7 best Mississippi River cruises 2025

Mississippi River cruises have surged in popularity in recent decades, especially among travelers looking to enjoy guided tours of historical cities and towns across the American Midwest and South.

Two major cruise lines sail the Mississippi, which stretches 2,340 miles from New Orleans to Minneapolis-St. Paul: American Cruise Lines and Viking. Each line offers several similar itineraries ranging from seven to 22 nights, but the ships themselves differ: some are historically inspired paddlewheelers, others sleek modern riverboats. The onboard dining and entertainment, as well as the excursions at port, also vary across the lines.

We’ve rounded up the best Mississippi River cruises for history buffs and Americana lovers, so you can find your perfect U.S. river cruise itinerary based on your interests and travel preferences.

 

Best cruise for Civil War history: Lower Mississippi (round-trip from New Orleans)

The South attracts American history buffs with its Civil War-era battlefields, cemeteries and mansions guarded by regiments of live oaks. Both American Cruise Lines and Viking offer Lower Mississippi itineraries sailing round-trip from New Orleans, but only one features multiple excursions geared to those with a keen interest in the 19th-century conflict.

On American Cruise Lines’ seven-night itinerary, cruisers travel upriver to Vicksburg, Mississippi, where the Vicksburg National Military Park commemorates the siege and defense of Vicksburg in 1863. Meanwhile, while no Civil War fighting took place in nearby Natchez, Mississippi (another stop on the cruise), the city is home to hundreds of mansions from the era and the Historic Natchez Cemetery, which dates to 1822.

En route to Vicksburg and Natchez, a stop in Louisiana’s capital, Baton Rouge, offers the chance for a guided excursion exploring critical locations in the Battle of Baton Rouge and Siege of Port Hudson. Other ports along the Louisiana stretch of the cruise bring to life the prewar South. For example, in Oak Alley, Louisiana, guests can tour a large Greek Revival plantation manor.

This itinerary is offered in 2025, 2026 and through 2027 on four American Cruise Lines ships, ranging from the 150-passenger classic paddlewheeler American Heritage to the 180-passenger modern riverboat American Serenade. American Cruise Lines is known for its regionally inspired cuisine, served with complimentary alcohol, including wine, beer, spirits and cocktails.

Some excursions and a precruise hotel stay in New Orleans are included in the cruise fare. You can book additional day tours for an extra cost.

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If you’re especially passionate about Civil War history, look for American Cruise Lines’ special Civil War themed cruises on limited dates, which allow a deeper dive into the period. These include an eight-night Lower Mississippi itinerary from Memphis to New Orleans (or vice versa). In addition to visiting monuments and museums, you’ll enjoy onboard lectures and presentations and interaction with other Civil War buffs.

 

Best cruises for music: Lower Mississippi (New Orleans to Memphis)

If you love the musical genres of the South, a Mississippi River cruise from New Orleans to Memphis (or vice versa) should be your choice. Stretching from the Crescent City, the birthplace of American jazz, to Memphis, known as the “Home of the Blues” and the “Birthplace of Rock ‘n Roll,” this itinerary celebrates the region’s homegrown rhythms.

Both cruise lines sail between these two cities, but Viking features more excursions and onboard experiences tailored to music lovers onboard its seven-night Mississippi Delta Explorer itinerary. For those with a little more time to spare, Viking has a longer version — a 10-night New Orleans to Memphis itinerary — that includes two days in both cities.

Among the highlights is a stop in Greenville, Mississippi. Nestled in the heart of the Mississippi Delta, Greenville is steeped in blues history and culture. An included, privileged-access show immerses passengers in music, stories and cuisine unique to the region. An excursion to nearby Indianola, the birthplace of the legendary musician B.B. King, lets passengers tour the storied B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center.

In Baton Rouge, you can visit the Capitol Park Museum, which showcases exhibits dedicated to Louisiana’s musical heritage and Mardi Gras traditions. At your next stop in Natchez, Mississippi, classical music (played on a 1903 Steinway piano) is the star of an excursion to the Joseph Newman Stone House; after visiting the property, passengers will also tour the nearby historic Lansdowne plantation.

The grand finale of the cruise is two nights in Memphis, where you can enjoy all things blues, barbecue and Elvis Presley.

Viking began its Mississippi River cruises in 2022, with the launch of the 386-passenger Viking Mississippi. Sporting a sleek Scandinavian design, it is the line’s only ship traversing the Mississippi, with departures scheduled in 2025, 2026 and 2027.

Passengers can enjoy a sun terrace with an aft infinity pool and an Explorers’ Lounge with panoramic forward views of the Mississippi. The ship serves both Southern regional cuisine and global favorites all cruise long, and frequently welcomes local musicians on board for evening entertainment.

Related: How to save on cruises with AARP Travel

 

Best cruises for art and architecture: Upper Mississippi

An Upper Mississippi cruise between St. Louis, Missouri, and St. Paul, Minnesota, provides access to some of the top architectural landmarks and artistic treasures of the American Heartland — from Eero Saarinen’s soaring Gateway Arch to Frank Lloyd Wright’s inimitable Taliesin. Luckily, both cruise lines offer great Upper Mississippi itineraries from June through October.

Viking River Cruises’ seven-night Heartland of America itinerary sails from St. Louis to St. Paul (or vice versa), with departures in 2025, 2026 and 2027. You’ll explore architectural gems aboard Viking Mississippi, itself an example of sleek, Scandinavian inspired nautical architecture.

Highlights include St. Louis, where you’ll admire Saarinen’s circa-1965 Gateway Arch, the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis, and the Renaissance revival architecture of City Hall. Upriver at Dubuque, Iowa, you can head to Spring Green, Wisconsin, to visit Taliesin — Frank Lloyd Wright’s private home, studio and school from 1911 to 1959.

After a day in Red Wing, Minnesota, known for its pottery studios, you’ll end your journey in the Twin Cities, home to the Walker Art Center and Minneapolis Institute of Art in Minneapolis and well-preserved Victorian buildings in St. Paul.

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American Cruise Line’s eight-night Upper Mississippi River cruise covers much of the same ground, with a few differences. Sailings are available on the 150-passenger paddlewheeler American Heritage as well as on three sleek 180-guest riverboats: American Melody, American Serenade and American Symphony. They’re offered between June and early October in 2025, 2026 and 2027.

Beyond the landmarks of St. Louis, highlights include Hannibal, Missouri, where you can visit the Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum, and Dubuque, Iowa, known for its colorful Victorian mansions. (An excursion to the Field of Dreams featured in the 1989 Kevin Costner movie is also available.)

Winona, Minnesota, boasts some of the state’s most architecturally significant buildings, many featuring the beautiful stained glass for which the city is known. Then it’s off to Red Wing, Minnesota, where you can explore the Pottery Museum before completing your journey in the Twin Cities.

 

Best extended cruises: Complete Mississippi

Want it all? You can visit 19 ports across nine states on Viking River Cruises’ 21-night Mississippi River Odyssey itinerary departing from New Orleans. During this sailing, you’ll overnight in Memphis, so there’s time to fully savor barbecue, the blues and Elvis Presley’s Graceland. A port call in Paducah, Kentucky, lets you explore the National Quilt Museum and colorful street murals.

You can enjoy two days of excursions in Missouri’s most famous big city, St. Louis, as well a stop in the small town of Hannibal before making your way up through three ports in Iowa. After Iowa, you’ll get to learn about the Norwegian heritage of La Crosse, Wisconsin, and get to know the pottery and bald eagles of Red Wing, Minnesota, before disembarking in St. Paul.

Viking Mississippi offers this itinerary in 2025, 2026 and 2027.

American Cruise Lines, meanwhile, covers 18 ports in six states on its 22-night Complete Mississippi River Experience from New Orleans to St. Paul. Two of the line’s 180-passenger modern river ships — American Melody and American Serenade — offer departures in 2025, 2026 and 2027.

Passengers will visit ports known for plantation manors (Oak Alley and St. Francisville, Louisiana, and Natchez, Mississippi), Civil War battles (Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Vicksburg, Mississippi), music (Memphis and Greenville, Tennessee) and architecture (St. Louis, Missouri and Dubuque, Iowa). You’ll also call on a historic Missouri trading post at Cape Girardeau (a French river port).

 

Bottom line

The two cruise lines sailing America’s most legendary river offer itineraries for every interest. Whether you want to visit Civil War sites, see top architectural landmarks or enjoy our country’s best-loved musical genres, American Cruise Lines and Viking offer a Mississippi River itineraries to help you do so — in comfort and style as you make new friends on board.

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