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Rising Star Casino Resort christens ferry from Rabbit Hash to Rising Sun Thursday, will open in August


Full House Resorts, Inc. President & CEO Dan Lee and local elected officials from Rabbit Hash and Boone County, Kentucky and Rising Sun and Ohio County, Indiana will welcome the arrival of Rising Star’s new ferry boat to Rising Sun, Indiana Thursday.

Rising Star Casino Resort in Rising Sun Indiana

Beginning in August, the approximate $1.7 million project will provide a vehicular ferry boat service from Rabbit Hash to Rising Sun. The new ferry boat service will shorten travel between Boone County and Rising Sun from approximately a one-hour drive to a ferry ride of just a few minutes.

Once the ferry boat service opens to the public, it will run every 15 minutes, seven (7) days per week (8 a.m. to 10 a.m., Sunday-Thursday and 8 a.m. to midnight on Friday and Saturday) and have a capacity of 10 vehicles. Cost for a ferry ride will be $5 for one-way and $8 for round-trip.

The new, custom built, top-of-the-line ferry boat, made specifically for the Rising Star. It is built of two components, the tug and the barge, which have been joined to make the ferry boat.

The Ferry Boat dock location in Rabbit Hash, Kentucky is located minutes from the Rabbit Hash General Store on Route 18. Exact locations can be found on Google maps with the coordinates: 38.958578, – 84.828967. Click to enlarge.

The tug boat was built in Bridge City, Texas, and arrived in Cincinnati late last year. Built in Jacksonville, Florida, the barge traveled its way up the Ohio River, making stops in Paducah and Louisville. The tug joined the barge in Louisville and the two were connected to become the completed ferry boat.  Connected in Louisville, the ferry is now traveling the remaining miles up the Ohio River to arrive in Rising Sun, Indiana.

“The ferry boat service will enhance visitation to Rising Start Casino Resort,” said Lee. “Our intention is to use the ferry boat to drive traffic to the beautiful towns of Rising Sun and Rabbit Hash, while providing more convenient access to our casino amenities from gaming, dining, golf and our hotels.”

The last ferry running from Rising Sun to Rabbit Hash discontinued service in 1948. It was destroyed by river ice that year, and its owners decided against buying a new one.

The 1948 ferry had served farmers in Northern Kentucky who took their crops to Rising Sun, where boats would pick them up. By 1948, more farmers were using trucks and taking their crops elsewhere, so the demand for a ferry service had declined.

The loss of the ferry severed the link between two communities that had once been closely connected. Now, Rising Sun and Rabbit Hash are once again only 2,000 feet apart, joined by Rising Star’s ferry service.

The name of the ferry will also be revealed Thursday.

The Ferry Boat dock location in Rising Sun, Indiana is located minutes from Rising Star Casino Resort past the Links Golf Course club house. Exact locations can be found on Google maps with the coordinates: 38.958053, -84.837282. Click to enlarge.

A naming contest took place from June 1, through July 2, with suggestions accepted at the Rising Star Casino website and Facebook page.

Location of the Ferry Boat Docks

The Ferry Boat dock location in Rising Sun, Indiana is located minutes from Rising Star Casino Resort past the Links Golf Course club house. Exact locations can be found on Google maps with the coordinates: 38.958053, -84.837282.

The Ferry Boat dock location in Rabbit Hash, Kentucky is located minutes from the Rabbit Hash General Store on Route 18. Exact locations can be found on Google maps with the coordinates: 38.958578, – 84.828967.

Full House Resorts owns, develops and operates gaming facilities throughout the country. The Company’s properties include Rising Star Casino Resort in Rising Sun, Indiana; Silver Slipper Casino and Hotel in Hancock County, Mississippi; Bronco Billy’s in Cripple Creek, Colorado; and Stockman’s Casino in Fallon, Nevada.

Full House Resorts


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