American Cruise Tours Halted Indefinitely

 

You may have read that the main lock at Wilson Dam is closed indefinitely due to cracks. There will first be an inspection, then a plan formulated, and finally the repairs. It's unknown how long this will take, but obviously the time frame may involve years.

In the meantime, watercraft are using the smaller lock. Not only is this time consuming, but not all craft can navigate the older route. 

This brings us to the American Cruise riverboat tours. In 2023, the popular tour came to the Shoals 14 times; this year it was to have been 26 with the last scheduled for November 3rd, each with 175 passengers who spend money locally. Now the remaining tours have been rerouted due to the size of the riverboats.

We understand that there are no promises from the tour company that these tours will resume once the lock is repaired. There's so far been no word from tourism director Rob Carnegie on the situation.

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