General Jackson Showboat Cruise

Sunday, July 19th, was our 45th wedding anniversary.  We decided we needed to do something more than send each other a card.  We had been to Nashville, TN and attended the Grand Old Opry five years ago.  Nashville is only about 100 miles or so from where we live and makes an accessible destination.  We went on line and checked out several attractions and activities in the Nashville area and decided on the General Jackson Showboat cruise as one thing we wanted to do.

We left home at 9:00 A.M. Sunday morning and arrived at the boat landing about 11:00 A.M.  We picked up our tickets and entered the assembly area to await the call to board.  It was here that our photo was taken.  (See my last post.)

The General Jackson Showboat , named after the first steamboat to operate on the Cumberland River in 1817, was launched in 1985.  It is approximately 300 feet long, the length of a football field.  It can accommodate 1200 passengers and a crew of 157.  It is powered by two 1050 horsepower (per engine) diesel engines.  These run 880 kw generators that in turn power two 600 h.p General Electric motors that turn the paddlewheel.  (1200 h.p. total)  The paddlewheel is 36 feet long, 24 feet in diameter.  The paddlewheel weighs 36 tons.

We took what is known as the mid-day cruise.  We had wanted to take the evening cruise but it was not offered for Sunday evening.  The evening cruise lasts a little longer, has a bit nicer meal and has more elaborate entertainment, but we had no complaints about our cruise.  Our seating in the Victorian Theater was excellent.  We were only a couple of tables back from the stage, as can be seen in this picture.  Tim Watson and his band put on a very enjoyable show.

The cruise on the Cumberland River isn’t all that scenic but it was quite enjoyable.  While most of the time was taken up eating and enjoying the entertainment we still were able to spend some time on deck and watch the river.

Following the completion of our cruise we checked into our hotel room and then embarked upon our next activity, which I’ll tell you about in my next post.