A decorative water display provides a laminar water bell. A gas burner may be provided inside the laminar water bell to produce a decorative flame. A laminar nozzle having an outlet arranged to eject a laminar jet of water upwardly in a substantially vertical direction may strike an impactor suspended directly above the outlet of the laminar nozzle such that the laminar jet of water forms the laminar water bell. Alternatively, a vertical pipe may supply water to a thin annular region between two plates such that water flowing between the two plates assumes a generally laminar flow characteristic and forms the laminar water bell when ejected from between the two plates. Alternatively, a hemispherical nozzle may have a slot arranged to eject a sheet of water upwardly to form a segment of the laminar water bell.