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The Belle of Louisville is a National Historic Landmark and a treasured icon to the city of Louisville. She is the only remaining steamboat of an era significant to our country's growth and the expansion that spurred the Industrial Revolution. The 1914 Belle is the oldest operating paddlewheel steamboat in the nation and holds the distinction of being the most traveled on the inland waters. She is steam powered by used engines (dating back to 1890's)that were put on her in 1914. With no modern navigation systems she is propelled only by her paddlewheel. She is a legend; a step back in time and will turn 100 years old in the year 2014. Her only modern feature was added in 2010 by air-conditioning the ballroom deck for summer cruising comfort, and heat for dockside events in the winter. The Spirit of Jefferson is a charming sister vessel to the Belle. She has HVAC and cruises year round.

Both vessels cruise the Ohio on a public schedule and private charter occassions. Call to discuss your event or check our cruise dates and times available on our website at www.belleoflouisville.org.

Riverside is the place to be when visiting Louisville. Cruise on our vessels, observe the beautiful Ohio, or walk to our award-winning Waterfront Park, just west of the Belle's docking area. Waterfront park includes playgrounds for people of all ages, grand views of the river, picnic spaces, and quiet places to read a book.

A special feature was dedicated in 2009; Lincoln Memorial Park with a spectacular bronze status of Abraham Lincoln as a welcoming figure, sitting on a rock with book in hand and gesturing as if to welcome visitors and engage them in conversation. The four bas reliefs, a form of sculpture in which objects project slightly from a background, represent Lincoln’s childhood home in Kentucky; his rise in society and politics; the terrible toll that the Civil War took on the nation and Lincoln’s own family; and a scene that represents what helped form Lincoln’s abhorrence of the institution of slavery.

A visit to Louisville is not complete without exploring all the river area has to offer.

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