TUSCALOOSA NEWS:
By Stephanie Taylor Staff Writer
The Bama Belle is once again cruising the Black Warrior River.
The popular paddle-boat has been out of commission for about four years. New owner, Jasper-area businessman Craig Dodson, made the necessary repairs and has begun offering weekend cruises.
Sightseeing cruises with live music will start Fridays at 6:30 p.m., sunset cruises will be Saturdays at 4 p.m. and Sunday afternoon cruises start at 1 p.m. Tickets are $15 per person.
The 90-foot, 54-ton paddle-wheel riverboat has been rated to carry 149 passengers.
The Bama Belle has been part of Tuscaloosa's river scene since 2001, but it stopped offering cruises in June 2012 after holes developed in the engine cooling systems' coolers on the bottom of the boat, causing an engine to fail.
The Bama Belle was built in 1969 in the Mississippi River town of Dubuque, Iowa. It was christened the Captain Ann, but later renamed Emerald Queen and was based in Destin, Florida.