I haven’t been to Branson, Missouri, in literally 20 years. We lived fairly close for three years growing up and made a few visits. I also made a return visit in the late 1990s after a week at camp nearby. I have fond memories of the town and how friendly the people are. Plus the great musical shows!
It was the perfect stop after Crater of Diamonds – just about 4 hours away and not out of the way to getting home. Upon our arrival we learned a few things:
- Most shows start at 8:00pm. That’s about 30 minutes after our bedtime goal for the kids and about 30 minutes before their realistic bedtime.
- Most daytime attractions are geared towards bigger kids. Like teenagers. Or at least kids old enough to ride a roller coaster. Ours aren’t that tall or old yet, so daytime attractions were tough.
- It rained all day on one of our two full days there. That eliminated using the pool. And just walking around enjoying shops.
Despite these things, we managed to have fun. We found out that Dolly’s Stampede, a dinner show with horses, had a 5:30pm showtime. Adelaide loves horses and was extremely excited for this show. It was great. First-class family entertainment. The food was excellent. The show was great. The venue was awesome. We have nothing bad to say about the whole thing.
Before the rain on our second day, we went out antiquing. It’s something we enjoy doing and Branson has a few larger antique malls.
All-in-all, we enjoyed Branson. It’s a place we’ll probably try again when our kids are older. It’s like a smaller version of Wisconsin Dells, which is much closer and has better daytime attractions. What Branson has over Wisconsin Dells is the music shows.
We’re continuing the journey northbound and will be visiting my relatives in Northeast Iowa, probably with an overnight stop somewhere along the way.