Since beginning our full-time journey to discover the country, we have found something to appreciate in every city and town we have passed through. We hope you enjoy reading about them as much as we have enjoyed discovering them!
No person, business or attraction has paid us for an endorsement.
Branson, Missouri
Population: 28,563
Founded: 1896
Average income: $28,491
Average price of housing: $98,561
Median age of the population: 39
https://www.explorebranson.com/
Geographically, Branson is in the southwestern part of Missouri. Branson is in the Ozark Mountains. There are three beautiful lakes within the city limits: Table Rock Lake, Taneycomo Lake and Bull Shoals Lake.
Home Base: The Campground
For us, a campground is not our destination. Our RV is self-contained. Rarely do we use campground services or amenities. We are explorers, not campground reviewers! We stayed on site 95 at Musicland Kampground in Branson. The campground is conveniently located to most attractions in Branson. It is on the older side with lots of hills. It is clean and well-maintained. Our back in site was a FHU (water-electric-sewer) on level crushed stone. Very simple check in, friendly staff. The sites are narrow with no grass. 30 and 50 amp service was available. There was good cell phone coverage (Verizon) and a good open southern sky for our satellite. This would NOT be true in many sites! It is a quiet park, with little in-park traffic and no road noise.
Downtown
There are two commercial areas of Branson: downtown Branson and the newer Route 76 “Strip”. Downtown includes Branson Landing, a hotel and the railroad station. Route 76 is the theater and amusement park area. Both areas are very busy for both cars and pedestrians with limited parking. There are ways of getting around the busy strip: the Blue Route, the Red Route and the Yellow Route. Except for the traffic, Branson is very easy to get around.
Food and Drink
Embers: The is a cigar bar and lounge in Hollister. Nice variety of cigars in the humidor at reasonable prices. Huge comfortable leather chairs and a huge screen TV for relaxing. There is no one hovering over you in the humidor. Bar with nice basic selection of wines and beer. A relaxing atmosphere with friendly service. Street parking was not difficult.
Mel’s Hard Luck Diner: is a restaurant on the Strip. The wait staff sings show tunes while they serve your meal. It is a throwback to the 50s. The food was plentiful and our server, Jordan, was a really good singer. You check out in the gift shop where they sell CDs of the server/singers. Parking is very difficult; they share a small parking lot with several other boutiques and shops.
Harter House Supermarket in Hollister, MO: Not since we left Texas and HEB Grocery Stores have we included a grocery store in our Food and Drink Section. If you are in Branson and need fresh, quality meats, vegetables and a good selection of groceries at a reasonable price, travel the extra 3 or 4 miles to go to Hollister and visit Harter House. As an added bonus the people who work there actually seem to like their job! They are friendly, courteous and helpful.
Farmhouse Family Restaurant: Very popular restaurant in the old Branson area. There was a long wait, but there was a gift shop upstairs to pass the time. Once we were seated, service was quick. Parking is on the street, and horrendous!
Gettin’ Basted: Casual dining on the 76 Strip. Very popular restaurant. Good variety of BBQ and sides. They have their own parking.
Hurts Donuts: This is a donut shop to spend some time at. The apple fritter was the size of 3 donuts! The maple frosting with bacon donut was the size of 2 donuts! Everything we tried was really good!
Landry’s Seafood: A chain restaurant on the 76 Strip. Food was plentiful; service was reasonably quick. Very little wait. They have their own parking.
Missouri Ridge Distillery: This is a must go to place! Free samplings of moonshine and bourbon made in the building. On Friday and Saturday with 24 hour notice, you can reserve a table for their smoked BBQ ribs, brisket and bacon!! The meat eaters in our group said these were by far the best ribs they have ever had. If you go, be sure to talk to “Firefly” Tina behind the bar. And bring a duck (people with Jeeps will understand this!).
Bonita’s Mexican Restaurant: Causal restaurant on the Strip. Quick service, plentiful food. Many food options, especially vegetarian options. They have their own parking.
Attractions
Branson Murder Mystery: This is the murder mystery at 2849 Gretna. Food was a buffet and plentiful. There were five VERY versatile actors! They took you to your table, picked up food trays and had an exit line at the end to say goodbye and to allow pictures with the actors. Many members of the audience volunteered for roles in the show. The actors were very nimble with their jokes and adlibbing whatever came their way. It was hilarious, and definitely a must do!
Branson Scenic Railway: The train leaves from the old downtown train station. Parking is plentiful, but limited. Avoid buying your tickets on the day/time you want to ride. The train is loaded in order of when you bought your ticket, for example, you were the first person to buy your ticket for that day and time, you will board first. Those who bought their ticket the day of your ride (like me!) will be loaded near the end (meaning you will walk through MANY cars to get to an open seat). The ride was 40 miles (1:45 minutes) through the Ozarks and through two mountain tunnels. There was no commentary as we rode on the train. We would have liked a little narrative about where we were in the Ozarks (towns, rivers, etc.). Overall, it was a pleasant experience.
Centennial Museum: This is a fun local history museum. Make sure you allow time for the hour-long movie. It is on a continuous loop (you can start and stop anywhere). There were artifacts from the area. We learned about the origin of Kewpie dolls, the Baldknobbers and how Taneycomo Lake came to get its name.
Dolly Parton’s Stampede: A must do in Branson! Enjoyable dinner theater and patriotic show. Before the show you can walk the line of horse stalls and see the four-legged performers up close and in person! Beautiful, VERY well cared for horses. The show was fun with trick riding, historical acts and competition by some audience members. There were bison, Texas long horn cattle, chickens, and little pigs! The food was more than plentiful, the drinks replenished continuously. Overall, a very fun evening!
Reza, the Illusionist: Excellent illusionist! He did everything from card tricks to having a storage container “disappear” on stage. There was a surprise ending. Reza is a world known illusionist and we wondered, “Why Branson and not Las Vegas?” He answered that question for us. When he was a small child, his parents brought him to Branson for magic shows. To him, Branson always felt like home. There is a surprise illusion at the end, and there is a story about the MC, Max, that we will not spoil. We would go back again!
Silver Dollar City: Silver Dollar City is a 61-acre amusement park / county fair just outside of Branson. This place is HUGE and attracts lots of people! There are the traditional amusement park rides like roller coasters, multiple small shops, theaters, restaurants and demonstrations (sorghum, blacksmith, glass blowing, etc.). There is much to see, do and experience! If you leave hungry, it is your own fault! Plan to get there early and stay late. W e walked over 10,000 steps and still didn’t see everything!
Table Rock Dam: We visited the Dewy Short Visitor Center at the USACE Site on Table Rock Lake. What a beautiful building and observation deck. We were able to see for miles! Table Rock Lake is absolutely beautiful! Lots of hiking trails, Moonshine Beach or swimming and multiple boat launches. The dam was built in 1954 at a cost of $65,000,000 (today that would be $500,000,000). The dam is over a mile long! It is worth the drive.
Titanic Museum: Very interesting self-guided walking tour of the sinking of the Titanic. We were given hand held devices at the beginning of the tour that we could use at various locations to tell us more about an exhibit. These were HIGHLY annoying!!!! They really slowed the process, as people would stop in front of an exhibit and listen for 3 minutes to the recording. We put our devices away after stop 3!!!!! There were many “crew” members in the museum to answer questions and offer information. This was much better!
Fun Facts
Branson is within a day’s drive of 50% of the population of the US. The city receives up to 65,000 visitors daily.
Branson is known as the “live entertainment capital of the world”, with over 30 live shows per day.
We learned the name origin of the Taneycomo Lake when we went to the Centennial Museum. The lake is in Taney County, MO. Shortened, it is Taneycomo! It is just a random little fun fact about the area.
Summary
We had no idea what to expect from Branson. We thought it might be very touristy. It was. We thought there would be a lot of traffic. There was. But it was also very fun, with literally something for everyone of every age! There was so much we didn’t see! Another time.
Your partners in travel,
Kathryn, Dave and Lucky
RVing Nomads
It’s a lifestyle
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