Graceful Ghost Steamboat Co,

If you have never cruised on a very small old river steamboat then this could be one of the last in the nation. This is a small boat that holds about 35 passengers although the day we were there only 12 passengers were on boat. This boat is actually moored at the Big Pine Lodge in Karnack, Texas and the ticket office for rides is across the road front eh Big Pines Lodge and Restaurant. This dock is fairly new and is very nice. You can use the rest rooms in the restaurant as well as get some food there. The ride actually alt about an hour with approximately 30 minutes up and down the river. You get a chance to see plenty of Cyprus trees along the waters edge however don’t expect to see a lot of wildlife and we some almost nothing on our cruise. One sad thing you will witness is all the boaters that run up and down the their on high speed boats and ski boats. One 10 years old cut right in front of the old steamboat even with the whistle blowing. There was an adult at the control of the speed boat. There are always a few to try to make life miserable for others. The slow cruise is well worth he time and low cost. Senior adult tickets are $ 18 and active military ride for free. Regular tickets were $ 20. The old boat has a wood burning boiler that heats the water for the steam which runs the boat. Sitting on the main deck you will be right behind the boiler and in the summer you will definitely get the hot heat. The Captain is always getting readings for the boiler person about the water pressures and that person is also throwing in pieces of wood to burn for the heat. Quite interesting. There is no food or drinks aboard the about however you may purchase a bottle of water ($ 1.00) from the girl on board. This is definitely not a Six Flags or Disneyland thrill ride but rather a trip back into history which is reminiscence of times past. the Captain does a good job of narrating for the area and you should pick up a little unknown history from him. Afterwards or before the ride, there is a good restaurant at the dock and the catfish is the thing to order. By the way this steamboat is docked at Karnack and not Uncertain, Texas. When we were there the boat was only scheduled to run four times a day Wednesday through Sunday. There is also a pontoon boat at the dock that can also be used.

I really hated to write this review however my wife and I made this trip one of our top 3 reasons for vacationing here. When we got there we were informed that not enough people were riding to accommodate the steamboat so we were taking a pontoon boat. They stated that it only really runs on the weekends. My wife was VERY disappointed, hence the 2 stars. the only saving grace was the tour guide on the pontoon boat and the ability of a smaller boat to traverse smaller portions on the bayou that we would not have seen on the steamboat. I thought about staying for the weekend to ride the steamboat but my wife emphatically stated NO. She was too irritated. I hate to say we felt like the whole thing was a «bait n’ switch»

This was our second visit to the Graceful Ghost. We took the steamboat tour several years ago under previous owners. This time, we were in a pontoon boat with eight other people. It was a beautiful, late April day, before Texas gets too hot. Captain Byron was great, very interesting and funny. He actually taught these Native Texas boys a thing or two about Texas history. The lake is so different and mysterious, with the giant bald cypress trees draped in Spanish moss. The water lilies and spatter docks were blooming. We saw a twelve foot gator, too! I highly recommend this tour.