Delta Queen Steams Back to Fort Smith

Ten years after its first stop in Fort Smith, the legendary Delta Queen steamboat docked at the city’s Harry E. Kelley Park on Nov. 17 during a seven-day trip up the Arkansas River.

The 174-passenger boat is one of three excursion vessels operated by the Delta Queen Steamboat Co. in New Orleans. It also operates the 416-passenger Mississippi Queen and 436-passenger American Queen.

The charter trip began in Memphis on Nov. 12 and ended in Little Rock on Nov. 19. Another cruise from Little Rock to New Orleans left the next day.

The tour marked the first time since 2002 that the 285-foot steamboat had ventured up the Arkansas waterway. Lucette Brehm, Delta Queen Steamboat’s public relations manager, said the firm doesn’t have another Arkansas sojourn booked through 2006.

But trips through “The Natural State” have been popular and this year’s sold-out cruises will likely mean the boat will be coming back.

The travel company specializes in inland river cruises that explore the history and culture of America. Seven-night travel packages with the firm range from $1,695 to $4,540 for suites. Prices include all meals and entertainment on the boats.

Carolyn Joyce, the administrative assistant for the Fort Smith Convention and Visitors Bureau, said the steamboat has made as many as four Fort Smith stops in a single year.

Although the passengers eat and sleep on the boat the marketing of the city, Joyce said, is the real benefit.

“This gives us national exposure and gets people from other places acquainted with our city,” she said.

The guests were given a tour of Fort Smith’s historic Miss Laura’s Social Club, the first bordello added to the National Register of Historic Places. They also got a motor coach tour of the city and the Kerr Mansion before a trip along the scenic “Talimena Byway.”