Last riverboat of the season coming to Cape Girardeau

American Queen, the mammoth paddlewheeler from American Queen Voyages, is scheduled to arrive by 8 a.m. Friday, Dec. 2, at Riverfront Park in Cape Girardeau.

The boat — which American Queen Voyages's website says is the largest steamboat ever built — is expected to have 276 passengers aboard when it docks, according to Josh Thompson of VisitCape, formerly known as Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Built in 1995, American Queen is a six-deck recreation of a classic Mississippi riverboat

As per security regulations in place since the events of Sept. 11, 2001, no visitors will be permitted to board American Queen during its scheduled nine-hour stop, concluding at 5 p.m.

American Queen's visit is the final one of the riverboat season for Cape Girardeau.

Thompson said riverboats are scheduled for Riverfront Park visits in 2023 from both American Queen Voyages and American Cruise Lines, but those stops have not being published "since so much can change between now and next spring.

Navigating the Mississippi has been challenging this year because of ongoing drought conditions impacting the levels of the river.

Counting Friday's stop, a total of 22 riverboats have visited Riverfront Park since April 22, according to www.visitcape.com.