Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Hot Springs’ Belle opens next month
HOT SPRINGS — The Belle of Hot Springs Riverboat will again cruise the waters of Lake Hamilton with a “Mini Grand Re-opening” July 3 and 4.
“The Belle will be a totally different experience from top to bottom. We’re trying to make it a destination point,” co-owner Gregory Igbokidi said. “(New) electrical, heating and cooling, furniture and furnishing. It’s really a new boat, painted everywhere to hardwood flooring. There’s nothing compared to what it used to be in the past.”
Igbokidi added the food will be “top-of-the-line” and provided by executive chef
Eli Tapia, who also worked for Vault and Bone’s Chophouse.
Material promoting an auction of the riverboat last year said the Belle was built in 1960 and reconstructed in 1994.
The 72-foot-long and 35-foot-wide vessel weighs 96 gross tons and can carry up to 200 passengers on its three decks. The two interior levels feature a full-service kitchen, bar, dining room and dance floor. The upper level is open air.
The eventual plan of the boat will be to sail it on a regular schedule, but he said the opening will be used as a time to take critiques from passengers.
“What we’re trying to do is give everyone the absolute best experience; it’s not necessarily about the money,” Igbokidi said. “Down the road maybe profit will come. Of course, profit is always in the back of our minds, but the expense is far more important right now.”
Boarding will begin at 4:30 p.m. and the cruise will begin at 6 p.m. for both days. Arkansas native MaryBeth Byrd, a 2019 contestant on “The Voice,” will perform on the second day of cruising.
Tickets for day one cost $55 and tickets for day two cost $65 and can be purchased at belleriverboat.com.
Igbokidi and his wife paid $1,475,000 for the Belle and the 1.28 acre Long Island lakefront where it has docked since 1984 at auction in August 2019.
“From a business standpoint, we just think it’s an awesome opportunity not just to invest in the city but to invest in the Belle of Hot Springs to make it a place to go,” Igbokidi said. “Yes, it is a business risk, but it’s one of those, what I call, an acceptable business risk. So, again, we just think we can make it different … as far as creating a major entertainment hub for the city of Hot Springs, which we love so much.
“We hope that the good citizens of Hot Springs, the city, the Village, Little Rock and everyone would appreciate what we’re doing … and we’ll continue to improve and be the best we can be.”