Webbspun Ideas: Cumberland River

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Dragon Boat Race hats at the Threadventures booth Saturday!

Don't forget the Dragon Boat Race starts early Saturday at around 9:00am. Be sure to visit the Threadventures booth at Riverfront Park and get your official Dragon Boat & River Festival hat.

Visit the Threadventures website to see more about what can be done for you.
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http://www.threadventuresemb.com/

Friday, February 15, 2008

Blue Heron Cruises and their eagle nest cruises

Blue Heron Cruises launches its seventh season in business with 3-hour Eagle Nest Cruises on the Cumberland River.

Wildlife lovers will get the thrill of a lifetime by cruising within close (and ecologically respectful) range of an active eagle nest. The mated adults may be seen soaring, swooping, perching on the nest, or even feeding the fledglings. This is the best local guided tour of bald eagles and their territory.

Three-hour eagle nest tours board at 1 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday, February 16th through March 31st. Ticket prices are $12 for adults and $10 for ages 2-12; prices include free hot beverages. Passengers are encouraged to bring binoculars and bird identification guides, and to dress warmly.

The Blue Heron 24-passenger pontoon boat is partially enclosed and heated with a restroom onboard. Many passengers eat before or after their cruise at the boat’s host dock, Riverview Restaurant and Marina, 110 Old River Road in Ashland City, Tennessee.

Reservations are required and may be made by calling 385-7007. Photos of the boat and wildlife may be viewed at blueheroncruises.com.

Friday, November 16, 2007

A New Ferry on the Tennessee River

It’s been nearly five years since a ferry connected Tennessee 147 and West and Middle Tennessee across Kentucky Lake — part of the Tennessee River — at the Big Sandy area. But today the Tennessee Department of Transportation resumed toll-ferry service there with a small ceremony.

The ferry will operate 365 days a year, from 5:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Residents of Benton, Henry, Stewart and Houston counties — those most expected to use it — will pay 75 cents for a round-trip. Others will pay $2. A person without a vehicle can cross for 50 cents. The state, which owns the ferry barge and contracts with a private marine service to operate it, will subsidize the service.

Although ferries were once a fixture on Tennessee rivers, this will be only the second passenger-vehicle ferry now operating in the state. The other is only about 30 miles away, over the Cumberland River near Cumberland City, according to TDOT spokeswoman Julie Oaks.

"This service will not only save passengers time and money, it will also offer greater economic opportunities for the entire region,” said TDOT Commissioner Gerald Nicely said Friday.

Stat Sen. Roy Herron and Reps. Butch Borchert and John Tidwell, who represent the area, and local officials from Benton and Houston Counties christened the ferry with bottles of sparkling cider Friday morning to officially launch the new service – the first at the location since January 2002.

A crossing takes about seven minutes each way. Passengers will have to wait no more than half an hour for service across the river, TDOT said.

The ferry will hold up to 22 passengers, plus crew members, and can carry six light trucks and two compact cars, or eight medium size cars, or one empty tractor trailer.

The captain and crew are certified and licensed by the U.S. Coast Guard, TDOT said.