A Small Taste of Branson, MO

Branson is one of those places that many people love to brand a “tourist trap”, and for good reason. This place is definitely a tourist trap in all of its glory. No matter who you are, no matter how old or young. All ages will find something to love in Branson Mo! In my opinion Branson is not a location that I would want to stay a full week at, nor is it a pass-through destination. I believe the best way to experience the love and lights of Branson is to spend a long weekend of 3-4 days exploring all that it has to offer.

Like I said there is something for everyone. There are the famous duck rides, Silver Dollar City, music shows, magic shows, go carts, arcades, food galore, and even a mountain coaster. So much to do that I cannot and will not cover it in just this article. So, I am just going to cover what we did on our little long weekend we took while visiting Branson. I am sure that there will be plenty more post in the future about some of the other attractions we visit as the boys continue to get older.

Keep in mind that during the time of this visit, we were spending 3 nights and 4 days at Branson. They boys are 4 and 6 years old at the time of this writing. So, we were trying to find things that we could enjoy with them. The music and magic shows would be way to long for them to sit through and enjoy. Silver Dollar City would have been fun, but they are still too small to ride most of the rides and really get the most out of the visit. We never did rush anything and just enjoyed our family at a leisure exploring some of the smaller attractions in the area.

Branson KOA Holiday

First, we will start off with where we decided to make our base camp for the weekend. We have stayed in a few different places in Branson over the years. Branson KOA Holiday is the nicest campground we have stayed at in the Branson area. Some of the high-end accommodations include a pool open from Memorial Day thru September. A hot tub, full hook up sites including 30 amp, 50 amp, water, sewer, cable, and offering up to 85’ pull thru for big rigs.

We decided to stay in a pull thru KOA Patio Luxury RV Site. This was a fantastic choice as it gave us a large site that had level concrete to park on. Patio Pavers with furniture and fireplace already set up for us. There also was a charcoal BBQ pit and a very nice swing right at our doorstep. This was one of the nicest set ups we have ever stayed at. This level of luxury is what we have grown to expect from KOA sites. It is why we exclusively stay at KOA while we are on vacation. I know you spend more upfront but the expectation level is consistent and always of high quality and I have grown to be spoiled by that.

The campground is located just a few miles off the main drag in Branson. It is just far enough away that you cannot hear the traffic but still close enough that it is not an inconvenience. If you are looking for the perfect place to set up camp for a weekend or longer, I highly suggest the Branson KOA Holiday.

The Butterfly Palace

The Butterfly Palace in Branson is the perfect place to take young and old that are interested in nature. I was surprised by the number of exhibits to explore within this unique building. There is a living ecosystem within the butterfly dome housing more than 1,000 exotic butterflies that have been imported from countries all over the world. Once you enter you can pick up these small vials filled with butterfly food allowing you to walk around hand feeding these amazing creatures. Getting a up close and personal relationship with all the species in this house. Walking among the butterflies was my favorite part of the trip. There were so many colors and designs on all the butterflies that it left me feeling relaxed and in awe at Gods work he puts into even the smallest of creatures on this Earth. 

The kids’ favorite part was actually the mirror maze and the Banyan Tree Adventure. The tree adventure is basically a room that is dressed as a rainforest with elastic vines hangings down from the ceiling allowing the children to climb and jump around. Don’t worry, there is plenty of seating outside the room for us old people to sit and wait for the kids to wear themselves out.

My second favorite part of this adventure spot is the living rainforest science center. There are 25 species of live reptiles and amphibians within this area. The goal of this area is to share these unique critters but also teach you the importance of the rainforest for butterflies.  There are interactive areas to keep kids entertained but I just fell in love with the lizards and tree frogs. You can even pet a lizard if you are feeling a little “froggy”.

Wonderworks Branson Mo

Are you traveling with children? If so, you will not want to miss out of the fun educational experience that Wonderworks in Branson Mo will provide. Traveling down the main strip in Branson you will not be able to miss the upside-down building that is Wonderworks. Once inside the upside down building you will walk through the “Inversion Tunnel” allowing you to properly be aligned with the building. That is where the fun begins.

There is plenty to do to entertain all your kids, or grandkids, imagination and wonder for the entire day. Inside they will experience space exploration, weather, physics, elements of the earth, art, and American Pride. If that is not enough there is also a laser tag arena and STEM activities.

With so much to do it is expected that the tickets are not going to be cheap, but they are worth the price. Once again this will give you hours of enjoyment letting the kids run around and burn off some of that vacation energy. If you’re a senior, you will not want to miss out on the senior discount that gives you access for about half the price of a regular adult ticket.

Titanic Museum Branson MO

Que the famous Titanic soundtrack with Rose telling Jack “I will never let go” as she shoves his frozen body off the floating door in the North Atlantic Ocean. OK, maybe that was a bit much! Visiting the Titanic Museum in Branson MO will not be as tacky the movie was. I honestly did not expect much on our visit to the Titanic Museum. I am just not a big history fan and thought it would be pretty boring. Boy, I was dead wrong- pun intended.

Inside the building modeled after that famous ship you immediately will be assigned an actual passenger of the Titanic. Moving throughout the attraction you get to learn more about your passenger that was assigned to you. Once you complete your journey you will find out if your passenger was a survivor or if the catastrophe took the life of your passenger.

While you travel inside the famous ship you will come across authentic Titanic artifacts and models. One of my favorite displays was a container with water inside at the actual water temp that those passengers had to plunge into during the ships sinking. There is a timer that you and your family can compete to see who can hold their arms inside the water the longest. I can tell you I was not even able to make it a full minute as the water hurts to the touch it was so cold.

Being inside the museum gives you the feeling of awe as you travel from the engine room to the lower-class quarters all the way to the Grand Staircase and the spacious upper-class quarters. Leaving you with a somber feeling of the catastrophe that will forever be remembered.

Hollywood Wax Museum

Ever want to meet all your favorite stars from the big screen? Well unless you are blessed to go to the Oscars you’re going to have to settle with a bunch of wax, molded into life size forms of the real stars. That is exactly what you get walking into the Hollywood Wax Museum in Branson Mo. I have been visiting this wax museum since I was a small child. So, it has been around a long time. What is nice is they continue to make it better and update it on a regular basis.

One of my favorite parts of the museum is the horror section. It is a mix of Halloween decorations and terrors that will haunt you in the night. I highly suggest checking it out, unless you have small children with you! Then it may be a little much for them. Don’t fret, if you have small children or just don’t have the nerve to deal with life-sized horrors you can always skip this part of the museum.

One thing I really want to hit on is just how life like these wax sculptures are. You will be amazed at the detail that have been put into not only the sculptures themselves but also the entire scene that they create for each of the sculptures. Set aside about 3 hours to really enjoy and absorb all that this museum has to offer. Even the children in your group will love it and create memories to last a lifetime.

Ripley’s Believe It or Not

 Do you remember sitting around with the family watching the new episode of Ripley’s Believe it or Not thinking to yourself “there is no way that this can be real”? Would you like to relive that feeling? Come and check out the brick and mortar location of the TV series. Now I must admit I cannot tell you that everything within these walls are real, but maybe they are. That is part of the fun of checking out all the exhibits and interactions within the walls of Ripley’s Believe it or Not.

You won’t be able to miss the building as you are driving down the strip, it’s a huge broken house that has a giant robot standing guard outside it. Please don’t get Ripley’s mixed up with Wonderworks. They are two very different attractions. Ripley’s has exhibits including a stuffed two headed cow, shrunken heads, and an authentic vampire hunting kit. While Wonderworks is geared more toward learning for your children in a scientific way. Both Wonderworks and Ripley’s Believe it or Not are must stops while traveling with a family!

Cakes N Cream Fifties Diner

On our “Must Do” list for every time we come to Branson is the Cakes N Cream Fifties Diner. I have been coming here since I was a small child. Really nothing has changed since way back then. It is still a classic 50’s diner that offers some of the best food and ice cream in Branson. My favorite thing to get is the funnel cake ice cream. It is the most delicious and possibly unhealthy thing I have ever ate. They take a classic funnel cake and put whatever ice cream and toppings on top that you wish. I crave this ice cream anytime I even see a photo of this classic diner.

As a bonus right next door to Cakes N Cream Fifties Diner is a full putt putt coarse and some carnival rides that are tailored to younger riders. It is the perfect place to end a long day of shows or shopping. Allowing the kids to play and ride on the rides, while enjoying a huge ice cream or burger.

Hero’s Taste and Taps

Unfortunately, there really is not a lot of good breweries in the Branson area. At least none that I have found…..yet. I was looking for some good local beer and a decent dinner and that is when we came across Hero’s Taste and Taps. This amazing little restaurant is very family friendly and it gives honor to service members, teachers, farmers, first responders, doctors, nurses, firefighters, and police officers.

I recommend the Momma’s Fried Green Tomato BLT. It is made with pecan smoked shoulder bacon, topped with a fried green tomato and mayo. It is served with fries and is plenty big enough to satisfy your hunger. If you’re wanting something with some spice, try out the 5-alarm Ozark hot. It is deep fried chicken breast with a sweet and spicy sauce sandwiched with two Belgian waffles.

As the name suggest, there is also a full line of local beers on tap. These beers are on a rotation so be sure to check out the menu online and see what is “floating” your boat.

Jackie B Goode’s Uptown Café

Looking for a classic dinning experience? Jackie B Goode’s Uptown Café is located right in the heart of Branson. It features classic breakfast, lunch, and dinner options that will take you back in time. I am a fan of their triple decker BLT on sourdough bread. You also cannot go wrong with the Country Fried Steak!

Jackie’s is open from 8 AM until 11 PM so there is always a good time to stop in and grab some food. If you are only looking to cure a sweet tooth I recommend stopping in and grabbing a piled high banana split! Or some peach cobbler with a side of vanilla ice cream! No matter what you choose you will not be disappointed.

Dixie Stampede

If you are looking to fill some time with a fun, exciting, family friendly activity. Cannot figure out what to choose? I recommend the Dixie Stampede dinner show for the whole family. I know the price is steep, but keep in mind you are getting not only a dinner served to you. You are also getting a show to keep everyone entertained for a few hours. You may also think that they are focused so much on the show that the food falls sub par. Not true at all, the food is top notch. You get creamy vegetable soup, a biscuit, whole rotisserie chicken, corn on the cob, roasted potatoes, and a dessert. I have been to dixie stampede multiple times and I can say the food is always consistently good.

As far as the show it is basically a musical. Involving horses giving you some history of the country and a classic rodeo theme. The horses are well trained as are their handlers. It is worth going to if you have the time to fill. Do you have a picky eater? They seem to eat a little more when there is a horse show going on in front of them.