We also have paddle steamer in the UK an old one and a few years ago I went on day trip on her from Folkestone down the Thames to Tower Bridge, they lowered Tower Bridge and then back to Folkestone.
http://www.waverleyexcursions.co.uk/
I’m sure that you would love a trip on some of the steamers on the Mississippi. They leave from near New Orleans and stop at plantations along the river.