The American Queen, a classic-style riverboat that last docked in Vicksburg 3½ years ago, will return to City Front April 17.

The Queen was a fixture at the Vicksburg waterfront for many years along with sister ships the Delta Queen and the Mississippi Queen. Its previous owner ceased operations in 2008, but the American Queen was purchased in August and is being recommissioned by the Great American Steamboat Company of Memphis.

Day excursions in Vicksburg, including the one set for April 17 and one April 23, as well as cruises that feature the city as departure or destination point, are on the schedule.

“I cannot wait to hear that calliope and go down there and see the American Queen at City Front again,” said Bill Seratt, executive director of the Vicksburg Convention and Visitors Bureau.

“We’re thrilled to be returning to Vicksburg,” said Michael Hicks, a public relations specialist working with Great American. “A lot of our trips between Memphis and New Orleans are going to be stopping in Vicksburg, and we are going to be doing Epic Civil War cruises that will include Vicksburg because of its rich history.”

One will feature historian and documentarian Ric Burns, producer of the epic PBS series “The Civil War.”

That 10-day tour will depart from Vicksburg Aug. 10 with stops that include Helena, Ark., Memphis, Paducah, Ky., and Decatur, Ga., before disembarking in Chattanooga. Burns will be the featured speaker for the whole of the trip, Hicks said.

“We are thrilled to offer the ultimate historical experience during our Civil War cruises onboard the American Queen,” Christopher Kyte, president of Great American said in a prepared release. “Our guests will discover so much of this country’s rich history told by leading academics and passionate storytellers.”

A reverse tour from Chattanooga to Vicksburg is set for Aug. 20-30, and the River City is also the destination for a Big Band cruise departing from Louisville, Ky., on Aug. 3.

A number of day excursions for passengers traveling between Memphis and New Orleans will see passengers visiting the Vicksburg National Military Park, the Old Court House Museum, shops and other sites while docked here.

“There is such a fascination with that part of our history — the whole riverboat experience,” said Seratt. “The passengers are excited about it and the entire city gets excited whenever the Queens roll in.”

The Delta Queen, an authentic sternwheel riverboat built in the 1920s,was sold in 2009 to a Chattanooga company for use as a floating hotel, and the Mississippi Queen, moored since 2007 in Gretna, La., was sold for scrap to a private company in 2010.

The American Queen, built in 1994, is 418 feet long and about 89 feet high. It’s fitted with 222 staterooms capable of housing 436 passengers, and features a calliope with 37 gold-plated brass pipes, according to the Steamboats.org website.

Great American Steamboat acquired the American Queen from the U.S. Maritime Administration, an office of the Department of Transportation, for $15.5 million.

About $5 million was spent to ready the ship for the 2012 season.

Cruises start at $2,295 per person, which includes bottled water and soft drinks, wine and beer at dinner and a pre- or post-cruise stay at a hotel, though not in any of Vicksburg’s 2,500 hotel rooms.

“Unfortunately, there are no hotels in Vicksburg with at least 200 rooms, which is what we require,” said Hicks. “We do like to have all our guests in one particular property.”

Present plans call for passengers to stay at one of two New Orleans hotels with bus transportation provided by Great American.

Online

For more information and American Queen river tour schedules, visit http://www.greatamericansteamboatcompany.com/american_queen/