Barbecue Lock & Dam Dinner Cruise

Gateway Clipper Fleet is running its Barbecue Lock & Dam Dinner Cruise on select Thursdays from July through October 2027, with the next sailing on Thursday, July 1. It's a 2.5-hour trip that pairs a barbecue buffet with a passage through one of the city's working river locks, which gives you an up-close look at the engineering that keeps river traffic moving. Between the lock and the buffet, there are waterfront views and a DJ on board.

If you've been around the river for a while, you probably know the fleet. It's a family-owned company that's been sailing the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio rivers since 1958, and they've carried more than 25 million passengers over the years. The fleet is made up of paddlewheelers—the Empress (1966), Duchess (1975), Countess (1979), Princess (1999), and Three Rivers Queen (2013)—all of which depart from Station Square, across the Monongahela from downtown. Longtime guests might still remember the company's classic dining cruises by their former names.

Boarding starts at 6:15 PM, and the cruise runs from 7:00 to 9:30 PM. Tickets are $62.37 per adult, all-in with taxes and fees included. Veterans and active military ride free, and groups of 15 or more save $2 per ticket on most public cruises. The boats leave from the Gateway Clipper dock at Station Square, 350 W. Station Square Dr., Pittsburgh, PA 15219.