An Adventure in Branson

A couple weeks ago my husband and I celebrated our 32nd wedding anniversary with a trip to Branson. I had only been there once before, back in 2018, as part of a writing retreat, but I had been wanting to return. I’m so glad we did. We had a marvelous time.

We stayed in a lovely little cabin tucked into the woods. So quiet, peaceful, and wonderful shade with a breeze to cut back the heat.

Day 1

On our first day, we tackled Silver Dollar City. If you’ve never been, it’s a theme park centered on a 1800’s country theme. Just my cup of tea. It was very hot, but we still had a great time. We started the day by getting breakfast at a popular local diner famous for their 14″ pancake – Billy Gail’s. Yes, the pancake really was that big. I had to see for myself. I managed to do some serious damage, but I just couldn’t finish it. Super yummy, though.

After fueling up for the day, we headed to the park. Thanks to getting some recommendations before we left, I knew to visit the Wilderness Church for the hymn sing-a-long they do several times during the day. We sang my favorite worship music–old hymns–for about 30 minutes. It was wonderful!

We also rode many rides and explored several historic buildings. There was so much to see, and I’m sure we missed some gems. I suppose we’ll just have to go back one of these days.

Day 2

After being out in the heat all day the previous day, we decided for a more relaxed (and air-conditioned!) day. We played some indoor mini golf at the Coral Reef, where I’m thrilled to report that I beat my husband by 5 strokes. WooHoo! We both managed a pair of hole-in-ones, too!

After mini golf, we headed to the Branson Aquarium. It wasn’t a huge aquarium, but it was exceptionally well done. Beautiful with lots of fun opportunities for photos. My husband is a big fan of aquariums, so when I found this option, I knew we needed to add it to the itinerary.

We ended the day with the show I had been waiting to see for two years. Esther – at the Sight and Sound Theater. I saw Sampson back in 2018 and was amazed. When I saw that they were doing Esther in 2023-24, I started plotting a return to Branson. I’m so glad we were able to make it work. It was an incredible production! The sets were phenominal, the actors ultra-talented, and the singing outstanding. We had seats on the center aisle, and they are famous for bringing the actors up and down the aisles. King Xerxes even rode his horse right past us. Yes, a live horse! The had several horses in the show along with a camel, a pair of llama, some goats, a dog, and even live birds that were released to fly above the audience’s head. Just stellar! I love seeing God’s word brought to life on the stage with such care to scriptural accuracy as well as high-level entertainment.

Day 3

We ended our Branson stay with a book signing at the Fig Tree Books & More Christian store. They were so gracious to have me come, and I loved getting to see readers from the Branson area. It was a wonderful way to end our stay.

Have you taken any summer trips yet?
Do you have any planned?
I’d love to hear about them!