Great boat tour. Staff are very attentive and helpful. Historical info is an added bonus. Best ride on the lake!!

Enjoyed the ride and the little history tour. For what it was, it was a good experience. I think in the time of COVID, there likely shouldn't be as many people on the boat, but I understand it's a business that is very much so dependent on tourism and more bodies for profitability. The audio history tour was interesting, especially if your from the region and the ride itself was smooth and historical considering how few steamboats are still in operation in the states/world. They have reasonably priced concessions available on the boat, but note it's cash only. read more

See all

Had a great trip 8/22/19 from the bell tower! They just pull up to the beach and lower the gangway it was great!! Usually the bow gets stuck in the sand there and the fattest passenger (me) had to stand by the engine room to help lower the stern. As soon as I went back there and put my arms out we got underway. Everyone was dying. I'm a maritime man myself so I loved the ride. 6 mph!! Built 1976 at Mayville one of 3-4 left in the states. Great view of the $$$$ mansions on CHQ Lake from the packard mansion to the new stunner built for the purell guy. Great story new owner 18 year old kid bought the steamboat, fixed it up and put back out to sea. Full house I think it was $25 per man. So worth it. When SUNY Maritime found out what he did with the boat they admitted him to maritime school. Nice work!!! Bar onboard, small food selection. Chairs and benches up, benches down next to the heads. Really a great time. Worthwhile day, love the steam whistle TOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT TOOOOOOOOOTTTTTT with blast of steam just as in the old days. 5 stars great stuff thanks!! read more

See all

I love Chautauqua Lake and a trip on the Belle is a great way to experience the beauty of the lake while capturing the charm of the little towns and boroughs surrounding the lake. The audio history tour was interesting especially about the famous people who had built luxury homes in Chautauqua and the stories about them. You will see Chautauqua Institution (maybe even pick up some passengers from there) and Bemus Point where the old ferry still operates transporting passenger cars from Bemus to Stow. (Free ride too). I highly recommend the Chautauqua Belle! read more

Purchased 7 tickets for the 4th of July. The boat ended up having mechanical issues so our ride was cancelled. As of today, August 29th- still waiting on a refund of over $100. Have called several times and left messages and they have yet to return a single call. If you want to throw your hard earned money down the drain buy tickets to ride this boat. read more

Take a fun little boat ride on the Chautauqua Belle and learn the history of Chautauqua. The Chautauqua Belle is a steam boat and is pretty beautiful looking. My family felt really bad for dragging me on this. I would say 85% of the people taking the boat tour were elderly. You have noo idea how long it took to board the boat-seriously painful. But it was more funny than anything to me and I did enjoy the nice, relaxing ride. The captain of the Belle (and I think owner) is super young (early or mid 20s??) and cute too. He was born in raised in the Chautauqua-area (as were his grandparents) and was extremely knowledgeable about the lake and surrounding towns and gave a really great tour. If you want, you can get lunch aboard the boat for only $8. It includes a sandwich, drink, chips, and cookies. They also sell beer and wine (boxed!) on the boat. I took the tour on a nice July afternoon, but it looks like they have night cruises and special events aboard the Belle too. And I think if you take the boat more than once, they offer really great discounts. For first timers it's $15/adult and $10/child. If I was visiting Chautauqua again with people who had never been on the Belle, I would definitely take them. It's a really beautiful ride. Oh and though there were mostly older people on the boat, my 6 and 9 year old cousins took it and really enjoyed it too. read more

Chautauqua Belle - View of Chauatuaqua Lake Estates from the Chautauqua Belle - Boating Near Me - Mayville, New York

See all

The vessel was nice but lacked sufficient power to actually take us from the river in Jamestown into Chautauqua Lake. I would suggest that you only book the trip if winds are almost at a standstill. It is unlikely that there are many days where you actually sail on the lake. Look for a more powerful vessel if you actually want to tour the lake. read more

We had a delightful time on the Chautauqua Belle! It was our first time to the region, so it was a helpful way to learn about the history of the area and to get our bearings for what was around the northern part of the lake. Plus, the boat itself is of historical value! It is not a fancy ride, but the crew are friendly and informative and it is certainly enjoyable and worth the opportunity to support the restoration of this historic steamboat. read more

The CHAUTAUQUA BELLE is a blessing to the lake. There are fewer passenger river steamboats running in the USA (an AMERICAN invention) than at any point in the history of the American Steamboat. The owners for sight to add a steam calliope to the boat was great for the area and their vessel's historic accuracy. The calliope, while originally designed in 1855 to replace the bells in the church tower to summon worshipers to the service, was not successful till it became the form of advertising for steamboats and the circus. One of only two musical instruments invented on American soil, the calliope is also something of a curiosity form the past. Adding the calliope was like offering hot dogs at the ball park, fireworks on the 4th of July, a beer on a hot evening, or the authenticity of their great vessel! What a wonderful way to celebrate the nautical history of our nations past than to ride this steam-powered time machine into a world long gone and learn about the lake area. All to the stentorian tunes of her calliope calling all like the pied piper to the banks of the lake to enjoy this adventure. Much better than taking a yacht for a prepackaged dinner cruise. This is seeing, smelling, touching and participating in real history with each roll of the paddlewheel! 5 stars, I can't recommend it more! Take your family on a vacation back to our history and learn where we came from. read more

A great way to spend two hours. The lake is beautiful, the narration is interesting and the crew is friendly, helpful and accommodating.

On a recent visit to Chautauqua Institution, we decided to hop on the Chautauqua Belle last minute. It was nice enough, I guess, and the people who work on the boat are nice. But the ride was pretty boring actually and the round trip ride was nearly 2 hours! There's a narration that tells you about what you're seeing around the edge of the lake. It was loud, kind of funny, and at times borderline offensive (referring to people as "mulatto"). I probably won't do it again, but the elderly folk seemed to enjoy themselves. read more

I purchased the historical cruise for my husband and I thru Groupon. When trying to book online, it accepted my Voucher code but still required credit card info wanting to charge me $25 per ticket! I called and left messages on their business phone 5 days in a row asking for assistance and NEVER received a call back. They basically took my money and never came thru with their service. Not a trustworthy business read more

On June 11, 2018 on behalf of our Seniors Group I sent a deposit check for $250 for a cruise 6-19-19. On January 7, 2019 I called to cancel and asked to have our deposit check returned. After numerous phone calls I have not yet received a refund check. I feel this is not a good business practice and it really hurts a wonderful Seniors Group. I would hope that the owner would reconsider. Perhaps other Senior groups will be hesitant to make a reservation. Sarah Bieling LFUMC Senior Ministries read more

A fun trip for the family be sure to call first to make sure the boat is up and running. Last summer we were disappointed when we arrived and the boat was out of commission that day read more

My husband loved our ride on the Chautauqua Belle. It is not a large boat & not a long trip but it is slow & easy going,. We took our kids years ago & they loved it. It is beautiful trip around a small lake but sooooooo much fun!!! You can't expect a fast trip on a steam boat. We pulled up to a londing where they were having a wedding. Quite interesting to say the least. Very nice peaceful ride!!!!! read more

Had a fantastic time on the Belle on a Saturday morning. Very cozy cruise with excellent commentary of the history of the lake. Stories of some of the mansions and Chautauqua Institute. Can't recommend this enough!!! read more