Southern Belle riverboat: the classic Chattanooga dinner cruise
The Southern Belle is the big white-and-red riverboat docked downtown, and a dinner cruise on it is one of the most Chattanooga things you can do — equal parts tourist attraction and genuinely good evening.
The cruise
They run sightseeing, lunch, and dinner cruises on the Tennessee River. The dinner cruise is the one to book: you eat while the boat goes upriver past the bridges and the bluffs, then comes back after dark with the city lit up. Live entertainment most nights, full bar, and the food is solid Southern fare — not an afterthought.
What it costs and how to do it right
Cruises run roughly $50–75 per person depending on the cruise type — check their site for current schedules and prices, and book ahead because dinner cruises sell out on weekends. Boarding is at the downtown dock near the Aquarium, so it’s easy to pair with a day downtown. Dress is nice-casual; people do dress up a little for the dinner cruise.
Local tips
- The sunset cruise in fall, when the bluffs are turning, is the best seat in town.
- They do holiday and themed cruises (July 4th, New Year’s Eve) — those book out fast.
- Arrive 30–45 minutes early. Boarding is relaxed but you don’t want to rush it.