Captain’s Log

My name is Woods Martin and I am currently a college student. I was born in Louisville, Kentucky in July of 2004. I am currently studying history and political science at Bellarmine University. I am going into my junior year and am also currently interning with the Belle of Louisville Riverboats. Did you know that…

As told to Heather Funk Gotlib, Outreach Manager If you’re here, you probably know about the steam calliope. It’s a REALLY loud organ-type instrument that steamboats would have back in the day in order to announce their presence before the Internet. They’d start playing when they got close to a destination, and you can hear…

Photos of Chet from his collection. Courtesy of the family of Chester Foster.  At the end of June, Belle of Louisville Riverboats was gifted an album belonging to one of the first engineers of the Belle era, Chester “Chet” Foster. We were so excited to get the chance to digitize this collection, which spanned fifty…

The Belle is Back in Time to Beat the Heat! Louisville’s beloved steamboat returns to the water June 26 for her first cruise of the 2025 season LOUISVILLE, Ky. (June 25, 2025) – As temperatures soar across the region, the Belle of Louisville is cruising back just in time to offer a breezy escape on…

Photo: Attendees disembarking from the Idlewild. Courtesy of Grand Ole Opry Archives The Grand Ole Opry on the Belle of Louisville In the summer of 1946, the Grand Ole Opry broadcast their show to over 130 NBC radio stations across the country from the Belle of Louisville – then known as the Idlewild – on…

We can’t help noticing the weekend nights when groups line up, dressed to the nines and equipped with veils and sashes. It looks like the secret is out: Belle of Louisville Riverboats is the place to go for one of the most unique bachelorette party experiences you can have in Louisville! Planning a bachelorette party…

Steamboats were a popular place for entertainment throughout the years that they ruled America’s rivers. From the raucous showboats of the 1800s to the floating USO nightclubs of the World War II era, one of the best options for live music was on the water. The Belle of Louisville (and the Mary M. Miller) were…

 Last month, the Belle of Louisville Riverboats began recording a new oral history collection from long-standing staff members and veterans of the boats. You may know Kadie Engstrom from her fantastic narration on history cruises, or perhaps you remember her from a school visit as an educator! Kadie has worked with the Belle of Louisville…

In 1914, the West Memphis Packet Company commissioned the Idlewild. They had selected the best company in the United States to build the ferryboat they planned to use to transport people and goods across the Mississippi, James Rees and Sons of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Anyone who has been on the Belle has heard this much, but…

Kids on the Belle, 110 years after it was first launched. The first experience of the Belle for many people is as a child, on a field trip. We love bringing school groups aboard every spring, and watching them look around in wonder. It’s some of their first experience on a boat, and for…

It may look peaceful now, but the Falls of the Ohio were once the most dangerous part of the Ohio River. This stretch consisted of 2.5 miles of whitewater rapids that split river navigation in half. It was the only obstruction in the Ohio River, all the way from Pittsburgh to the Mississippi.   These rapids…

There are so many powerful stories connected to Black Americans in the Ohio River’s history. This February, we wanted to bring some of them to light. Whether connected to the river, steamboats history or our own vessels, here are some of the people we have highlighted this month. York York Statue on the Louisville Belvedere,…