The first top Louisville attraction is the Belle of Louisville, the oldest river steamboat in continuous use. Today she takes passengers on cruises up and down the Ohio River and races in the Great Steamboat Race every year on the Wednesday before the Kentucky Derby, but she has lived many lives and gone by many different names.
The Belle of Louisville was originally called "the Idlewild" and used to transport passengers and cargo between Memphis, Tennessee, and West Memphis, Arkansas. Her first trip to Louisville was as the Idlewild in 1931 where she ferried passengers from an amusement park in Downtown Louisville to a resort on Rose Island for a season.
In 1947, the Idlewild was sold and renamed "the Avalon." As the Avalon, she carried passengers and cargo up and down rivers all over the Midwest and South. By 1962, she had been run into the ground and was on her way to the scrap yard when a Kentucky official bid highest for her in an auction. She was brought home, repaired, and given her current name – "the Belle of Louisville."
Since 1963, the Belle has been cruising up and down the Ohio River along the Louisville border and racing in the annual Kentucky Derby Festival Great Steamboat Race. Today, she is one of Louisville's biggest attractions among visitors to the city as well as a favorite piece of local culture among Louisville residents.
