Friday - General Jackson Steamboat Dinner & Show

 General Jackson Steamboat Dinner Cruise

Continuing our successful efforts of squeezing as much as we can while visiting Nashville, we booked an evening dinner cruise on the General Jackson Steamboat for Friday night. Even though there was a rear paddlewheel deck, I never seized the opportunity to make the trip aft to see it. The dinner show and viewing the night time Nashville skyline took up all the time.

 

The paddlewheel is 36 feet long,  24 feet in diameter
and weighs 36 tons. It takes two 600 hp General Electric
motors to turn the paddlewheel.

The General Jackson Showboat is named after the first steamboat
to operate on the Cumberland River in 1817.

Built by the largest inland shipbuilder in the United States, Jeffboat, located in Indiana,
the General Jackson was launched on the Ohio River in Indiana to start the journey
to its new home on Nashville’s Cumberland River on April 20, 1985.

"One of the largest showboats ever built, the grand General Jackson is an elegant triumph
of American ingenuity. With its elegant lacy filigree and stately design, the boat is reminiscent
 of the opulence of the American Victorian era." Source

The boat sits 7 feet in the water.

Ship's length is 274 feet and...

...can hold up to 1,000 passengers plus crew members.

The gangplank is 26' long

The Cumberland River is navigable for 381 miles...

...has its origins in Kentucky. After passing through Tennessee it continues its east to west flow and returns back into Kentucky to empty into the Ohio River.
The average depth during our 14 mile round trip to Nashville was 25'.

L.toR: George, John, Johnny, Fran, Walter, Kathy,
Ray, Tony, Doreen, Mike, Chrissy, me, Vicki

Tony and I were able to get some terrific night shots.
This one is from their website. But first the dinner and show.

An awesome first impression when first entering the theatre.

At table 30 were Mike, Chrissy, Kathy, Ray, Walter and Fran. Next to me were two "local" ladies from Tennessee, Dee and Laurie. They were finally able to get together since the Covid thing and Laurie's birthday present to Dee was the dinner cruise.

Most of the servers were Egyptian. Amgood (pronounced just like it's spelled;
the "A" as in "almond") on the right was helped by a trainee. Very efficient and accommodating. Always smiling Chrissy adds the beauty to the picture.

Fran's 48 oz non-alcoholic (thank goodness) drink that
turned out to be too lip-puckering sweet. She'll probably use
the boot as a planter.

An added treat was to be with long time friends, Kathy and Ray,
as they celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary. A real milestone that both
should be very proud of. Congratulations.

Sorry; had to slip this in.

Our Evening Cruise Plated Dinner 

Sorry, no pix. Thought of it half way through the delicious meal.

Plated Salad
Iceberg Lettuce Blend, Sun-dried Tomatoes, Roasted Corn, Black-Eyed Peas, Toasted Pecans, Creamy House Dressing

Entrée
Braised Short Rib with Merlot Demi Gravy

Roasted French Cut Chicken Breast
Sweet Tea Brine, House Spices, Chicken Demi-Glace

Roasted Fingerling potatoes

Spring Green Beans
Crispy Fried Shallots, Roasted Pimentos

Dessert
Wild Blueberry Crumb Cake with Oat & Honey Streusel & Lemon Custard Cream

Honey Butter Soft Rolls

Tea, Coffee, Decaf Coffee

A Vegetarian Menu was available as well.

As advertised, tonight's show was: Check out the link.
About Rollin’ on the River
"Rollin’ on the River is a brand new evening cruise show, celebrating the music from some of America’s iconic river towns. The musical journey begins way down yonder at the mouth of the Mississippi in New Orleans where we’ll be playing jazz & swing favorites like “Jump, Jive and Wail” and “When the Saints Go Marching” in”. Next, roll down the river to Memphis to enjoy a little blues, soul and R&B with number one songs such as “Soul Man” and “Respect” along with a medley of Sun Record artists like Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis and of course, the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley. The final stop around the riverbend takes you to The Music City–Nashville, Tennessee, where you’ll celebrate the city’s early music roots, the incredible songs and stars of the 1990’s and finish with the sounds of today’s country music headliners. A magnificent, 8-piece showband fronts five of Nashville’s finest singers supported by dazzling costumes, dynamic choreography and a spectacular visual multimedia and light display."

And like the Grand Ole Opry due to size of videos, I'm only able to include a sampling of the entertainment. The performers were good. Loud, but good. From my table as you'll see, I had a great view of one of many pillars that was part of this two story Victorian Theater. There was an unoccupied balcony on the second floor. 

The second 4+ minute video taken by Walter features a most talented young lady whose fiddling ability is mouth dropping awesome. When matched with the very talented guitar player, it's a "duet" like I've never seen before.

As for cruise, my photos and Tony's will give you a sense of the cruise, the river and Nashville.

It was a very calm Cumberland. Unless you watched trees go by, you'd
never know you were moving. A most peaceful, relaxing cruise.

The Korean Veterans Blvd Bridge over the Cumberland River.

The Shelby Street Bridge

Tony's impressive post-card shot (with his iPhone12)

AT&T Building

Nissan Stadium is the home field of the Tennessee Titans of the
National Football League (NFL) and the Tigers of Tennessee State University. 

So concludes another wonderful day capturing the sights and sounds of Nashville...with friends. With a short ride back to the campground, the day was complete. My next stop is Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, for a week in Dolly Land. For some, we part ways as not all are going. My next blog will be a recap of the group at Two Rivers Campground. Then on to Pigeon Forge. Stay tuned.