by Arline Chandler

"Showboat's a-coming! Showboat's a-coming!" Since the turn of the century--the 20th Century, that is--the sighting of a paddlewheeler churning America's waterways set off a relay of shouts. Folks in rural towns, eager for a respite from their labors, crowded river landings to savor a moment suspended in legend and lore.

The Showboat Branson Belle, steaming across Table Rock Lake off Highway 165 a few miles from Branson, re-creates a period in history full of adventure and romance. Just as the century-old "floating palaces" brought big city entertainment to isolated farmers, loggers, and storekeepers, the opulent Branson Belle steamboat stirs the imagination of today's generation.

Fitting hand in glove into Branson's family-oriented entertainment scene, Showboat Branson Belle is the largest paddlewheel steamboat in the United States on a landlocked lake. While the designers achieved historically accurate detailing in the Showboat's construction and styling, the 265-foot long vessel is larger than the 1880's showboats that once plied North American rivers. Yet, the football field-sized boat is totally committed to wholesome entertainment appealing to all ages. No alcoholic drinks and no gambling are permitted.

From the moment guests step onto the dock at White River Landing, the essence of a slower-paced era permeates the senses. Strolling onto three promenade decks, passengers enter the plush lobby with its two curving staircases and chandeliers reminiscent of scenes from the movie, "The Unsinkable Molly Brown."

Diners take their seats at tables accommodating two, four, or six in the Showboat's 650-seat dinner theater. To visitors, the external architectural design of the ship plays second fiddle to its richly appointed interior with carefully researched Victorian-era moldings, stenciled designs, and wall coverings and carpeting in deep blues, golds, greens, and reds.

Resembling a century-old opera house, the theater's three-tier atrium, with balconies wrapping three sides of the ship and facing the stage, guarantees a good vantage point from any table. Colorful salads and scrumptious entrees parade to individual tables high above the heads of waiters snake-dancing across the theater floors.

All meals are prepared fresh onboard in the ship's galley. Dinner features tender prime rib, seasoned baked potato, garden vegetables, salad, and a grand presentation of flaming baked Alaska. When making reservations, guests may request a vegetarian plate, a low-calorie plate, a diabetic meal, or a kosher dinner.

Adding to the dining experience for two evening cruises, the "Steppin' Out" Orchestra sets a festive mood. Host Steve Grimm and a quartet of singers and dancers travel back in time with classic music of the depression years, World War II, and the 1950s.

The adagio duo, husband and wife Elena and Vadim Serykh, thrills the audience with the gracefulness of two dancers moving as one. Also appearing on the lunch and dinner cruises is nationally-acclaimed ventriloquist Todd Oliver and his talking dog, Irving, most recently seen on a cruise ship to the Caribbean in the company of his mother. Oliver has appeared on television shows, "Walker, Texas Ranger," "The Howie Mandel Show," and "Penn & Teller's Las Vegas Spectacular."

The entire company storms the stage with the joy and inspiration of gospel music and a grand finale. For the past three years, the evening production received "Branson's Best Dinner Show" Award.

On the lunch cruise, Cirque Fantastique, a whimsical troupe of acrobats, stiltwalkers, and comics, stages a theatrical circus show that soars from juggling and unicycle stunts to high flying trapeze acts near the third story decorative ceiling. The lunch cruise menu presents a full-course meal of beef with espagnole sauce, orange-glazed chicken breast, rice pilaf, fresh vegetables, salad, and dessert.

In addition to the top-quality entertainment onstage during breakfast, lunch, dinner, Showboat Branson Belle gives guests a chance to enjoy the pristine lake, the trees, and surrounding mountains that have made the Ozarks popular for decades. The Showboat's upper deck offers comfortable benches, a sweeping view, and a chance to tour the pilot house.The boat's captain receives visitors as he stays the course with a solid maple sternwheel, salvaged from the C.C. Slider, a riverboat which cruised on the Mighty Mississippi and Cumberland Rivers from 1928 until 1952. Silver Dollar City craftsmen fully restored and reconditioned the 10-foot diameter vintage captain's wheel.

In a setting of natural beauty, the Showboat offers options of four daily two-hour cruises packaged with the romance of a luxurious steamboat, a superb meal, outstanding entertainment and a lake cruise. "The Showboat's a-comin'" with one-stop entertainment.

For a cruise schedule and information, call 1-800-227-8587 or click on http://www.silverdollarcity.com.

Copyright Arline Chandler

Photos courtesy Silver Dollar City