It was Sunday; the day of the wedding we had traveled to Branson to attend. In the middle of the afternoon Paula and I drove to a small chapel in the woods in the nearby area called "Saddlebrook" to witness Amy & Larry's marriage ceremony and be guests at their reception.
I feel the story, memories, and pictures of that day are theirs. So I don't feel that it's my place to share them here. However, here are a couple of pics of us from that fun party.
As you would expect, the parents of the bride, were immersed in wedding prep. Paula was busy helping, Renee, another wedding guest apply her Color Street nail strips. (check out her Color Street FB group for more info:
Paula's Nail Haven)
The big chicken outside the Great American Steak and Chicken House was first.
Across the street from the Ferris Wheel was the all too common sling shot ride whose sign said it was "The Ejector Seat". Tell me, would you ride this?
I did a little research and found out that it's was brought to Branson from a place called "Presidents Park" in South Dakota by a company selling time shares. When the company went out of business it simply left statue.
I captured shots of two attraction whose facades I really like.
Ripley's Believe It Or Not
I know I included a picture of the outside of the Hollywood Wax Museum in my first series post. But I had to get some better ones because I absolutely like the King Kong icon so much.
We spent Sunday night in Branson and headed home early Monday morning.
I have to mention that on the way back home, I bought a $5 "I Love Lucy" themed lottery scratch off at a Minit Mart and won $100.
The two days we were actually in Branson went quickly. We really didn't have the luxury of taking our time to enjoy a lot of the area. But I do have some things I want to share with you in regard to what did/didn't impress me about Branson. If you ever decide to visit this popular tourist destination these may help.
Now I'm not a travel expert so take these for what their worth. Also remember these are based on a very limited time spent there.
Plan Ahead: With the number of theaters, restaurants and attractions in the area you need to have a general idea of what you want to do before you arrive. I guess this is true with any vacation destination. But when it comes to Branson, it's important to know if the show you want to see will be running when you are there. A lot of them are seasonal. Online tourist websites are a good resource for this.
When it comes to restaurants (and there are plenty) you can take your choice of going to those unique to the area or those national chains you are familiar with. You need to have a general idea of what's available so you can avoid the "I don't know where do you want to eat" dilema as much as possible.
Over the course of our stay, we only ate a one restaurant worth mentioning. That was "Shorty Smalls".
Geography:The footprint of the "things to do" in Branson is pretty large. You could draw a circle with a 20 mile radius and not include all of them.
A lot of the places and things you will want to do or see are within an area surrounded by 2 main roads: Rt 76 Country Boulevard and Shepherd of the Hills Expressway. But please be advised that the area these 2 roads border is a large area and have lots of traffic. They are not walking routes. A car is required to get around.
One of the things that surprised me about Branson is how many hills there are. If you are going to park along Country Blvd with the intention of exploring the area, be prepared to walk up and down some rather steep hills. This was something that was very prohibitive for us. Because of my physical limitations (I have a drop foot condition on my left side and have to walk with a cane) it is very difficult for me to walk up and down hills. If you or your family don't have any problems with hills then it won't be an issue for you. But approach your Branson vacation by expecting everything to be at the top, bottom in the middle of a hill.
There are a lot of amusements up and down Country Blvd. Go carts, miniature golf courses, paddle boats, arcades and other kinds of family friendly activities. If you have to worry about entertaining young ones or teenagers, you shouldn't have a problem.
Museums: In the 2nd post of this series I shared with you our day at the World's Largest Toy Museum complex. But that was just one of the museums that Branson offers.
There's the big attraction museums like: Ripley's Believe It Or Not, The Titanic Museum, and The Hollywood Wax Museum. But in addition there are others. I don't want to list them because I may miss something you'd enjoy. They feature and focus on some rather unique and interesting subjects. Here again is where pre-visit information is important.
I haven't even mentioned the things to do in regard to animal encounters, historic tours, nature walks, and water based activities.
There are so many things to do and see in Branson that if you are within a day's drive it would be worth spending some time there.
I actually enjoyed most of our time in Branson. It really has the potential to be a fun vacation spot. But unless you live within a relatively short drive (4 hours or less) it requires more than a weekend visit. A week long stay would probably be a little more rewarding. To be honest, I don't know if we will ever make the 8 hour drive again. I might but Paula probably wouldn't be interested.
For us, the Smoky Mountains are close enough and offer enough things we enjoy (many are similar to those in Branson) that its more rewarding for us to go back there again and again.
So there you have my series on our weekend in Branson, MO. If you have any questions, comments or experiences that you would like to share with me please feel free to do so on my Facebook page or through Facebook messenger.
Thank you for taking the time to read this lengthy post and series. Come back again on Friday and I will share with you more on what life has to offer a Yankee Near Nashville.
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