Cumberland River Cruises
Nashville’s river, from Lake Barkley up to Music City.
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Cumberland River cruises are the final chapter of two heartland itineraries. Coming from the Ohio or the Tennessee, the boat enters Lake Barkley, a long reservoir on the Cumberland, then follows the river past Dover and Clarksville to Nashville. It is quiet, wooded country, with history at every landing.
Lake Barkley
A reservoir alongside Kentucky Lake, with the Land Between the Lakes between them.
Dover, TN
Home of Fort Donelson National Battlefield, where Grant won an early Union victory in 1862.
Clarksville, TN
A river city with a riverfront park and Fort Defiance, a Civil War earthwork above the Cumberland.
Nashville, TN
The Ryman Auditorium, the Grand Ole Opry, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Broadway’s honky-tonks.
Short Cruises in Nashville
If you only have an afternoon, Nashville’s riverboats offer a taste of the Cumberland. The best known is the General Jackson Showboat, a large paddlewheeler based at Opryland that runs lunch and dinner cruises with live shows. Downtown, sightseeing boats pass under the bridges near Broadway. Schedules change with the season, so check before you plan around one.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which overnight cruises use the Cumberland River?
Both the Music Cities cruise from Memphis and the Tennessee Rivers cruise from Chattanooga finish (or start) by sailing the Cumberland to Nashville.
Are there short Cumberland River cruises in Nashville?
Yes. The General Jackson Showboat, a paddlewheeler based at Opryland, runs lunch and dinner cruises with shows, and other operators run sightseeing trips downtown. Check current schedules.
What happened at Fort Donelson?
In February 1862 Union forces under Ulysses S. Grant captured the Confederate fort on the Cumberland at Dover, Tennessee, one of the first major Union victories of the Civil War.
Nashville by River
Arriving in Nashville by river gives a view of the city most visitors never see: the downtown skyline rising above the Cumberland, the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge, and the stadium on the east bank. Riverboats dock close to downtown, within reach of Broadway and its live music. If your cruise ends here, plan at least one evening for music before you fly home.
Getting the Most From the Cumberland
- Choose a Nashville-ending itinerary if you want to stay on for the music.
- Read up on the Western Theater of the Civil War; Fort Donelson and Shiloh are on these routes.
- Bring binoculars for eagles and waterbirds on Lake Barkley.
The Cumberland Before Nashville
Before Nashville became Music City, the Cumberland was its lifeline. Settlers arrived by river in the 1780s, and steamboats later carried tobacco, cotton and passengers between Nashville and the Ohio. The lower river is now a mix of farmland, forest and the long reservoir of Lake Barkley, managed with locks and dams. Riverboat guests see it at an unhurried pace, often with a historian aboard to explain the river war of 1862, when Union gunboats on the Cumberland and Tennessee opened the way south.
Plan a Cumberland River Cruise
Our cruise advisors at Mister Cruise will compare routes that finish on the Cumberland, free.
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