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There are not a whole lot of big rides, but the ones they do have are great. Most of the rides are tame enough that young children can enjoy them too. Young kids will also have a blast at Geyser Gulch. It's a huge playhouse with cannons that shoot foam balls everywhere. Big kids, like me and my husband, love the shows, great variety of music and comedy.

We like to go during the Kid's Fest in the summer and the Christmas Fest. At Kid's Fest, there are a ton of activities and shows going on all over the park for kids. They have also started having a parade during Kid’s Fest. We haven't seen it yet but can't wait. During Christmas Fest they also have a parade and it is great.

Christmas is a wonderful time to visit, the park is lit with millions of lights and Santa is there to take requests. If you go during Christmas, don't leave without making your own s’mores and getting a cup of hot chocolate, and don't miss the train ride either - it stops halfway through for 'grandpa' to tell the story of the birth of Jesus. All in all, it's a great place for family fun, and family is what it's all about, isn't it?

It's basically an indoor zoo, which is great for rainy days! It's located in Branson West across from Wal-Mart, a few miles past the Silver Dollar City turnoff. They have lots of exhibits and were expanding the last time we were there. They have all kinds of animals from snakes, lizards, spiders, and giant turtles to bears, tigers, lions, and wolves.

Sometimes the staff goes in the tiger and lion exhibits to play with them, pretty cool. The larger animals are behind glass and, most of the time, come right up to the glass so you get an up close and personal experience. At the end of the zoo they have these big tanks set up with sharks and stingrays and for a small, like $1 or $2 fee you can buy food to feed them by hand. Well, the shark food goes on the end of a stick but the stingray food is held in your hand and they suck it out, it was way cool.

My kids had a blast. We loved it so much we took my parents there the next day and did it all over again. Oh yeah, you can usually find a coupon in the coupon books all over town for $1 off adult and $.50 of child admission.

When we decide we are going somewhere in particular, I scour the internet for travel guides and coupons. Review sites such as this one, Tripadvisor, and Virtualtourist are great for getting tips on what activities and accommodations are not expensive and which ones not to waste your money on. There are several things in Branson that are either free or very inexpensive, such as The Stone Hill Winery Tour (free), the Shepherd of the Hills Hatchery (free), The Dewey Short Visitor Center (free), Predator World, an indoor zoo ($6/adult - $5/child, coupons available), The Tracks Family Fun Parks with the Go-Card (half-price tickets), and if you buy a season pass to Silver Dollar City in Jan. or Feb. you get a Bring a Friend Free Certificate for each pass bought. The cost of one season pass is less than the cost of two 1-day admissions to the park. You can only use the BAF certificates certain times of the year, so plan your trip to accommodate. You also get 10% off meals over $3.50 in the park when you are a season pass holder, this really comes in handy when you have kids wanting everything from cotton candy to popcorn to hamburgers and fries.

As far as accommodations go, a lot of people say that they only will stay in a luxury hotel or a condo resort. Why? If you’re just on a weekend trip, you will only be there to sleep, so why spend all the extra money? A couple places we've stayed on short trips were the Caprice Motor Inn and the Hillbilly Inn. I would recommend either. They have clean rooms and the rates are not too high. The Caprice also has an indoor pool. When we are staying for an extended time, we do like to stay somewhere that has a kitchen so we can cook some meals to save money, but it doesn't have to be a luxury high-priced condo resort. Places like the Tribesman Resort have nice little cottages and apartments that fit the bill.

Speaking of meals, Branson offers a huge variety of restaurants, from fine dining to buffets galore. Buffets are the way to go for families with small children. They can pick what they want to eat and most places either don't charge for children 4 and under or charge very little. Our favorite buffet is the Golden Corral on the Shepherd of the Hills Expressway, but this place gets really packed with tour buses around standard eating times. I would recommend going during off hours, but definitely go at least once - it is wonderful.

Oh yeah, with the Go-Card for the Tracks, you can also get discounts around town, and Golden Corral is one place - I think it's 10% or 15% off breakfast and lunch. Usually for breakfast we just take cereal and donuts and eat in the room, then eat a pretty big lunch, then a small dinner. This saves money too, because dinner prices are usually higher than lunch.

You don’t have to have or spend a lot of money to have a nice vacation and make lasting memories for your family. When I was younger, our family always took vacations or even day trips, and those are some of the best memories I have.