River City Star
The River City Star is a passenger excursion riverboat that sails on the Missouri River in the United States between Omaha, Nebraska, and Council Bluffs, Iowa. The boat is docked at Miller's Landing in the NoDo area of Downtown Omaha and is registered in Nebraska for taxes and alcohol licensing. The landing is located near mile marker 617 of the Missouri River.
History
Originally named the Belle of Brownville, the riverboat now known as the River City Star was built in Greenville, Mississippi in 1967. The Belle of Brownville was owned by the same owner as the Spirit of Brownville, which, unlike the Belle, still remains in Brownville today. The Belle of Brownville originally started as a single-level barge, with a second level added later. Eventually, a third and fourth level were added, bringing the boat to its present configuration.
The Belle of Brownville was bought in 2000 by Rolling River, LLC and was renamed the River City Star in September of that year.
In 2004, the River City Star moved to its new dock at Miller's Landing. 2005 saw the opening of 'Muddy Mo's', a bar located at the top of Miller's Landing which could serve waiting passengers as well as passersby on the 'Back to the River Trail', which passes alongside the landing.
In 2008, she was retired and languished on dry land in Plattsmouth, Nebraska. She was replaced with another vessel that would also be christened as The River City Star. That year also saw the addition of '4 Wheels 4 Fun', which rented quadracycles at hourly rates for use along the Omaha riverfront and the Omaha Old Market (Omaha, Nebraska) In the early summer months of 2013, the original Belle of Brownville/ River City Star was laboriously moved back into the river at Plattsmouth. With the assistance of a commercial river barge she moved to Miller's Landing and placed next to her namesake,the River City Star. Over the next few months she was transformed into the KON- TIKI-O, which will be a permanently moored party barge available for public as well as private events. The first deck was modeled into The Captain's Quarters. Surrounded on all sides with large windows for river watching,the Captain's Quarters is heated and air conditioned for the Captain's comfort. This deck has a bar designed to look like a ships hull. It even sports a mast, rolled mainsail and side portholes. There will be a galley completed behind the bar for 2014 featuring quality food and at affordable prices so everyone can enjoy actually being "ON the River. The second deck bar has become the Drunken Parrot. It will have retractable blinds with "port holes" that will still enable guests to enjoy less than fair weather on the river. The third deck is totally open with breathtaking views of the newly developed riverfront to the south and of the sky above. This deck has been declared the RIO LOCO SANDBAR and is outfitted with tables and umbrellas on cushy "turf grass" We are not done yet. A fourth deck has been added and equipped to stage live bands.
The boat
The vessel of The River City Star contains four levels and three bars, and can safely accommodate over 350 passengers. The first level is entirely inside, air conditioned, handicap accessible, and has one bar selling food and alcoholic beverages. Staircases on the starboard and port side of the first level lead to the second level, which features another bar and has open-air sides that are sheltered overhead by the third deck. The third deck is completely open and has another bar. Above the third deck is the fourth deck, which is a small elevated area above the pilot house and the third deck bar, which can hold only about 8 people at a time.
Cruising
The River City Star's cruising season usually begins on April 1 and ends on October 31, with its cruising schedule peaking for the summer months. The boat regularly schedules public and private cruises ranging from one-and-a-half to four hours in duration, and it is not uncommon for the boat to cruise three or four times in one day.
See also
- Culture in Omaha, Nebraska
External links
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Coordinates: 41°16′18″N 95°55′05″W / 41.27167°N 95.91806°W