Cleveland's Nautica Queen

Each year from the end of March through December, The Nautica Queen offers a unique view of the all the attractions of Cleveland from the Cuyahoga River and Lake Erie.

The Nautica Queen departs from the west bank of the Cuyahoga River, just a few blocks below Public Square, and immediately opposite the original embarkation point of the city’s founder, Moses Cleaveland. Its dock is within the Nautica entertainment complex, which includes the Nautica Pavilion performance amphitheater and The Powerhouse, a renovated historic structure now housing a party room, restaurants, brewery, pubs, comedy club and retail establishments.

Cruises aboard The Nautica Queen include a full buffet meal and entertainment in addition to guided sightseeing. Lunch cruises typically last two hours, while dinner cruises are three hours. Guests are accommodated in two enclosed, heated and air-conditioned decks, as well as the open-air observation decks. The cruise ship hosts about 50,000 guests each year for cruises and special events. It is certified for a total of up to 400 passengers, and offers a full bar and lounge in addition to its food service.

The Nautica Queen began operation in 1991, and is joined by both the Majestic and the Goodtime III, which also offer public cruises of the lakefront and river.

The decks of The Nautica Queen offer a unique perspective on Cleveland’s city skyline and its many attractions. Passengers experience the city from its birthplace along the banks of the Cuyahoga, and travel its mouth into Lake Erie, often accompanied by the busy summer recreational boating traffic — and occasionally by some of the industrial traffic along this working river. Sights along the Cuyahoga include Settler’s Landing, the city’s many distinctive bridges, and the popular Flats area of marinas, restaurants, pubs and clubs.

The most distinctive structures of the city’s skyline — The Terminal Tower, Key Tower, the former BP America Building (now 200 Public Square), and the U.S. Courthouse Tower, among others — unfold both along the river, and as the ship enters Lake Erie. Other significant sights populate the lakefront: Cleveland Browns Stadium, The Great Lakes Science Center, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, The William G. Mather steamship and museum, Voinovich Park, and Burke Lakefront Airport.

In a pleasant, entertaining and educational fashion, a cruise aboard The Nautica Queen reminds one that Cleveland was born a lakefront town, built on river trade and industry.