Whether you see it as a way to have a relaxing meal on the river with some dancing, or a the chance to take a voyage on a real pirate ship, the Belle of Cincinnati is docking in Ironton Friday and offering three ways to see the Ohio River.

Captain of the steamboat, Alan Bernstein, said the cruises are a great opportunity to get out on the river, especially if you have never been able to.

“We do a little bit of sight seeing, a little bit of history about the river and certainly about the boat,” Bernstein said.

The first cruise is a lunch time cruise that departs at noon and returns at 2 p.m. The second is a sightseeing cruise from 3:30-5 p.m. and the last cruise of the day is a dinner cruise from 7:30-9:30 p.m.

There are ticket prices that include lunch or dinner, or a cruise-only price that does not include a meal.

“It’s a very relaxing and enjoyable thing to do,” Bernstein said.

Bernstein said this is the first year the Belle of Cincinnati had been able to do public cruises in Ironton. For the past several years, the Ironton–Lawrence County Community Action Organization has held its annual dinner fundraiser on the Belle.

For those who choose the lunch or sightseeing cruises, Bernstein said a retelling of how the Belle became an official pirate ship would be on the agenda.

“It’s a funny story about how we became officially designated by the United States Coast Guard, a pirate boat,” he said.

To make reservations for one of Friday’s cruises or to see pricing, call 1-800-261-8586 or visit www.bbriverboats.com.

“With all the things that are going on in the world today and all the bad news that you get, when you get out on the river,” Bernstein said, “Things sort of just go away and you get a chance to be clam and relax and have a good time.”

If you go:

Lunch cruise: 12-2 p.m.

• Adults: $27.95, Seniors: $26.95,

Children: $19.95

Sightseeing cruise: 3:30-5 p.m.

• Adults: $15, Seniors: $13.50, Children: $8

Dinner cruise: 7:30-9:30 p.m.

• Adults: $34.95, Seniors: $33.95, Children: $19.95