Business
City preparing for visits by paddlewheelers and Viking river cruises
A city council committee has approved agreements to let the big paddlewheelers and Viking river cruises dock at La Crosse’s Riverside Park.
The proposed agreements would let the large boats park at the levee over the next 20 years.
Jay Odegaard from the city park department says the deal would also allow La Crosse to bring in other large vessels, such as a ship used in World War II.
The American Queen and other paddleboats are expected later this summer. The Viking cruise ships begin stopping at La Crosse in August of next year, and the first cruise to include La Crosse is already sold out.
Odegaard says guaranteeing long-term parking arrangements is needed to get the large boats to come to La Crosse, in order to be competitive with other cities on the Mississippi.