Vacation in Branson – Always Pack Light

If you want some entertainment, you might consider taking your next vacation in Branson. It’s often called the entertainment capital of the world. Branson is located in the heart of the Ozarks, in Southern Missouri. There is something for everyone in your family here.

Branson has a large selection of music shows, magic acts, shopping, theme parks, outdoor activities, and other entertainment attractions. Nearly 7 million people visit Branson every year. Branson is a lot like the tourist town of Gatlinburg, but Branson has a ton more shows.

Entertainment and Shows

Branson has almost 50 theaters and hundreds of shows to choose from. Your biggest problem will be deciding which ones to see.

There are too many shows to list them all, but here are a few: The Million Dollar Quartet, Legends in concert, The Grand Jubilee, The Haygoods, The Baldknobbers, Clay Cooper’s Country Express, The Pierce Arrow Theater, The Duttons, Jim Stafford, Liverpool Legends, Mickey Gilley, Neal McCoy, and The Oak Ridge Boys.

There are many other musicians that perform in Branson throughout the year. If you want dinner and a show you can go to Dolly Parton’s Stampede or Branson Country USA. You can also get a ticket to climb aboard the Showboat Branson Belle for dinner, a show, and relaxing boat ride.

If you want to see something other than a musical show, there are several other shows you can go to. You could go see The Illusionist Rick Thomas, The Acrobats of China, or The Amazing Acrobats of Shanghai.

Theme Parks and Rides

Wolfe Mountain has become a very popular destination. Visitors can go snow flex tubing down the mountain racing friends and family members to the bottom or go ziplining through the Ozarks.

Fritz’s Adventure is another great place to visit. They have a huge climbing and rope course. If you like theme parks, Branson has a couple great ones. In the summer, visitors can spend a day at White Water enjoying some big water slides and rides. They have a lazy river to relax in, a wave pool, and kids park.

One of the main attractions in Branson is the Silver Dollar City Theme park. It’s an 1880’s theme park with several amazing roller coasters and rides. They have children’s theme park too for smaller kids. I try to go there every summer, but my favorite time to go is during December.

Silver Dollar City decorates the entire park with Christmas lights and they have a Christmas parade. You can even ride all the rides at night. If you love Christmas like I do, you won’t want to miss it. Its spectacular to see.

There are several other places that have some great rides. The Track Family Fun Park has several locations in Branson that has go-carts, bumper-cars, and arcades. Other theme parks in Branson are the Runaway Mountain Coaster, Bigfoot Fun Park, The Branson Coaster, America’s Fun Park, and Castle Rock Resort and Fun Park.

Many people ride the Branson Ferris Wheel, or the thrill seekers may want the adrenaline rush of the Human Slingshot or Gravity bomb located on the strip.

Recreational Activities

If you don’t want to go to a theme park you could also play mini golf, play laser tag, or go to an arcade. There are numerous places where you could go.

If you want to play some amazing Golf, Branson is quickly becoming a top golfing destination. Branson has several award-winning courses to choose from. They have about 10 courses, with some designed by golf legends. Rumor has it that Tiger Woods is designing a course in Branson.

If you want to do something a little less physical or more relaxing, you could go to one Branson’s many museums. There’s the World’s largest toy museum, history of fishing museum, and the Titanic museum.

If you want to catch a movie, you could go to the Branson IMAX. They have a massive screen and offer 3D movies. You could visit the Inspiration Tower for the best view of Branson and the Ozarks or you could visit the National Tiger Sanctuary to see real tigers.

For those with a taste for spirits, you could go to the Mount Pleasant Winery wine class 101 or the Curling Vine Winery. For those that want something a little harder, The Branson Landing has the Smith Creek Moonshine Distillery and tasting bar to satisfy your needs.

Outdoor Activities

Branson offers just as many outdoor activities for those that want to get out and play. If you want to go fishing, boating, swimming, or parasailing, there are three lakes to choose from. You could go to Table Rock Lake, Lake Taneycomo, or Bull Shoals Lake.

Other thrilling outdoor adventures include spelunking in the local caves, kayaking, ATV riding, hiking, horseback riding, and ziplining. There are four great places to go ziplining: Wolfe Mountain, Parakeet Pete’s at The Landing, Shepherd of the Hills Adventure Park, and Vigilante Extreme Ziprider.

Shopping

For shopping, Branson has a multitude of shopping complexes. The Branson Landing near the lake has a bunch of stores including some designer stores, popular restaurants, bars, and a Bass Pro Shop. The Landing sometimes hosts concerts with famous bands. Most are free admission.

You could also go to the Tanger Outlet. It also has a bunch of popular brand name stores. It has a Nike Outlet, Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren, Under Armour, Adidas, American Eagle, Express, Disney, Oakley, and a lot of other great stores.

Other shopping centers include: Branson Meadows, The Lakeside Shoppes by the Branson Landing, Grand Village Shops, Mill Craft Village, and the Branson Hills.

The Branson Hills has a TJ Max, Best Buy, Target, Wal-Mart, Books-A-Million and Home Depot. Whatever you’re shopping for, you can probably find it in Branson.

Special Events

There are certain times during the year that Branson hosts special events. They have an annual car show in September, where classic hot rods cruise up and down the streets for fans.

The Bass Pro Legends of Golf Tournament takes place each year. In 2019, the date’s set for April 22^nd -28^th. Previously, famous players such as: Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Gary Player, Lee Trevino, and Hale Irwin have attended. There’s also a celebrity golf tournament that has featured Kid Rock, Bill Dance, and Larry the Cable Guy.

Christmas is a special time of year in Branson. There are several Christmas lights tours available. As I previously mentioned, Silver Dollar City is awesome to go to during December. On the 4th of July every year, The Branson Landing has a fireworks show for everyone right by the lake.

Lodging and Dining

For lodging, there are cabins and condos you could rent. There are an infinite number of hotels to choose from. The Chateau on the Lake is one of Branson’s most extravagant hotels if you’re looking for first class. If you want to save money or can’t decide where to stay, there are multiple places offering vacation packages.

For dining, you have just as many restaurants to choose from as hotels. The Top of Rock Restaurant is one of the best places to eat, located just outside the city limits.

I hope you enjoyed the article. Give us a like or follow us on Social media if you did. Comment below if you visit Branson; I’d love to hear about your trip and if there’s anything I left out.