The public is invited to come down to Winona's Levee park Thursday  to see the newest paddlewheeler on the river which will make its first stop in Winona.  Visit Winona says the "Queen of the Mississippi" is scheduled to dock at Winona's Levee Park from 2:30 to 6:00 p.m.
                  
The 150 passenger boat is making its maiden voyage on the upper Mississippi River to St. Paul.  The new "Queen" will be making four stops in Winona this fall. It will also stop on it way down river on Sunday, September 9th, at 11:00 a.m. Two other stops will take place on October 25th and 28th.  Visit Winona says the boat will make 10 stops in Winona in 2013.
                   
The official welcome mat will be rolled out Thursday for the boat's passengers who will be offered tours of various local attractions and the historic downtown area.  The public is also invited to stop down and welcome the boat and its passengers on Thursday, and again on Sunday starting at 11:00 a.m.

The boat is owned by American Cruise Lines and can travel at higher speeds than other Mississippi riverboats making it possible for longer trips.  Almost all of the staterooms feature private balconies with sliding glass doors, along with the Victorian style of the late 1880's Mississippi riverboats..