Belle is #StillSteamyat110 Years Old!
Belle of Louisville Riverboats invites community to join the landmark birthday celebration of Louisville’s legendary lady
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (July 23, 2024) – This October, the historic Belle of Louisville turns 110 years old – and the community is invited to help celebrate the River City’s floating treasure – and the world’s oldest operating Mississippi River-style steamboat.
“We are counting down to October with 110 days of celebrations, promotions and new events to honor the Belle’s long, storied legacy,” said Krista Snider, CEO of Belle of Louisville Riverboats.
The community can help celebrate Louisville’s legendary lady in several ways, and earn chances to win special Belle of Louisville merchandise or experiences:
- Share a Story – the Belle has been a true ambassador for the city, entertaining and educating more than 12 million passengers from all over the world, including many celebrities and dignitaries. She’s played a key role in helping create countless core memories and special stories, such as the many proms, memorable teen dances, engagements, weddings and birthdays that her passengers have celebrated onboard. Anyone with a story is invited to share it via email to 110days@belleoflouisville.org, and the stories will be featured on the Belle of Louisville Riverboats social media and at belleoflouisville.org/110days.
- Find the ‘Belle in the Wild’ – from murals, commercials, coffee table books and public artwork, to framed photos, decor and company logos, you don’t have to look far to find the iconic Belle around the community. She’s everywhere! Find the iconic riverboat, snap a photo and post it online with #BelleintheWild, or email photos to 110days@belleoflouisville.org.
- Join the celebration on social media by exploring and using the hashtag #StillSteamyAt110 on Facebook and Instagram.
In addition, a number of special events and promotions are set during the 110 days of celebration.
- Admiral’s Dinner – we have reimagined the Captain’s Dinner to become a more intimate and exclusive experience including a tour with Master Captain Mark Doty and crew, a buffet dinner, your choice of wine and live entertainment. Join us Saturday, September 14, 6 to 9 p.m.
- “Riverboat Gamblers, Rogues & Ne’er-do-wells” – a brand new event night inspired by the Golden Age of Steamboats featuring card games from the period, historically-inspired food and cocktails. Join us Saturday, October 12, 7 to 10 p.m.
- Annual Pass – for a limited time, BOLR is offering unlimited leisure cruising for a special rate of $110 for the milestone birthday year.
More About the Belle’s History
Commissioned by the West Memphis Packet Co. and built in Pittsburgh by James Rees & Sons, the Belle was launched as the Idlewild on October 18, 1914, in Memphis, Tenn. In her Idlewild days, from 1914 to 1947, she served as a ferryboat between Memphis and West Memphis, Arkansas, transporting people and cargo. In the 1930s, she did a stint here in the Louisville area, transporting passengers between two amusement parks – Fontaine Ferry (located near what is today Shawnee Park) and Rose Island, about 14 miles upriver near Charlestown, Ind. In this era, she also served as USO on the Mississippi River.
From 1948 to 1962, she was known as the Avalon and traveled the Western River system (the Mississippi River basin) many times over and became the most widely traveled steamboat of her kind in American history. In 1962, the Avalon was purchased at an auction in Cincinnati by the Jefferson County Fiscal Court for $34,000. The Belle was intended to be a symbol of the River City, an amenity for the community, and a way to reconnect it to the river that created it.
Initial plans for the Belle included making her a dockside museum, a banquet hall, a restaurant-night club in addition to excursions. In the first few decades of operation, the Belle was successful operating as simply an excursion boat. The cruises alone proved so popular, especially for tourists, that the other ideas never gained traction.
Sixty years later, the organization has returned to its original mission of reconnecting the community to the river by establishing Belle of Louisville Riverboats as a cultural heritage icon– sharing diverse stories of the river and Louisville’s history through on-the-water experiences that feature live music, history, engaging programs, food and spirits, the arts and cultural partners.
Over the last 60 years, the Belle has been a true ambassador of the River City, entertaining and educating more than 12 million passengers from all over the world, including many celebrities and dignitaries. For many Louisvillians today, Belle of Louisville Riverboats is their first and perhaps only experience on the river.
About the Belle of Louisville Riverboats
Belle of Louisville Riverboats (BOLR) consists of three vessels: the Belle of Louisville, the last remaining Mississippi River-style steamboat in the world; the Mary M. Miller, named after a Louisvillian who was the first female licensed steamboat captain in the U.S. in 1884; and the Mayor Andrew Broaddus, originally a life-saving station and today a wharf boat that serves as the hub of operations for both passenger vessels. Both the Belle (which remains purely steam-powered and paddlewheel-propelled) and the Broaddus are National Historic Landmarks and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The boats are docked at Louisville’s Fourth Street Wharf, adjacent to Waterfront Park, and provide community access to the river and to Louisville’s history by presenting meaningful and engaging experiences on the water, like no one else can. Passengers are encouraged to explore history, the arts and cultural heritage in a way that represents diverse stories and honest experiences.