Booking choice: The General Jackson lunch or dinner cruise, from $112 per person. Check dates Compare the options below
Plenty of visitors walk down to the river at the foot of Broadway expecting to find the General Jackson. The boat you see there is a different one: the Capitol, run by Nashville Riverboats. The General Jackson was built in 1985 for the old Opryland theme park and still docks on that campus, next to Opry Mills.
Here is the address, how to get there with or without a car, and what is nearby.
The quick answer
The General Jackson docks next to Opry Mills and Gaylord Opryland: the Viator meeting point is 2812 Opryland Dr, Nashville, TN 37214, about 10 miles and 20 minutes by car northeast of Broadway. Parking is free in the shared Opry Mills lot. The Viator ticket includes pickup from select downtown hotels.
Where does the General Jackson Showboat leave from?
From its own dock on the Cumberland River beside Opry Mills and Gaylord Opryland, not from downtown Nashville.
Viator gives the meeting point as 2812 Opryland Dr, Nashville, TN 37214; the operator's own address is 577 Opry Mills Drive. Either will get you to the same riverside dock. The cruise ends back where it started.
No car? The ticket includes pickup from select downtown hotels and the ride back.
Check dates for the General Jackson lunch or dinner cruiseHow far is it from downtown and Broadway?
About 10 miles, or roughly 20 minutes by car in normal traffic.
It is too far to walk. Your options are the included hotel pickup, your own car, or a taxi or rideshare to Opry Mills.
How does the hotel pickup work?
Gray Line Tennessee collects you from select downtown hotels only: be in the lobby by 10:30 am for the lunch cruise or 5:30 pm for dinner.
Pick your hotel from the list when you book on Viator; if yours is not on it, choose the nearest listed hotel or meet at the dock. Guests praise the drivers, who talk about the city on the way. One guest in August reports the shuttle had no air conditioning on a 98 F day, so dress for the heat in summer.
Where do you park for the General Jackson?
Free, in the lot shared with Opry Mills: take Exit 11 (Opry Mills) off Briley Parkway and park between the Food Court entrance and Sun & Ski Sports.
That end of the lot is the closest to the dock. On busy days, allow time to find a space and walk over.
Driving yourself? Parking is free, and the ticket still cancels free up to 24 hours before.
Check dates for the General Jackson lunch or dinner cruiseWhat time should you arrive?
Boarding starts at 11:15 am for the 12 pm lunch cruise and 6:15 pm for the 7 pm dinner cruise.
Early boarding, 15 minutes earlier, costs $5 per person. Arrive before boarding opens if you drive, to leave time for parking. The lunch cruise is back around 2:30 pm and the dinner cruise around 9:45 to 10 pm.
What is next to the dock?
The Grand Ole Opry House, Opry Mills and the Gaylord Opryland resort are all on the same campus.
That makes the lunch cruise easy to pair with an Opry show or a backstage tour of the Opry House at 600 Opry Mills Drive, both with free parking at Opry Mills. See lunch or dinner? for how the times fit together.
Early for boarding? The Opry House backstage tour takes about an hour, right next door.
Explore the Opry House backstage tourDoes the cruise go past downtown Nashville?
Yes: the route heads downriver toward downtown for views of the skyline and the pedestrian bridge before turning back.
Guests on the evening cruise rate the lit-up skyline as a highlight. In summer 2026, mechanical problems kept the boat at the dock on several dates, when the meal and show went ahead without the cruise. Check your sailing the day before; the background is in is the General Jackson worth it?.
Want a cruise that boards downtown instead?
Nashville Riverboats boards at Riverfront Park, 100 1st Ave S, and the narrated pontoon cruise at 2 Victory Ave on the East Bank.
Both are walkable from Broadway. Nashville Riverboats' cruises are non-refundable; the narrated river cruise ($40) cancels free up to 24 hours before. Compare them all in Nashville dinner cruises compared.
Rather stay downtown? The narrated cruise boards on the East Bank, a walk from Broadway.
Check dates for the narrated river cruiseFrequently asked questions
Does the General Jackson leave from downtown Nashville?
No. It docks beside Opry Mills and Gaylord Opryland at 2812 Opryland Dr, about 20 minutes by car from Broadway. The paddlewheeler at Riverfront Park downtown is Nashville Riverboats' Capitol.
Is parking free at the General Jackson?
Yes. Park free in the Opry Mills lot, between the Food Court entrance and Sun & Ski Sports.
Which hotels does the pickup cover?
Select downtown Nashville hotels only; you choose from the list when you book on Viator. Otherwise, meet at the dock.
Is the dock wheelchair accessible?
Yes. The operator lists ramps and elevator access to several decks; accessible restrooms are on the Main Deck.
Ready to book
Choose your cruise
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before on every option. Prices are from-prices in USD and move with the season.
General Jackson Showboat Lunch or Dinner Cruise
- Cruise ticket on the General Jackson Showboat (lunch at 12 pm or dinner at 7 pm)
- Plated Southern lunch or dinner in the Victorian Theater
- Live show: country hits at lunch, a band, singers and dancers at dinner
Grand Ole Opry House Backstage Tour
Backstage at the Opry before or after the boat
