You might think this nickname is awarded to somewhere like Nashville or New York, but believe it or not Branson, MO actually stakes claim to that name.
Branson’s got something for everyone. The Ozark mountains, 2 huge Lakes, the Strip, Branson Landing, Silver Dollar City, and of course any kind of show you could imagine. I’m no stranger to this city, in fact we went there 3 years ago when Ben was not much older than Jack is now. Click here to read about that trip.
Last time J had to work and stayed behind, but this time we were so glad he came with us. My parent’s also came along and the kids were glad to have their Mimi and Pampa with us too. We left early Friday morning and managed to time it just perfectly so we could eat at Lamberts just outside of Branson.
After lunch and a short 30 minute drive, we’d made it into Branson. The main strip of Branson is where most of the hotels/shows/attractions are. There is also LOTS of traffic so you can expect to sit for awhile even if you’re just going a few miles down the street. I won a Branson pkg through a silent auction at a work fundraiser which included a hotel stay at the Best Western Center Pointe Inn. The hotel is right on the strip and next to the Titanic museum. It was pretty good for what it was, but we’ve also stayed at the Holiday Inn-Green Mountain Parkway and I like that one better.
After checking in we hit up both the outdoor and indoor pool since the water outside was pretty chilly and then it was showers and time to get ready for dinner.
A few miles from the strip is Branson Landing. It’s filled with restaurants, shops, play areas for the kids, fountains, and a few bars. No cars are allowed down the street and it’s just a neat place to walk around. We ate a new Mexican restaurant,
Cantina Loredo and it’s not your typical Mexican. The food is more modern and upscale and everything we ordered was delicious. Their frozen pomegranate margarita was
so so good that I had to limit myself to just one. #selfcontrol
After stuffing ourselves with chips we strolled around the landing, bought two ridiculously overpriced stuffed animals at Build A Bear, and let the kids burn off some energy on the playground.
And even though we were all tired, we headed back to the strip to do a few laps on the go-cart track before heading to bed.
Saturday was spent at Silver Dollar City and the weather ended up being beautiful. To learn more about SDC click
here.
Since no trip to Branson is complete without seeing a show, after quick cat naps we got ready for
Dixie Stampede. From their website: “Dixie Stampede is an extraordinary dinner show with thirty-two magnificent horses and a cast of top-notch riders. They will thrill you with daring feats of trick riding and competition, pitting North against South in a friendly and fun rivalry. You will enjoy a barrel full of music, dancing, special effects and family friendly comedy along the way.”
One thing that makes this show so fun is that there is no silverware and you eat all the food with your hands. Although this show is one of the more pricer ones, it’s definitely a must see if you’re in Branson.
My dad got chosen to participate in one of the games during the show and the kids thought it was hilarious that their pampa was on the stage.
We had tickets to the 8:00 show since we knew we’d be at SDC all day so by the time it was over we were all pretty pooped. Jack and I crashed back at the hotel, but J took Ben for one last ride on the go-carts before coming back and passing out as well.
Sunday morning we woke up to lots of fog, but that didn’t stop us from enjoying some fresh Krispy Kreme donuts for breakfast.
Our sugar high gave us just the energy we needed to check out of the hotel and head to the fish hatchery to feed the thousands of trout. Jack didn’t really love having to give fish “food” and not being able to eat it himself-although he sure tried…several times.
After the hatchery we did a little back to school shopping for Ben and then headed back over to the landing for a late lunch at Catina Laredo (it really is that good). By the end of lunch Jack looked how we all felt and with full bellies and lots of memories we headed home.
Until next time Branson!
Linking up with
Annie for Thoughts on Thursday.
**This was not a sponsored post and I was not compensated by any of the companies mentioned or linked in this post.
One Comment
Nat
Wow what a fun trip!! I think I need to add Branson, MO to places I need to visit. That little street with the shops that doesn't allow cars sounds so neat.