The name reflects it, and the itineraries operate largely within it. Now, American Cruise Lines has announced a partnership with Smithsonian.com to help promote all things American, including a renewed focus on the country’s rich culture, literature and history.

“As the premium provider of American river cruises, we knew immediately this joint initiative was a perfect match,” said Timothy Beebe, vice president of American Cruise Lines. “We have a long standing relationship with Smithsonian.com and this allows us to combine two ideologies which aim to promote the beauty and history of this country.”

American Cruise Lines is partnering on a new initiative dubbed Exploring the American Experience. Running online at Smithsonian.com for three months, online components will include articles and custom videos designed to transport readers back in time to allow them to retrace the steps of Lewis & Clark (in line with the company’s Columbia & Snake River offerings), or take a tour of Louis Armstrong’s New Orleans or learn the amazing true history behind Herman Melville’s famous novel, Moby Dick.

“We hope people understand that our very goal as a provider of domestic river cruises is to offer a unique way for people to “Explore the American Experience,” continues Beebe. “We couldn’t have asked for a more strategic and compelling partnership than this one with Smithsonian.com.”

The program seems to be the ideal partnership for American Cruise Lines, which bases its fleet of nimble riverboats and small cruise ships throughout the United States. The line offers sailings to Alaska, the Pacific Northwest, the famed Mississippi River, and along the eastern seaboard of the United States, traversing from Maine to Florida.

American Cruise Lines also has two authentic paddlewheelers operating on the Mississippi and Columbia rivers, with another four on order.

More information on American Cruise Lines and its river cruise offerings can be found by viewing our company profile here on River Cruise Advisor.