Southern Belle Riverboat
201 Riverfront Pkwy, Chattanooga, TN 37402, USAAbout
Location :
Added by Jopie, at 19 May 2017
Opening Hours
- Monday 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM
- Tuesday 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM
- Wednesday 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM
- Thursday 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM
- Friday 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM
- Saturday 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM
- Sunday 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM
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14 Reviews
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28 December 2017
My family got to enjoy a lunch cruise about the riverboat. Our first impression was to be nervous because of the large number of people boarding but that was met with swift kindness and order provided by the staff. We were guided to our seats and then off on our voyage we went. The food provided was amazing and the lines went quickly. Following lunch there was live entertainment to suit your needs or you could explore the vessel. My children loved meeting the captain and steering the boat. The captain we had that day was a great man who took plenty of time explaining to guests how things operated. Upon our return to the dock the staff was once again great in aiding the exit of the boat. The dining quarters were clean and all walkways were debris free. Would love to make another trip to ride the riverboat maybe for dinner the next time.
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28 December 2017
We rode the Southern Belle again for a field trip with my sons class. The trip is fun and interactive, but “dinner” was supposed to be part of the deal and all we got was pizza, bread and salad that was smothered in a creamy dressing and CHEESE! I am vegan, sensitive to yeast and lactose intolerance, so no chance I’m eating cheese or bread. When they said “dinner” I assumed we would order from a menu but there were no options at all. Lots of people have lactose or gluten allergies, which would cancel out everything even if I didn’t choose to be vegan. It may have been a miscommunication and I would have been fine if it would have been clear that I needed to pre-eat.
Everything else was great though. It was clean and the kids had a blast.response / report this review -
16 December 2017
We love the Southern Belle. The folks are very friendly, going out of their way to meet needs. It was on a Southern Belle cruise that I learned to love prime rib! But last night’s prime rib left a lot to be desired. I was disappointed only in that. Otherwise, the cheesecake was delicious, and our shrimp and cheese plates (in lieu of wine) were fantastic. We met and talked to new friends and laughed a lot. Thank you for the experience.
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09 December 2017
The atmosphere was very pleasant and every member of the crew was friendly and helpful. The food was excellent. This trip was a little different as it was cold but had snow which added a Christmas spirit to the cruise. Music was a little disappointing but all in all it was worth it.
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28 October 2017
Do not waste your money on this cruise or the dinner. It is not worth the $1500!!! While the crew was nice, the band was okay. What the Southern Bell does not tell you - nor do they picture it properly on their website - is they have you line up on the beautiful Southern Bell and then file you in to a smaller river boat which is docked next to the larger Southern Bell. The boat they use for the tour is desperately in need of cleaning, repairs and updates. VERY MISLEADING ON THEIR ADVERTISING.
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24 October 2017
Do not waste your money on this cruise or the reserved lunch. It is not worth the $160!!! While the crew was nice, the band was the BEST part of this tour. What the Southern Bell does not tell you - nor do they picture it properly on their website - is they have you line up on the beautiful Southern Bell and then file you in to a smaller river boat which is docked next to the larger Southern Bell. The boat they use for the tour is desperately in need of cleaning, repairs and updates. It smells awful!!!
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22 October 2017
My brother in law booked us a nice dinner here for my sister’s birthday. Our “guaranteed window seat” had us faced away from the window. A waiter asked if we wanted a sweet tea to drink and we declined asking for water. He said “no sweet tea then?” and walked away. We didn’t receive water for 30 minutes after that. The bartender had no idea what she was doing and we almost missed the line for the buffet (because you only get to get up and get food once!). The food was terrible. Plain white rice, plain salad, unseasoned red potato halves, unseasoned green beans, fatty and bloody undercooked “prime rib”, which was just a glorified roast. The bottle of wine he paid $50 extra for was 4 small bottles of the cheapest sugary wine they had. And we received 2 wine glasses for 4 people. The music was depressing and the decor severely dated. Extremely disappointing for the money spent.
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16 October 2017
Really enjoyed this ride. It was just long enough and we really lucked out on how beautiful the day was to do this. It ride down the river was very beautiful and peaceful and the ride back up the river was really cool because of the captain and his fun facts about where you are, what is around, how it has changed, the history behind everything, and some ecology about the area. Don't trust the dates and times available for each cruise on their website, as they have much more than what is listed. You might want to call instead of relying on it.
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08 October 2017
Beautiful experience on the Southern Belle and the owners are fantastic. I recommend the dinner cruise. Excellent Prime Rib and drinks. Entertaining, or just go up on deck and enjoy the sunset. It’s a life experience that you will never forget. Reasonably priced, too. Check Groupon for better price tickets if it’s out of your price range. You won’t regret your memories of taking a historic cruise on the curving rivers along the coast of Tennessee.
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01 July 2017
Beautiful boat ride down the tennessee river. The staff were very nice. The food was great. It is not 5 star, but what these other people are forgetting is they are getting a 2 hour boat ride. other restaurants have better food, but they are not cruising down the river serving you. It's a fantastic deal, you get a 2 hour boat ride for $45. with this $45 you also get live entertainment, a full meal of Prime Rib, shrimp creole, mixed veggies, potatoes, and a salad with a dinner roll, and a cheesecake for dessert. If you go to a restaurant that meal with 3 sides a roll and dessert is going to run you close to $30 dollars plus tip. so basically you're getting a 2 hour cruise for $9. but you cant think of it that way because their competitors in town charge $32 for an hour and half cruise. So really the cruise by itself, with no food and entertainment, is worth $40. For the money it is fantastic. The cruise is so relaxing. $76 cruise for $45.
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26 June 2017
My husband and I visited Chattanooga recently and took the riverboat cruise. We were welcomed nicely and were guided to the third floor deck. There were supposed to be misters to keep us cool. They weren't on when we got there and were not turned on until forty minutes into the cruise. The spray heads were rusty. There was a day camp group eating lunch in the dining hall. We didn't know but after they ate lunch, they were coming up to the 3rd deck. There were approximately 30/35 kids. The activity and chatter of the kids made it impossible to hear the announcements of the sights. It would have been nice to know the camp was going to be there, perhaps we would have taken a later cruise.
Something else that disturbed us was the comments that the announcer was making. "These are million dollar homes that we will never be able to live in." Does he think that black children that are in a daycamp cannot succeed? Horrible racist comments. Not appropriate for a sight seeing tour. He went into a "rant" for several minutes that had nothing to do with the history of the sight seeing places of interest. At this point, we couldn't wait to get off the boat. We went inside and down to the exit doors and waited 10 more minutes for the boat to dock and were the first ones off. Not worth the money you charge.
Sincerely,
Helen Nicholsonresponse / report this review -
22 June 2017
Really cool experience, would recommend to anyone, family and couples alike! They have an old casino barge as their dockside vessel that holds the gift shop and the dockside bar and grill and the commercial kitchen that they cater out of! I've been on some where you board outside in the weather, this is way better than those. The riverboat ride itself is so relaxing, the captain and the crew are so accommodating and friendly! Y'all def need to sit back and relax on the southern belle!
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01 June 2017
My family had a fabulous experience aboard the Southern Belle. We were blown away by every aspect of the evening, from the time we stepped aboard until departure. The food was served hot, fresh and absolutely delicious! I would be remiss if I failed to highlight the stellar service of the staff; Shelley, Mark and the entire crew, from the captain in the wheel house right down to the gift shop clerk. The experience of the romantic river cruise is amazing, and these people represented the Southern Belle in such a beautiful manner, making our cruise all the better. Thanks to his fine-tuned crew that pour themselves into making sure your customers are pampered, our friends from Chicago have now witnessed true southern hospitality.
Chattanooga has so much to offer, and the experience would not be complete without an evening cruise down the Tennessee River aboard the Southern Belle! We can't wait until our next visit!response / report this review -
26 May 2017
The Southern Belle Riverboat is so much fun for tourists and Chattanooga locals! The sightseeing cruise is entertaining and full of history. I love taking visitors on the riverboat when they're in town. On my last trip, the captain even let us into his wheelhouse to get a unique view of the boat and river! There's a concession stand on the open-air deck that has drinks and snacks. I've also attended private cruises and they're always the most fun and memorable events. Very friendly crew and beautiful boat!
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