Like a lot of fun and interesting things from years ago, your government has decided that they need to protect you from doing things (with some minimal risk) that you might enjoy.
YES - the Mississippi River did have a barge operator that took rigs with folks to interesting places (including the Intracoastal Waterway), with stops along the way. (We really enjoyed our adventure on the barge!)
BUT...the US Coast Guard decided that the 'rules' under which they operated did not sufficiently 'protect' the occupants - thus the new rules that have simply put that type of operation out of business.
Welcome to 2000! Our Brave New World!!