cold (SJRWMD).
Homosassa Springs Marina
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If you go there, you will find no signs or markers claiming such fame, only ones sharing the fact that granite was once quarried in the area. Today, the St. Johns Rivership Co. revives the traditions of historical sternwheelers and celebrates America’s great sternwheeler heritage. Slow-roasted chicken breast with Parmesan and a savory mango-pineapple chutney atop rice. Entrées are chef-prepared to your liking and served with side salad, freshly baked rolls, chef’s choice vegetables and dessert.
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Additionally, “cross-generational” activities to attract and engage a younger generation such as “Pirates and Mermaids” and “Sailing with Santa” events are part of the vision, along with monthly drink specials and other exciting events. Planning to end the day in the harbor, we have watched the boating forecast closely; our river kayaks aren’t ideal for ocean waters and we want the flattest seas we can get. Finding the channel adjacent to the Museum of Science and squeezing past another duck boat, we slip under the Zakim Bridge and pause outside the Charles River Dam locks. As if to keep us in check, several weeks later, a seriously ornery swan guarding its cygnet in a narrow stretch of water threatens to swamp my boat, then Gene’s, forcing us into a semi-panicked escape.
Meeting with new owner Michelle Wyatt on the Barbara Lee, I was quickly impressed by both the scope and speed of the upgrades and enhancements already in place, and the vision of what’s to come. Acquiring the St. Johns Rivership Co. on September 7, 2023, the Wyatts are now the third family to operate a dining experience aboard a Rivership from the Historic Downtown Sanford Marina since 1982. The Wyatt family successfully ran a software business for 22 years in Maryland, with a focus on event management and mobile app solutions. Michelle’s extensive experience in business development, her strategic vision, and focus on providing an elite guest experience to each guest already has the St. Johns Rivership Co. pointed in the right direction.
Cruise & Events Calendar
Back to the “experience” you are getting when you set sail up the river on the Barbara Lee, the St. Johns Rivership Co. is a premier river cruise operator that showcases the stunning beauty and rich history of the St. Johns River region. This is a one-of-a-kind dining experience that combined food, drink, relaxation and picturesque waterfront locations. Two long blasts, followed by two short blasts on the air horn I had bought online alert the lockmaster to our presence, and, after a minute or two, the doors crank open and we enter. The walls of the narrow lock loom skyward, and when a tour boat carrying sightseers pulls in behind us, our plastic boats feel flimsy and outclassed. We grab the ropes hanging along the sides to keep us from getting knocked around as the water is pumped in to bring us to sea level. At certain times, when the water is too high, the tunnel is impassable for paddlers.
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Measuring 105 feet from stem to stern, the ship was built in 1986 and was extensively refurbished prior to its inaugural St. Johns cruise in 2012. Featuring ornate wrought iron railings and massive wooden paddle wheels, the five-story rivership accommodates up to 194 guests, making it ideally suited to host events of varying sizes. Plus, all enclosed decks are climate controlled by air conditioning and heating. Before hundreds of miles of highways crossed the state of Florida, even before railroads took over the nation, steamships were used in Florida for travel, transportation, and trade (Robison). Steamships were faster than sailboats and could travel longer distances. Historian Arthur E. Francke Jr. wrote that steamships were a vital part of the Second Seminole War.
St. Johns Rivership Company and the Barbara-Lee
Layers of slow-roasted vegetables, pasta, marinara sauce and three kinds of cheese.Crisp romaine lettuce tossed in our signature Caesar dressing, with homemade croutons and Parmesan topped with your choice of grilled Chicken Breast or Salmon Fillet. Thick-cut salmon prepared with your choice of Lemon Butter Sauce or Teriyaki Glaze atop rice. Chicken breast prepared in a Marsala sauce reduction with mushrooms and Parmesan and served alongside buttery mashed potatoes. From our homeport on Lake Monroe in Historic Downtown Sanford, the Barbara-Lee cruises the St. Johns River while providing a one-of-a-kind cruise.
Not far downstream from all the multimillion-dollar real estate we passed on our previous leg, we come upon the only trailer park inside Boston’s city limits. We end our day at the Millennium Park boat launch in West Roxbury to the sound of the Needham Heights commuter rail train rumbling outbound. All enclosed decks are climate controlled by air conditioning and heating. On our penultimate leg, Gene and I put in on a gorgeous Saturday in early September and paddle 9 miles through Waltham, Watertown, and into Allston. The lake, which is actually a man-made reservoir for the town of Milford, sits 83 miles — as the water flows — from Boston Harbor.
Camp Monroe was the southernmost point for steamships to transport troops and supplies as the Seminole War was going on. The camp was later renamed to Fort Mellon, the name honored Captain Charles Mellon who was killed by Seminoles during the war (Robison). Nine named steamships alongside thirty other unnamed steamships served Fort Mellon in 1837. The steamships were chartered by the army during the Second Seminole War.
The St. Johns River which runs in a northernly direction, interestingly, was discovered in the early 1500s by Spanish seamen. After warfare over the years with the French, the Spanish named the river Rio de San Juan which means St. Johns River (SJRWMD). The name has stuck and many people live along the river, traverse the river for pleasure and of course the Barbara-Lee travels along it daily twice a day. Since 1890 many changes have occurred to the local economy transitioning businesses away from just using the river as a source to transport goods such as lumber and citrus.
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