Wednesday, January 24, 2018

A Return To Branson, Missouri, Part Two

This is a continuation of a series of posts of my Missouri Vacation which I took the first week of September.  To start at the beginning go HERE.  The rest of the posts, in consecutive order are HERE , HEREHEREHERE HEREHERE, HERE, and HERE.

The end of our Missouri vacation that my husband and I took way back in September ended with one night and one full day in Branson, Missouri.  I already wrote about how we spent our night in Branson in last week's travel post.  This week I will conclude my Missouri Travel Series with how we spent our day in Branson.

There is so much to see and do in the Branson area that you almost need a full week to see everything.  This was our second visit to Branson, but both times we were only there a short time.  The number one activity I would suggest doing before you do anything else and/or if you have limited time, is to take a duck ride.  


The ducks are replicas of actual WWII military vehicles that can travel both on land and water.  The Branson Duck Tour is 70 minutes long and takes you all over the city of Branson showing you all the sites and they give you a history of the town as well.  But there's more!  You will also cross over a dam, travel through the woods, climb a mountain to a scenic view, learn the history of more military vehicles, and then splash down and cruise Table Lake all the while laughing your head off at your crazy tour guides corner jokes!



I enjoyed driving through town and marveling at all the crazy touristy buildings.  It's like a little Las Vegas.


Our tour guide was the sweetest, funniest guy ever!  We could tell he really enjoyed his job.  Our only complaint was that he talked really fast and he had a thick southern accent, so there were times we had a hard time understanding him.  We didn't want to miss anything he had to say, because he was so funny!



Branson has a very quirky, kitschy feel to it that can be a turn-off to some people.  I must admit on my first visit I wasn't impressed.  But going to Vegas seemed to make me appreciate Branson more.  It's like a Little Vegas but a lot more wholesome.


You will never run out of things to do in Branson, especially if you have kids.  There are lots of places for kids to play!


After driving through town a bit, we then headed up out of town and across this bridge/dam.  The building in the distance is a luxury hotel.



From the bridge we saw gorgeous views like this!


Then it was time to enter the woods and go up the mountain!


At the top of the mountain we had a moment of silence to honor our veterans as our duck drove around showing us all these amazing WWII vehicles.




When the WWII tribute finished, our duck then parked right here where so we could spend a few moments "oohing" and "ah hing" over this amazing view of the Ozarks!


We even got lucky and had a large bird enter our frame!


But the excitement wasn't over yet, in fact, it was just beginning.  Because now it was time to see how our Duck does on water.  Yes, they actually do take you into the water on this tour.  It's so fun, because they drive into the water really fast and all the water splashes up around the boat (no, we didn't get wet),  and then you're on a boat ride!


We saw other boats and an island in the lake.


 And we even got a close up view of the Showboat Branson Belle.  It does a cruise, dinner and show.  If I ever go back to Branson, the Showboat is next on my list of things to do.


 If there are any children on board the duck, they let them take turns driving the boat (although I'm sure adults would be allowed to drive as well).

After everyone had a turn driving the boat, it was time for our duck to go back on land.  The path you see through the woods is how we got in and out of the lake.


But I tour wasn't over yet!  We had to go back downtown to return to Duck Central and we were able to see even more fun tourist attractions.

This is the World's Largest Titanic Museum Attraction...another thing on my list of things to see and do in Branson.  It looks amazing!


Branson is known for it's country music shows, so everywhere you look, you will see theater buildings and advertisements for country music.


And if you love to shop, Branson is for you!  They have a great historic downtown filled with fabulous shops.  We didn't go there on this trip because we did that the last time we were in Branson. You can read about that HERE if your interested to know more about their downtown.  But in addition to their downtown there are so many places to shop it's ridiculous!  My favorite place to shop in Branson, is Branson's Landing, which I covered last week, but there is also the Grand Village,  Tanger Outlets, Branson Mill Craft Village, and so much more!


We always love to just drive or walk around and look at all the fun tourist attractions.  This is a Wax Museum.  I've never been to a wax museum.  Someday!


 When our tour ended, we headed out to lunch.  We went to Danna's Barbecue and Burger Shop because my husband's co-worker recommended it.  I'm glad he did, because it was literally THE BEST BARBECUE I've ever had in my life.  The meat just melted in my mouth it was so tender!


It's a small, cute little place, but it's very popular and fills up fast.  By the time we got our order, every table was filled.  They do have a server that helps people find tables.


You have to stand in a line to place your order.  They then give you a marker to place on your table and a server brings your food out to you.


We both got pulled pork baskets.


Oh, my mouth is watering just thinking about how good this barbecue sandwich was!


After lunch, we shopped a bit and then we went to a matinee performance at the Sight and Sound Theater.  It is a Christian theater that does musicals based on bible stories.  This is our second visit to this theater.  The first time we saw "Joseph"; you can read my review of that show HERE where I shared our visit to downtown Branson.   This time we saw "Moses".  Although we loved "Joseph" we were absolutely blown away by "Moses".  It was absolutely amazing!  The special effects were truly stunning, and the story line was so touching and meaningful.


Of course we had to get our picture taken next to the Moses statue!


If you can only go to one show in Branson, I highly recommend the Sight and Sound Theater.  Just get your tickets in advance!  We didn't, thinking we could easily buy tickets when we got there (we did the first time to see "Joseph")  but they were all sold out.  I actually started to cry, I was so upset.  It was suppose to be the highlight of my trip!  But somehow, my husband managed to get two tickets by talking to the ticket agent at the counter.  The seats weren't together, but I didn't care.  I was so happy to get tickets I burst into tears.  The ticket agent then gave us a free Moses soundtrack.  She was so sweet!

And that concludes my Missouri Travel Series!  I won't have any more travel posts to share for awhile as I am all caught up sharing my adventures with you all.  We can't do much this winter because we have too many home projects to get caught up on.  I am going to Chicago to visit my children for a week in February, so when I come back from that trip I might have a few travel posts to share.  Our next major road trip will be in April when we go to Savannah!  I'm really excited about that trip.  I booked an apartment in a historic home in downtown Savannah for the week.  It's so beautiful and romantic!

Have a Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!

12 comments:

  1. Looks like you had a fabulous time in Missouri with all the beautiful hiking and finishing it off in Branson was the perfect ending to your trip. We took the "Ride the Ducks" ride when we went to Branson years ago, so much fun! We've also been to that wax museum, the only one we've ever been to. Might have to visit one again now that the kids are older and would appreciate them more. So glad you were able to get tickets to the musical!
    Looking forward to your Savannah posts, I know nothing about that city, and always love to read about your travel destinations and tips!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, we had a good vacation and enjoyed Branson so much more the second time around. I am SO LOOKING forward to our Savannah vacation. The pictures I've seen look gorgeous. I think it will be such a relaxing, romantic trip.

      Delete
  2. I've enjoyed your Branson posts! My daughter has a dance competition in Branson this summer and we will be there a week. I'd love to Ride the Ducks. We stayed at Big Cedar a couple of years ago, it is very close to Branson and is a luxury resort with its own restaurants, cave, etc. Very neat and a popular vacation spot for people in STL wanting to get away for a bit. We drove into Branson and did the Showboat Branson Belle, they have a princess and pirate cruise that my kids LOVED. The show was really nice as was being on the river, but the food was just OK... but, I wasn't really on it for the food anyway! I have never been on the Ride the Ducks, but we are def. going to do that this summer now after your amazing review of it!

    Carrie
    curlycraftymom.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks Carrie. I will have to check out that Big Cedar place. I'm sure you and your kids will love riding the Ducks!

      Delete
  3. I've heard of Branson but didn't realize there was so much to do! The duck tour looks like so much fun and o can imagine the sight and sound theater was amazing! Can't wait to see what you do on your savannah trip.

    Brooke
    pumps and push-ups

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Brooke! Yes, I was surprised at the variety of things to do in Branson too!

      Delete
  4. Oh it looks like a really fun place to visit! The tour let you see so much. I'm really glad you got tickets to the show in the end, it's wonderful they could squeeze you in!
    Hope that you are having a good week :) It's Australia day today, so a public holiday which is nice :)

    Away From The Blue Blog

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, you really see a lot for your money! It was worth every penny!

      Delete
  5. Oh, my has Branson grown up since I was last there. That was probably in 1970, maybe? I remember getting an old fashioned bonnet there and wearing it.

    Would love to visit again. Your photos are like little postcards beckoning me!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, I'm sure it has changed a lot since you were there. You need to go back!

      Delete
  6. I feel like I stepped back in time reading your story about Branson, Amy. I would love to visit it, its right my alley. Have a great weekend
    https://lookingfabulousat50.blogspot.com.au

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. haha! It almost is like you've stepped back in time when you go to Branson!

      Delete

Thank you for leaving a comment. I love feedback from my readers. If you have a blog, I always return the love by visiting within a week whoever leaves a comment.