Bama Belle
The Bama Belle is a riverboat attraction docked at Medeiros Point on the Black Warrior River at 1 Greensboro Avenue in Tuscaloosa. Operating since 2001 as the first attraction along the Tuscaloosa Riverwalk, the Bama Belle offers sightseeing tours and can be rented for private events.
The boat was originally constructed in 1970 by the Dubuque Boat & Boiler Company in Dubuque, Iowa. Prior to coming to Tuscaloosa, the riverboat was utilized at Opryland in Nashville, Tennessee and known as the Captain Ann and later moved to Destin, Florida, and known as the Emerald Queen. The boat was brought to Tuscaloosa by Mike and Nikki Medeiros, and opened in September 2001 as the Bama Belle after being redocumented and recertified by the United States Coast Guard.
Both Mike and Nikki Medeiros served as captains of the boat through December 2005 when Mike was killed in a car accident. After remaining closed for over a month and a half, the Belle resumed service with Tiffany Maxwell and John Gray serving as captain in late January 2006. The following year, the Tuscaloosa City Council officially named the boat landing where the boat is moored to Medeiros Point in honor of Mike Medeiros. In July 2009, Nikki Medeiros sold the operation to Sandi Wyatt who still continues to operate the attraction.
References
- Bama Belle: About official website Accessed May 1, 2011
- Ehlers, Matt (April 18, 2002) "The Belle of the Black Warrior." p.1D The Tuscaloosa News
- Cobb, Mark Hughes (December 13, 2005) "A riverfront memorial." p.1B The Tuscaloosa News
- Cobb, Mark Hughes (January 29, 2006) "Bama Belle rolls again." p.1B The Tuscaloosa News
- Morton, Jason (January 12, 2007) "Boat landing to be named for Bama Belle’s captain." The Tuscaloosa News
External links
- Bama Belle official website