chattanooga riverboat lunch cruise

Southern Belle Riverboat Cruise

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Southern Belle Riverboat Cruise - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024) - Tripadvisor

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Southern belle riverboat.

Welcome to the Pride of The South and one of the Best Chattanooga Attractions - The Southern Belle Riverboat! Take a great Chattanooga Cruise along The Scenic Tennessee River while enjoying one of our fabulous Dinner Cruises, Daily Lunch Cruises, Sightseeing Cruises or our Sunday Brunch Cruise. This is a vacation experience you won't want to miss! The most exciting Chattanooga events are happening at Pier 2 @ The Landing - one of the Best Wedding Sites in Chattanooga, TN. The banquet facilities are perfect for your receptions, next family reunion or any up coming events in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

201 Riverfront Pkwy. Pier 2 Chattanooga , TN 37402

For the most up-to-date hours and information, please contact Southern Belle Riverboat directly.

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Fall Foliage Lunch Cruise

Quick Details

• Clock Duration: 3 hours
• User Ages: 3+

Tennessee River Autumn Lunch Cruise

• Live entertainment
• One-time-through buffet featuring roasted beef, lemon basil chicken, baby red potatoes, mixed green vegetables, mixed green salad, dinner roll, dessert, sweet tea, water, and coffee
• The Southern Belle Riverboat takes you on a three-hour cruise to the famous Tennessee River Gorge, also known as the Grand Canyon of the South, to see nature’s brilliant canvas of vivid fall colors.
• You are outside on the open-air third deck, so dress accordingly!
• Concessions available for purchase
• Pilot house tours
• Live narration
• Two flights of stairs required – no elevator

Related Cruises

• Clock 3 hours

Fall Foliage Sightseeing Cruise

The Southern Belle Riverboat takes you on a three-hour cruise to the famous Tennessee River Gorge. See nature’s brilliant canvas of vivid fall colors.

• Users Groups of 40+
• Clock 2 hours

Grand Chandelier Dinner and Sunset Cruise

Enjoy a scenic cruise on the Tennessee River and watch the sunset after a buffet-style dinner featuring prime rib, shrimp, and more!

Southern Belle Riverboat Cruise

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Similar Experiences

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Southern Belle Riverboat Cruise - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go - Visiting Tips (2024)

Southern Belle Riverboat Cruise

• See all photos

Similar Experiences

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Southern Belle Riverboat Cruise - All You MUST Know Before You Go (2024)

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Chattanooga River Cruises

See downtown chattanooga from a riverboat.

• User All Ages
• Hour Glass 1.5 hours

Sightseeing Cruise

The southern belle riverboat.

See Chattanooga from the beautiful Tennessee River. The best sightseeing tour in all of Chattanooga. All the way to Lookout Mountain, under the bridges.

Sunset Cruise

The best sunset cruise in all of Chattanooga. Since 1985 the Southern Belle Riverboat has had a simple mission: to provide a unique and spectacular experience of the beautiful city of Chattanooga.

See the Sights of the Tennessee River

Chattanooga’s location in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains along the Tennessee River makes it the perfect setting for a beautiful river cruise .

As one of the most biologically diverse areas in the country, the Tennessee River Gorge is a must-visit destination for out of town guests and locals who want to play tourist for a day. The best way to see the sights of the Tennessee River is on a Chattanooga riverboat cruise !

Cruise on a Luxury Riverboat

Chattanooga riverboats date all the way back to the 1800s when they played a key role in transporting freight and passengers to riverside towns. Today, taking a sunset dinner cruise on a Chattanooga riverboat is like stepping back in time. You’re sure to enjoy the romance and spectacle of these impressive, multi-story riverboats. Sightseeing cruises offer a unique look at downtown Chattanooga, with many opportunities to spot wildlife along the riverbank. Be on the lookout for bird species (over 200 of them!), especially bald eagles.

Reminisce on simpler times as you relax aboard a dinner cruise and take in the amazing views along the river. Multi-course dinners are a wonderful way to celebrate a special occasion or just share a memorable moment with family and loved ones. Book a Chattanooga sunset cruise to watch the sun sink over the water as you admire the scenery. Whether you cruise by day or night, floating along the Tennessee River is an experience you’ll cherish for years to come.

Book your Chattanooga river cruise online today.

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Chattanooga Travel Cruises the Tennessee River

Downtown chattanooga aboard river boats, catamarans, & ducks.

Chattanooga travel isn’t complete without the Tennessee River. Visitors cruise the downtown waterfront in amphibious vehicles, jet-propelled catamarans, and riverboats.

Whether visitors encounter downtown Chattanooga while strolling across the Walnut Street Bridge or taking a guided cruise, the beautiful Tennessee River that winds its way through the heart of the Scenic City is bound to be a Chattanooga travel highlight. Adventurous guests tour the river on one of the Chattanooga Ducks, a WWII amphibious landing vehicle. Other visitors enjoy a hearty meal on the Southern Belle River Boat. Guests interested in the area’s history and abundant wildlife book tours on the Aquarium’s River Gorge Explorer or the Blue Moon.

Chattanooga Travel and Duck Tours

Families board a renovated WWII amphibious landing vehicle for a tour that begins on the streets of downtown Chattanooga. Suddenly, their Duck speeds down a ramp straight toward the Tennessee River, and with a splash, the bus becomes a boat. Guides detail the history and point out wildlife on the Tennessee riverfront as well as MacLellan Island.

Chattanooga Travel and Cruises on the Southern Belle Riverboat

Several times a day, visitors to downtown Chattanooga hear the happy sound of a calliope. The cheerful tunes cause families to pause while enjoying the Aquarium’s plaza, strolling across Walnut Street Bridge, playing in Coolidge Park’s fountain, or hiking along the riverfront and scan the channel for the familiar sight of Chattanooga’s riverboat, the Southern Belle.

The riverboat has become a favorite Chattanooga attraction. Families stream onto the vessel for either of two hour-and-a-half sight-seeing cruises each day. These tours narrate the fascinating history surrounding the river. The Southern Belle also serves a buffet lunch allowing families to catch a bite and see the sights.

The Southern Belle’s prime rib dinner cruises are a great opportunity for families to enjoy a fancier meal and live entertainment on the water. For couples wanting a romantic date on the river, the Southern Belle offers a fabulous meal served on the Pier 2 restaurant and then a moonlight cruise complete with music and dancing.

Tennessee Aquarium and the River Gorge Explorer

In 2008, the Tennessee Aquarium launched a tour allowing families to glimpse the abundant wildlife of the Tennessee River outside the Aquariums two four-story buildings. Guests board a catamaran propelled by water jets to be transported into Tennessee’s Grand Canyon, the 27,000-acre river gorge.

A naturalist from the aquarium is aboard to help guests identify the wide variety of plant and animal life in the gorge. Swimming groups of whitetail deer, wild turkey on William’s Island, circling hawks, nesting osprey, playful river otters, muskrats, and beavers are all commonly spotted from the deck of the River Gorge Explorer.

Guides aboard the River Gorge Explorer give equal attention to the area’s fascinating history. With engaging stories, they narrate the history of the Native American tribes who lived along the river, the early settlers who braved the gorge’s turbulent shoals, and the Civil War battles fought on the Tennessee River’s banks.

To save money, families can purchase combination tickets to visit the Tennessee Aquarium and take a ride on the River Gorge Explorer. Triple combination tickets are available for adding a movie on the ten-story high screen of Chattanooga’s Imax Theater.

Chattanooga Travel and Blue Moon Cruises

March through December the Blue Moon, a 71-foot riverboat, also takes visitors into the heart of the Tennessee River Gorge. Breathtaking natural beauty waits to be explored in this 26,000-acre canyon spanning 26 miles of the Tennessee River. Guides point out great blue herons, kingfishers, hawks, and eagles. Nearly 200 species of birds are native to this Gorge.

Local history and legends are also recounted for guests on the Blue Moon. Visitors travel to one of the 6 known sacred places of the Cherokees, the home to their Maker of Thunder. Guests follow the once perilous path of the first Tennessee settlers. Visitors trace the path of the Cherokee Indians who were forced from their homeland on boats through the gorge. Guests hear of the soldiers who fought along the gorge as the trip takes them near such battle sites as Lookout Mountain, Moccasin Bend, Brown’s Ferry, Kelly’s Ferry, William’s Island, the Haley Trace, and Signal Point. Guests also learn of Chattanooga’s industrial past as they pass by an abandoned coal mine.

From late December to late February, the Blue Moon offers tours of the Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge. Visitors glimpse some of the 10,000 sandhill cranes that touch down on Hiwassee Island as a stop on their winter migration. Over twenty bald eagles also choose the wildlife refuge as a winter home. One pair has added to their nest for ten years, allowing guests to marvel at the six-foot, one-ton eagle nest.

Visitors who enjoy the breath-taking sights of the Tennessee River will be excited to come ashore for some of the Scenic City’s most popular attractions. Destinations continuing the theme of Chattanooga’s amazing history and natural beauty include the Tennessee Aquarium , Rock City, and downtown Chattanooga.

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We offer a variety of Lunch & Dinner Cruises along with sightseeing-only tickets.

How to organize a Wedding Event on Cruise

Weddings onboard the “Star of Knoxville” riverboat are a most unique and distinctive choice for your wedding. We can provide complete arrangements for the most intimate of weddings to the most elaborate, accommodating anywhere from 2 to 110 for a ceremony and reception and up to 200 for a reception only. The vessel is equipped with 2 full bars, a dance floor, and band stage. The open air observation deck is ideal for an outdoor setting. Our main interior is fully air conditioned and heated, for a great dining and entertainment experience and is a perfect choice for the most important day of your life. From black tie events to very casual, the atmosphere is right for any occasion. The beautiful Tennessee River proves to be the most romantic, enchanting, and memorable atmosphere in East Tennessee. You and your guests will be mesmerized by scenery and fully entertained during any of our cruise.

Cruises for 2024 are now open for reservations

The historic tennessee river.

The Tennessee River is one of the most beautiful rivers you will ever cruise. While cruising, you will enjoy one of the most breathtaking views in Knoxville. Not only will you see some of the history of the river, you will most certainly be relaxed by the river’s beauty.

Tennessee Riverboat Staff