Hiawatha Paddlewheeler

It was really reasonably priced and very informational. We missed the ice cream family social on the Tuesday night ride. If you want to do that, book it way (weeks) ahead of time. The actual ride on the boat is fun.

We couldn’t have picked a more beautiful day for the river tour! We got there a bit early, bought tickets, a frisbee, and ice cream cones, and then sat on one of the two bench swings by the river and just enjoyed the scenery… absolute perfection! The boat was smaller than anticipated and my husband was bummed that it wasn’t a real paddle boat, but the kids thought it was cool. We spent most of the ride on the bottom level in the front part of the boat where we could feel the cool breezes and occasional splash of water. I was pleasantly surprised by the prices of the refreshments (soda for $ 1.50 and slushy for $ 2) and glad they had bathrooms on board, but besides the river itself there wasn’t much to see and we were going pretty slow… after a speed boat sped by my son said, «I bet they’re having WAY more fun than we are.» Ughhh… I guess you can’t please everybody.

Has this boat been transformed since I was 10 years old… or was I just that blown away by the size of it as a kid but left wondering why I was so enthralled with it back then?
I recently went on the Hiawatha with a large group of adults. There were close to 50 of us and not a single person stayed in the air conditioned bottom section, we wanted the great views at the top. After awhile on a 90 degree day, although the breeze was nice… I started to realize there was nothing wrong with hanging out downstairs along with the cheap food.
The prices on everything easily earn five stars. A package of peanuts for 60 cents is a throwback. Slushies for just $ 2 and also soft pretzels for the same cost made this a super affordable visit. It was an early Sunday morning when we were there so I didn’t booze it up but was blown away to see Sam Adams and Blue Moon on tap, I don’t know the costs, however, of a pour.
Frankly, I was bored most of the trip. There wasn’t anyone on a loud speaker explaining history about the boat or anything we were seeing along the way. The sights aren’t all that great, along the river there are rundown campgrounds with a bunch of trailers from the 60’s and 70’s. Although I’m ripping on the places, I may want to take my tent to one of these locations at some point to experience a night. I just wish it were more interactive, in general. The staff was friendly but didn’t seem to offer up a question/​answer session about the history.
And the biggest disappointment of all is the fact that the boat is actually run by motors and not the paddlewheels themselves, they look like they are strictly for show… or do very little in terms of propulsion. I loved the experience as a kid and I’m sure the few who were on the boat did this time as well but I’m not rushing back anytime soon in my adult life unless its for a booze cruise, which they do offer. It’s clean and cheap… plus you can picnic after your visit but don’t expect to be blown away like you’re headed down the mighty Miss with Huck Finn in the 1800’s.

I have been on the Hiawatha Paddlewheeler a number of times and have always had a blast. I’ve gone on the «Wing Night Cruise» and a «Concert Cruise». Both cruises were an enjoyable experience. I wouldn’t necessarily go on one of the day cruises as I feel it may be a little boring to just putt up and down the river. But if there is a band playing you’d like to see or another event being planned on the boat. .. I say go.

Pretty fun time. Friends had rented the paddle boat for a two hour period and had a performance on it as well. Drinks at the bar tend to be a lil pricey.
Tours are typically 30 minutes and they do offer different things on different nights like wing night, mystery theater night, family night, etc.
The cost to ride is about 8 bucks give or take but again is nice for a small outing.

The Hiawatha was a pretty fun experience. Its a replica Paddlewheel boat that travels out along the river for a short 30 minute tour and returns to Susquehanna State Park. Tickets were 7.50 per adult and 3.50 per child, save .50 with a AAA discount or a 1.00 off printable coupon on their website.
It was fun and funny at the same time, also riding at the same time as us was a tour group from the metro DC area, the captain kept giving away small trinkets like a shotglass, hat, coaster, etc, until he ran out of things. the next line we heard was «Next we’re giving away a chance to buy me a round of golf.» It was okay, but I really liked the captains humor!