America's Most Adventurous Dinner Theaters

As the last wistful note of a Vivaldi concerto faded into the night, the audience applauded generously, as one would hope it would after a moving performance by a Juilliard-trained violinist. But it was the young woman's next move that would be the story told and retold to friends and family.

Slinging the violin over her shoulder, Janice Martin spun around and inched and wiggled her way up two silk draperies. She climbed more than 15 feet above the floor. Wrapping her ankles in the shimmering fabric, she flipped upside down, grabbed her fiddle and did a rousing rendition of Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir."

I stood and applauded.

So did most of the 700 other guests on the Showboat Branson Belle dinner cruise. That's not something you see every day, but that combination of impressive talent, remarkable food and the unexpected is typical of some of the country's most popular dinner theaters these days.

Vacation destinations like Orlando, Myrtle Beach and Los Angeles are popular breeding grounds for dinner theaters, particularly themed dinner shows. But adventurous shows can be found all across the country in communities big and small. Any of these should appeal to your appetite and sense of adventure.