Formerly known as the Cherokee River, the Tennessee’s current name is believed to be derived from that of a Cherokee village, Tanasi.
The Ohio River, which streams westward from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Cairo, Illinois, is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. The 981-mile long river flows through or along the border of six states: Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio.
While the Mississippi may be more famous in steamboat history, it was actually on the Ohio River that the paddlewheel got its start, and the river is still a major shipping thoroughfare between major cities. A cruise along its busy waters, however, is surprisingly tranquil, offering an intimate look into life in the small towns of the American heartland.
American Cruise Lines and American Queen Steamboat Company sail the Ohio River each summer. Typically, cruisers can choose between to stretches of the river, from St. Louis to Cincinnati (visiting Missouri, Kentucky, and Indiana) or Cincinnati to Pittsburgh (calling at ports in Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia).
