The Belle of Baton Rouge riverboat was towed Tuesday morning from downtown on the Mississippi River to Gibson after 30 years in Baton Rouge. The Riverboat has been a fixture in downtown Baton Rouge since opening in September 1994 as the city’s first casino. The sendoff marked a milestone in the Belle’s transformation into a land-based casino.  Slated to open this fall, the Belle’s transformation will feature 25,000 square feet of contemporary landside gaming and a down-to-the-studs transformation of the Belle’s 10-story hotel.  The modernized 242-room Belle of Baton Rouge hotel is slated to open in April. It will feature deluxe king and double queen rooms, signature suites, luxury suites dubbed the Stadium and Capital Suites), and accessible rooms.  Open now during construction, the Belle’s temporary structure offers nearly 10,000 square feet of Vegas-style gaming space with more than 240 slot machines and three table games. The total cost of the Belle of Baton Rouge project is estimated at $141 million. The riverboat was sold to Louisiana Scrap Metal Recycling. After being towed to the company’s marine recycling facility in Gibson, near Houma, it will be dismantled. Nearly all of the vessel will be recycled.