Type Riverboat/showboat Beam 78 ft (24 m) Length 85 m | Tonnage 1250 tons Launched 12 August 1994 Phone +1 800-475-9370 | |
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Owner Herschend Family Entertainment Corporation Christened April 13, 1995 (21 years ago) (1995-04-13) Height 112 ft (34 m) (to top of stacks) Address 4800 MO-165, Branson, MO 65616, USA Hours Open today · 9:30AM–6PMSunday9:30AM–6PMMonday9:30AM–6PMTuesday9:30AM–6PMWednesday9:30AM–6PMThursday9:30AM–6PMFriday9:30AM–6PMSaturday9:30AM–6PMSuggest an edit Similar Silver Dollar City, White Water Branson, Table Rock Lake, Titanic Museum, The Butterfly Palace | ||
Branson showboat branson belle in branson mo
Showboat Branson Belle is a riverboat—more specifically, a showboat—on Table Rock Lake near Branson, Missouri. The lake is landlocked by the Table Rock Dam on one side and the Beaver Lake Dam on the other side. Being a showboat, she hosts lunch and dinner shows throughout the year.
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Showboat branson belle celebrates 20 years
Construction and launch
The boat was constructed at its port at White River Landing and was launched on August 12, 1994. The boat was launched into Table Rock Lake at a speed of 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph) on launching rails lubricated with two tons of bananas. The bananas were used for lubrication because they were biodegradable and would not have polluted Table Rock Lake as would have grease (lubricant). The boat is claimed by its owner to be the largest ship on a landlocked lake in the United States.
Because of modern-day technology, it was possible to design the boat as a riverboat, which incorporates the theater onto a self-powered boat. Most nineteenth-century showboats were designed as rectangular, flat-roofed structures with no power of their own, and were pushed along the river by boats misleadingly called towboats, also known as a pusher (boat).
Incidents
On December 11, 2010, due to high winds that had come up suddenly, the Showboat Branson Belle ran aground while cruising on Table Rock Lake. The incident stranded 567 passengers and 76 crew members overnight.