Child-free cruising: How to avoid cruises with too many children

This post may not be politically correct so forgive me. Generally, I’m not a child-averse person but I have to be honest. Like many travelers over 50, unless I’m traveling with my own kids or with my own grandchildren (which I’m not yet blessed to have), I prefer a sedate, relaxing cruise without the patter…

Back on the river: The American Queen steamboat

Back on the river: The American Queen steamboat

For the 50 years leading up to the Civil War, steamboats ruled the Mississippi River and its tributaries to the east and west, carrying passengers, produce, sugar, cotton and livestock while weaving through the nation’s heartland and touching the shores of 10 states from Minnesota to Louisiana. By the time Great American Steamboat Co. took…