This month’s Daytrippin’ is more than a day trip. We are going to travel to Branson Missouri. The drive is about 900 miles, but there is an airport with commercial flights into the town. There are a number of routes to take but the one through Tennessee and Kentucky is the most scenic.
Branson is known as the live show capital of the world with 78 theatres running 104 shows in a 10 square mile area. In addition to the show there is a major amusement park, train ride, numerous roadside attractions and even a true paddle wheel riverboat.
If you have visited Pigeon Forge, you have gotten a small taste of what Branson is offering. In fact, Dollywood at one time was named Silver Dollar City. Branson has the original Silver Dollar City and it was named the #1 theme park by USA Today’s Reader’s Choice Awards for the second straight year. The park also hosts a Christmas Season that was voted one of the most beautiful parks in the United States. The Christmas display offers 6.5 million lights and an 80-foot-tall Christmas tree. The park was originally a roadside cave attraction, and the park was built around the cave entrance. The name comes from the parks owners always giving change with silver dollar coins. In addition to the cave the park boasts numerous roller coasters, water rides, and a train ride. Numerous shows are scattered around the park with the signature shows being held in Echo Holler amphitheater.
Branson itself is located in the Ozark Mountains just south of Springfield Missouri. The area got its notoriety after the publication of the book “Shepherd of the Hills” by Harold Bell Wright. People started moving to the area for the beautiful scenery and quiet mountain life. To work, they were miners and farmers. They populated the area and needed entertainment. The first show in Branson was Presleys’ County Jubilee, the show still runs today at the same location but is a far nicer theatre. The original theater was built as a flat building in case the show did not work out, they could use the building as a warehouse. The second show was the Baldknobbers show which is still performed but not at the original location. The Baldknobbers Show was named after a group formed in the 1800’s to assist law-abiding citizens. The group grew so powerful they were bending the laws for their own gain and became far worse than the criminals they originally tried to fight against. Harold Bell Wright’s novel, The Shepherd of the Hills, features generic Bald Knobbers as the story’s villains. The third show was the Plumber Family Show, Daryl and Rosie Plumer presented the show with their family. Randy Plummer the son of Daryl and Rosie still performs in Branson today playing bass, singing and is a published author. All of the shows used a combination of comedy and music to entertain the audiences. The shows did catch on and the city of Branson hosted 10.29 million visitors in Branson in 2023.
During the 80’s and 90’s, a number of stars based their shows out of Branson. Artist such as Roy Clark, The Osmonds, Glen Campbell, Micky Gilly, Andy Williams, Kenny Rodgers, and Ray Stevens all had theatres in Branson. Tony Orlando and Yakov Smirnov still reside in Branson. Smirnov still performs and Orlando has just retired from performing. I had the honor of being at one of Mel Tillis’s final performances.
Originally mostly country music shows, today there are all styles of music, from Oldies and Pop to Country and Rock. The local performers have worked with national level performers and national acts still perform in Branson today. There is a show for every taste. The performances run from breakfast until late night. There are even magic shows.
One of the more interesting places to visit is the Shepherd of the Hills Homestead. It features Ole Matt’s Cabin mentioned in the book “Shepherd of the Hills”, a chuckwagon dinner show and a nightly show in the Amphitheatre that tells the story of Shepherd of the Hills. There is also a drive through light display during the Christmas Season, a zipline and an observation tower with great views of the Ozarks.
The majority of the theatres are located on the “strip”, 76 County Boulevard. The road leads into downtown Branson. This is a very small area that has shops and restaurants to browse everything from clothes and souvenirs to antique shops. They have a hundred-year-old five and dime store that is a must see. Also Downtown the station for the Branson Scenic Railroad is the starting point for a train trip through the Ozarks. The train departs numerous times each day and there is also a dinner train trip available.
Branson is located on 2 lakes, Lake Taney Como and Table Rock Lake. Tany Como is near downtown and is the site of the Branson Landings Shopping Complex and Table Rock Lake is a large body of water controlled by the Table Rock Lake Dam. On Table Rock Lake you will find the Showboat Branson Belle. It is the largest landlocked vessel in the United States. The showboat was built onsite and is patterned after the Mississippi River Boats. The boat hosts a stage show with a meal. The highly produced show is a mixture of Comedy, Magic, and Music. Showboat Branson Belle is a great way to relax, travel on the lake and enjoy a good meal.
In addition to shows, there are activities for the entire family. You can zipline into downtown Branson, ride a number of mountain coasters, and race round numerous go cart tracks. There is a toy museum to relive your childhood and you can see the original Beverly Hillbillies’ Truck in the Museum and the College of the Ozarks. Just a side note, the last five episodes of the Beverly Hillbillies was filmed at Silver Dollar City.
Branson is a two-day trip to drive but well worth the visit. You may even find yourself on stage, we did. The town is full of friendly and talented people and the ongoing theme of the area, and the shows is the respect for God and Country where during every show they take a moment to honor our Veterans and First Responders. Once in town, take a moment to look around, take your time, have a dessert at Cakes and Creams, a 50’s soda show or get waited on by singing servers at the last chance diner. If you try it, Branson is a trip you make numerous times.
