Light Up Night Dinner Dance Cruise

Gateway Clipper is running its Light Up Night Dinner Dance Cruise on Saturday, November 21, a holiday dinner on the water that puts you right in the middle of the city's illuminated skyline. The night is built around a three-course menu, with vegetarian and gluten-free options available, and it's billed as the best seat for the fireworks that cap the evening. You'll spend the cruise watching the lights of downtown Pittsburgh from the river, with music and dancing to keep things moving between courses.

It's worth knowing who's behind it. The Gateway Clipper Fleet is a family-owned riverboat company that's been sailing the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio rivers since 1958, carrying more than 25 million passengers over the years. Their fleet is made up of paddlewheelers: the Empress (1966), Three Rivers Queen (2013), Princess (1999), Duchess (1975), and the open-air Countess (1977). They run sightseeing, dinner and dance, family and holiday cruises, along with private events and weddings. The Majestic has since retired.

Boarding is at the Gateway Clipper dock at Station Square, 350 W. Station Square Dr., just across from downtown. The vessel is cashless on board, so you'll want to bring a card, Apple Pay, or Google Pay. Veterans and active military ride free with a military ID, and you'll get a free ticket for any Three Rivers Sightseeing cruise included. Tickets are $157.12 per adult, all-in.