Along the thousands of meandering river miles plied by the American Queen paddlewheel steamboat, Vicksburg is a favorite stopping point, said the chief executive officer of the company that bought the boat, refurbished it and put it back on the water.

“Vicksburg is the single most important Civil War site that we reach,” Jeffrey Krida said Tuesday, when the American Queen docked at City Front for the first time in 3½ years. The boat visits other Civil War sites, but none played as crucial a role as Vicksburg, site of the battles and siege for control of the Mississippi River, he said.

“For people to see that and experience it is important to their understanding of the Civil War,” said Krida, familiar with river towns and travel from his years as president of the old Delta Queen Steamboat Company in the 1990s. “It’s also advantageous to us geographically, being halfway between New Orleans and Memphis.”

Despite the steady rain that greeted the American Queen’s arrival — 2.4 inches of rain fell in the city Tuesday — the enthusiasm of its 436 passengers was not deterred.

“Vicksburg is very impressive,” said Jim Wetton, a San Diego native who, with his wife, Darlene, was traveling on the river for the first time. The Wettons took a basic tour of the city by bus before setting aside the afternoon for a longer tour of the Vicksburg National Military Park.

The American Queen is the largest steamboat ever built and includes an authentic steam-operated calliope.

Great American spent about $6 million rebuilding the engine, refitting the electrical system and restoring the paddlewheel, Krida said.

Interior areas of the boat also were spruced up, but superior furnishings such as English wool rugs and polished mahogany furniture and trim meant little restoration was needed. “Ninety percent is the way it looked when it was built in 1995,” he said.

“We took the best features of 1800s steamboats and incorporated them into the design of this boat to make it as authentic as possible,” said Bebe Williams, cruise consultant.

“It’s fun, it’s elegant,” said Glenda Lile, 68, of Prineville, Ore. “The cities have been exceptional.”

Husband Arkle Lile, 74, agreed. “The South has been very impressive,” he said. “It’s like getting back to how America used to be.”

From Texas, sisters Sally Harris, Brenda Kenyon, Linda Montgomery and Deborah Mitchell drank cappuccinos and played Hand and Foot in the Mark Twain Gallery. All are repeat cruisers, with Harris and Montgomery having taken 15 trips on the American Queen and its former sister vessel, the Mississippi Queen. Kenyon is a 10-time river veteran and Mitchell has been eight times.

The gallery is one of several common rooms where passengers can be found reading, checking email on laptop computers, visiting and playing games.

The American Queen boasts a formal dining room along with several other alternative meal sites, a sun deck, workout facilities, gift and book shop and entertainment theater.

A “riverlorian” also travels onboard to give informal history talks and teach passengers how to read the river’s mile markers, Williams said.

Vicksburg Mayor Paul Winfield was presented with a plaque honoring Vicksburg as a port of call for the American Queen. The plaque was made from a old paddlewheel plank and a section of rope that had been used to tie the boat up at city docks. It was presented by a Mark Twain lookalike.

“It’s great,” Winfield said of the Queen’s return. “This is a great mode of transportation from a historical perspective, and for Vicksburg it will be a great boost to tourism.”

Great American Steamboat’s itineraries for 2012 include the lower Mississippi from New Orleans to Memphis, upper Mississippi to St. Paul, Minn., and the Ohio and Tennessee rivers.

The American Queen will dock again here Monday on its way to Memphis, with a number of other stops set for May, June, November and December. Civil War-themed cruises will depart or disembark at Vicksburg in August.

When asked what he’d like to see when the American Queen returns, Krida smiled and said, “Less rain.”