Mark Twain Riverboat: Dinner on the Water in Hannibal, Missouri
Back in 2019, during a stay in Hannibal, Missouri, my family decided to take in a riverboat cruise along the mighty Mississippi. Our family loved it, and to this day it is one of my fondest dinner memories.
In 2025, our family decided to make a return trip to Hannibal, so I couldn’t resist booking another evening on the riverboat to see if the magic was just as I’d remembered.
Getting There
The launch point for Mark Twain Riverboat sits right on the river at 300 Riverfront Drive in Hannibal, MO (Google Maps link). While unlikely, the boat may have an alternate boarding location in the event of river flooding — the riverboat will let passengers know in that case, something that happened with us back in 2019.
It’s a little more than an hour and a half, or about 110 miles, from St. Louis to the riverboat. The fastest route is to pick up U.S. 61 North near Wentzville, then drive into town. Taking MO-79 North from St. Peters is a longer, more scenic route.
Parking
There is a large paved parking lot on the landing near the dock that is easy to get to, with substantial additional parking a short walk away. The parking is free.
Costs and Considerations
The Mark Twain Riverboat offers two experiences: a one-hour sightseeing cruise and a two-hour dinner cruise.
The one-hour sightseeing cruise usually runs from early April to early November. Cruises depart 1-3 times per day depending on the time of year. In the summer, for example, I found cruises at 11:00 a.m., 1:30 a.m., and 4:00 p.m. Tickets for this experience in 2025 cost $26.18 + tax for ages 13 and older and $16.08 + tax for ages 5-12. Children 4 and under are free.
The two-hour dinner cruise typically runs from early May to late October. Cruises depart once a day, either at 6:30 p.m. most of the season or at 5:30 p.m. in October. Tickets for the dinner cruise in 2025 cost $56.96 + tax for ages 13 and older, $27.56 + tax for ages 5-12, and $10.11 + tax for ages 2-4. The website also says children 2 years old and under are free, so check with the riverboat if your kid happens to be exactly 2 years old, as that appears to be in two categories.
In all cases, you’ll want to check the cruise calendar to be sure a cruise is running the day you’re interested in.
Boarding for a cruise starts 30 minutes before departure time. We recommend getting there earlier than that, as it gives you time to check out the onshore gift shop and ensures you get every minute on the boat you can. For a 6:30 p.m. dinner cruise, for example, we’ve aimed to get there at 5:30 p.m. so we can drift around the gift shop on shore and board right at 6 p.m.
Things to Do
The one-hour cruise is a sightseeing cruise that includes historical commentary on the Mississippi River and areas around it. Food is not included in the ticket price, but the boat does carry a bar and concession stand that sells sandwiches, snacks, and beverages, including alcoholic ones.
The two-hour cruise is a more entertainment-oriented affair. All passengers get a single pass-through of a buffet that includes various meats, salads, potatoes, vegetables, and dessert. Coffee, tea, and water are all included, and alcoholic drinks are available for purchase. The dinner cruise also includes live instrumental musical entertainment which can vary from night to night but ranges from a soloist to a full jazz band, the latter being more common on Saturday nights. The dinner area also hosts a dance floor for guests who want to get their feet moving.
In all cases, you are free to roam the boat. (If you are on the dinner cruise, you’ll first be steered to your table, after which you can look around.) On the bottom deck you’ll find the dining area, a dance floor / buffet line area, and the bar. On the middle deck, you’ll see additional indoor seating. The top deck is an open-air space with seating that lets you look out over the river.
The lower two decks, it should be noted, also have outdoor spaces to look out on the water, and all of the indoor spaces have plenty of windows.
Our Thoughts
We’ve done the dinner cruise twice now, and we can say that it has been a stellar experience both times. Everyone on the staff — from the captain, to the crew, to the wait staff, to the musician(s) — is upbeat, attentive, and professional. After you’re guided onto the boat and to your table, you’re able to explore until it’s time to depart.
During dinner, early 20th century music, like Scott Joplin, played over the speakers. Before and after dinner, a local musician entertained us. You can hear the music both inside and outside the boat.
The buffet is always good, and was up to the task during our most recent 2025 visit. We were treated to some great options including salad, pasta salad, baked potato, green beans, dinner rolls, beef, and chicken.
Dessert was delightful, with what little room we had left for it.
So is it worth it? The dinner cruise isn’t exactly cheap, costing over $230 with taxes for our family of four. However, we can say that, after doing it twice now, we loved every minute of each excursion. Our only complaint is that the the two and a half hours we had from boarding to departure flew by, but that just goes to show how much we enjoyed the time.
If you don’t have the time or money, the shorter one-hour cruise is worth a look. But if you can swing it, we think taking a flyer on the evening dinner cruise is a pitch-perfect way to end a day in Hannibal.
