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WEBVTT RIVERFRONT FEATURE.>> THE GRAND MAJESTIC STARTEDONE NIGHT LAST SPRING AT ABOUT3:00 A.M., WHEN I WOKE UP IN THEMIDDLE OF THE NIGHT AND KNOCKEDMY WIFE OFF THE BED, AND SAIDCOME ON WE'RE GOING TO STARTLOOKING AT BOATS AND BUY ANOTHERONE.TAMMY: THE GRAND MAJESTIC IS ADREAM COME TRUE FOR THE CAPTAINWHO GREW UP ON THE RIVER.HE'S BEEN IN THE RIVERBOATBUSINESS FOR 26 YEARS.IF YOU REMEMBER TALL STACKS,CAPTAIN JOE BAER WAS ON THE CREWWHEN THE STERNWHEELERS STEAMEDTHROUGH TOWN.>> THEY WANT TO SEE THESE THINGSBEFORE THEY START SLOWLYSLIPPING AWAY.TAMMY: THE GRAND MAJESTIC IS SETTO JOURNEY DOWN THE OHIO ANDMISSISSIPPI RIVERS FOR OVERNIGHTCRUISES.THIS IS AN INSIDE LOOK AT THE 70PASSENGER STERNWHEELER, ITALLOWS VOYAGERS TO EXPERIENCE ARICH PERIOD OF AMERICAN HISTORY.>> THESE RIVERBOATS COMING INCREATE A CONNECTION NOT ONLY FORTHE HISTORY AND PEOPLE COMINGFROM ALL OVER THE COUNTR, WANTING TO CONNECT INTO THATHISTORY AND SEE EVERYTHING THESESTATES HAVE TO OFFER.TAMMY: IF ANYONE KNOWS THENOSTALGIA OF CRUISING DOWN THERIVER, IT'S BB RIVERBOATS OWNERALAN BERNSTEIN.>> IF YOU DON'T GO BY BOATYOU'RE OFTEN NOT GOING TO FINDTHESE PLACES.SO THERE'S A RESURGENCE OF THEHISTORY AND THE TOWNS THAT HAVELEFT TIME PASS THEM BYTAMMY: THE CINCINNATI CONVENTIONAND VISITORS BUREAU SAYS HISTORYHAS BEEN REPEATING ITSELF, INTHE QUEEN CITY.>> WHEN YOU LOOK AT THERESURGENCE, PARTICULARLY IN OVERTHE RHINE, ITS HAYDAY WAS KINDOF IN THAT LATE 1800'S, AND NOWIT'S COME BACK, AND THAT WAS THESAME TIME WE SAW RIVERBOATS BEBIG WAS IN THAT LATE 1800'S.SO IT'S NEAT TO SEE THOSE TWOMERRY WHEN CINCINNATI WAS ONE OFTHE BIGGEST CITIES IN THECOUNTRY.TAMMY: FOR CAPTAIN BAER, IT'SABOUT MORE THAN HISTORY.IT'S A DREAM COME TRUE.>> WE STILL HAVE SO MUCH AREATHAT'S STILL RELATIVELYUNDEVELOPED, AND THEY CAN STILLSEE IT AS IT WAS 200 YEARS AGO.TAMMY: THE GRAND MAJESTIC WILLOFFICIALLY BE CHRISTENED INCOVINGTON, SEPTEMBER 23.

Advertisement Grand Majestic Riverboat set to debut on Ohio River this Fall The new riverboat will be officially christened Sept. 23 Share Shares Copy Link Copy

A new riverboat is coming to Cincinnati's riverfront. The Riverboat Grand Majestic will be officially christened in her home port of Covington on Sept. 23. The riverboat will provide seven to 21 night river cruises on the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, aiming to provide luxuries of the river’s “Golden Age” of steamboats. Grand Majestic Riverboat Company was founded by Capt. Joseph Baer who grew up on the river. Baer was born in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, and graduated from Fairfield High School. Baer said it started as a middle-of-the-night pipe dream which now has turned into a multimillion dollar riverfront feature. “The Grand Majestic started one night last spring at about 3 a.m. when I woke up in the middle of the night, and I knocked my wife off the bed and said, ‘come on we're going to start looking at boats and buy another one,’” Baer said. The riverboat is a 70-passenger stern-wheel. In addition to the Mississippi and Ohio rivers, the vessel also sails the Cumberland, Tennessee, Arkansas, Illinois and Missouri rivers, as well as the Gulf Intercoastal Waterway. Baer said the cruise allows voyagers to experience a rich period of American history. “They want to see these things before they start slowly slipping away,” Baer said. “These riverboats are coming in create a connection, not only for the history, but for people coming from all over the country wanting to connect into that history and see everything these states have to offer.” The Cincinnati Convention and Visitors Bureau said history has been repeating itself for the better in the Queen City. “When you look at the resurgence particularly in Over the Rhine, it’s' hey day was kind of in that late 1800’s and now it's come back,” Cincinnati Convention and Visitors Bureau Director of Communications Yancy Deering said. “That was the same time we saw riverboats be big was in the late 1800’s. So it's neat to see those two marry when Cincinnati was one of the biggest cities in the country.”