Not Your Grandfather’s Branson - 2

That’s Entertainment!

If the kids say, “We’re bored,” in Branson, the trip is terribly amiss.

There’s no sleeping late in Branson because there are too many activities and shows. (Read about Branson's family friendly shows.) A day in Branson can start right after breakfast and go until midnight when the town basically shuts down.

Many shows offer morning and matinee performances especially on weekends—a good way to see acts like The Twelve Irish Tenors, Spirit of the Dance and Russian comedian Yakov Smirnoff. Tickets are available throughout the city at various ticket outlets and at the performers’ theaters.

In June, Sights and Sound Theatres opened Branson’s largest building with its stage phenomenon Noah—The Musical. According to a source with the production, at least 40 professional actors, along with 75 live and 200 animatronic animals, perform on a 300-foot wraparound stage in a 339,000-square-foot complex.

While the play is long and little mystery shrouds the plot, the sets are some of the most amazing in theater today. Prior to intermission, the cast marches down the theater’s center aisle with an array of animals—geese, donkeys, llamas, even a zebra. It’s hard not to be wowed by the production’s enormity. After intermission, the curtains rise on a four-story tiered stage and the audience sits inside the ark with live and animatronic animals. 

It’s not just about song and dance in Branson. The town has several museums including:

• Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede is dinner, a show, and an entire evening of entertainment.
• Courtesy of the Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce & CVB

• Titanic: The world’s largest collection of Titanic artifacts—more than 400 along including one of only three remaining menus from the ship’s last dinner.
• Hollywood Wax Museum: 170-life-like creepy celebrity figures.
  
• Veterans Memorial Museum: See the world’s largest war memorial bronze sculpture.
• ’57 Heaven at Dick Clark’s American Bandstand: The world’s largest collection of 1957 automobiles and memorabilia.

Popular by the Busload 

More than 8 million people visited Branson in 2007, 5 percent of which came via motor coach. That works out to about 1,100 people per day. When driving on the town’s narrow streets, beware of these buses. The opening of the new Branson Regional Airport planned for spring 2009 probably will not have much of an impact on the number of tour buses heading to Branson.

Veterans are also a target demographic. Each November, Branson hosts the country’s largest veteran’s celebration with a free concert by Tony Orlando.

“I love this town,” Orlando says. “It has an energy. Friends of mine come here from Los Angeles and they don’t want to leave.”

Unlike some destination spots, the energy isn’t manufactured.

• Branson has many outdoor activities that revolve around the surrounding lakes.
• Courtesy of the Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce & CVB

And while the average tourist age is 59, nearly 30 percent of visitors are families. No wonder the city is overrun with funky miniature golf courses, go-cart tracks, bumper boats and Splash Country, a 40,000 square-foot indoor and outdoor water park.

Getting Outdoors 

If nature beckons, Branson has that covered, too, with more than 200 miles of hiking, biking and horseback riding trails. The area is surrounded by three lakes: Table Rock Lake, Lake Taneycomo and Bull Shoals Lake.

Boating

All lakes offer camping and picnicking, and commercial docks along the lakes offer fuel, supplies and boat rentals along with ski, pontoon and bass boats as well as wave runners. A houseboat rental is a different way to spend time on the water. The boats sleep up to 12 people with fully-equipped kitchens, televisions and barbecue grills.

Fishing

Bass fishermen from all over the country fish at Table Rock Lake because of the huge numbers of largemouth, smallmouth, white bass and Kentucky spotted bass in the lake. Catfish are also prevalent in the lake.

But it’s not just about bass. On Lake Taneycomo, which looks like more like a river than a lake, the cool water is perfect for trout. Just 10 years ago, a world record 25-pound, 23.5-inch brown trout was caught in the lake using a two-pound line.

Golf Courses

Branson also has a dozen golf courses—many among the finest in the Midwest—and will open the new Payne Stewart Golf Course this fall. For the kids and adults who aren’t quite pros yet, Branson has several challenging miniature golf courses with large fiberglass dinosaurs and waterfalls.

• The Chateau on the Lake offers sweeping views of Table Rock Lake.
• Courtesy of Chateau on the Lake

Cycling

Branson offers several bike trails to satisfy everyone from novice riders to would-be pros. In fact, one of the fastest growing outdoor attractions in Missouri is the Tour of Missouri, a 600-mile cycling event that attracts teams from around the world including many participants in the Tour de France. The Branson leg of the tour focuses on individual time trials and is 18 miles over steep uphill terrain.

Resting Up

To fully enjoy the Branson outdoors, stay at Chateau on the Lake, a posh resort, spa and convention center, which resembles a castle. The hotel’s marina offers a wealth of water sports, from boating to scuba diving. Room rates start at $109 per night for a standard room. Rooms with a view of the lake begin at $224 per night.

The Thousand Hills Resort and Golf Club sits in the middle of Branson, but feels as if it’s nestled in faraway hills. It offers plush comfy condos and cabins starting at $85 and climbing to $450 for rental and an 18-hole golf course. But book early if you want to play. The Tee Time Policy recommends up to 60 days in advance.

Branson can be tricky to drive in, but staying downtown at the 294-room Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel can eliminate the headache. The hotel sits across from Branson Landing and within a couple of blocks of the historic part of downtown.

If large spacious hotels aren’t appealing, the Hilton has a small boutique hotel that sits a few feet diagonally from its convention center property. The Hilton Promenade at Branson Landing is cozy and some balcony suites overlook the landing’s fountain and light show. Room rates at both Hiltons begin at $129 per night. Its Liberty Tavern Restaurant offers breakfast, lunch and dinner, but perhaps most appealing is the dessert menu. The restaurant is the perfect place for a nightcap sharing chocolate fondue that comes with pound cake cubes, fresh strawberries and sliced bananas for dipping.

Reservations are strongly suggested for any of the city’s 208 lodging facilities. Church groups and bus tours book a year in advance for some of the more popular weekends including Veteran’s Day weekend and those leading up to Christmas and New Year’s Eve.