* Location: 151 Riverfront Parkway, and all along the Tennessee River
* Online: chattanoogariverboat.com
* History: The Southern Belle Riverboat was designed by marine architect Captain Alan L. Bates and built in 1985 at the Serodino Boat Yards in Guild, Tennessee, which is about 25 miles downriver from Chattanooga. The riverboat was eventually sold to John Goldfine, of Duluth, Minnesota, and relied on key employees at the riverboat, including Captain Vince Vita and Joy Reinert. Vita was general manager until he left in 2007 and passed the job on to Reinert. In 2011, Joe and Joy Reinert purchased the Southern Belle for $2.6 million from owner ZMC Hotels, capping a 26-year career of service on board the well-known tourist attraction. The Reinerts have worked in nearly every role as part of the crew as far back as March 1986 when Joy joined the crew.
* Services: The Southern Belle cruises year-round and carries well over 100,000 passengers per year. The Southern Belle Riverboat has daily sightseeing cruises, lunch cruises, and dinner cruises as well as private charters. The company has expanded into 2 vessels, a grand banquet hall on the second deck of its dockside vessel, and a full-service restaurant above that.
* From the owners: The Southern Belle Riverboat started out with a simple vision: Give a great guest experience of Chattanooga, show everyone the beauty of the river, and give everyone a different perspective of the city of Chattanooga. That message is still the same, the boat crew at The Southern Belle Riverboat still strives to give our very valued guest a great cruise, great service, and a great experience.
