Branson - More Than Just Country

It's hard to believe when you arrive, but there you are, in the mountains, and it's beautiful. Walking around this town would make you exhausted, as it's hard to find any flat land. Just to drive home the point, my husband and I saw a hotel that had only one floor on the main drag, and by the back of the building, there were seven floors to be level with the one in front!

The most enjoyable activities for me included visiting the Talking Rocks Cavern and seeing Yakov Smirnoff. There were so many other wonderful shows, but Yakov is definitely the most memorable and entertaining. If you are uncertain who he is, perhaps the phrase "What a Country" will help you.

Quick Tips:

There are tons of places to pick up coupons; I would say that every gas station, grocery store, restaurant, etc., has coupon books. Our suggestion: pick up several, as you may find varying offers for the same thing in different books. We did seem to find the best ones more often in the VIP discount book we received from the resort.

Best Way To Get Around:

You may be able to walk around to some nearby places, but driving is probably a good idea. DEFINITELY take the alternate routes around the main drag as best you can. It would be worth asking at your accommodations how far down the road something is so you can wait until the last chance to join back up to the main road.

Now, by 2008, I would checkout the monorail option. It's currently in the works and will head straight to the old downtown Branson area, where a bunch of new accommodations and trendy shops are scheduled to arrive. The monorail is supposed to go from one end of the strip to the other, so the cost is probably worth it to keep your sanity. Another big project in the works is to make the road bigger to Silver Dollar City - this is REALLY needed bad!

Best Things Nearby:
We particularly were pleased with the Yakov Smirnoff show, which was just several miles away. We also found the Talking Caverns (a 15-minute drive) to be beautiful.

Best Things About the Resort:
The staff is so friendly, and we enjoyed the Mardi Gras party they throw down by the pool. They manage to get a bunch of the local acts to do a couple songs, so you get an idea of what their shows are like. There were also free tickets given away from each act, so make sure you show up with a few unplanned days in your week.

Resort Experience:
The traffic on the main road is probably atrocious during the summer. Luckily, the resort also has an exit onto an alternate route, and it was much faster to get places, even if the distance was slightly longer. The second alternate route is not even a quarter-mile down Highway 76.

The staff is very friendly, and the accommodations were wonderful. The resort also has a bus they use for group activities, which we took to a wonderful buffet breakfast at the Chateau on the Lake. The other service I took advantage of was a great price for a 1-hour massage at the resort.

Upcoming news: The resort has five buildings thus far and plans to have seven more built. They are the only timeshare on the strip, though there are a few nearby.

Branson will be adding a monorail, convention center, and huge shopping area on the old downtown Branson area. We also heard that an airport has been approved as well.

• Unit Type: 2 Bedroom
• Activities: Very Good
• Amenities: Very Good
• Unit Satisfaction: Excellent
• Family Friendliness: Excellent
• Service: Excellent

The railway trip was relaxing and somewhat informative on the way out of Branson. We passed by a number of towns that were no longer populated once the train became a less-used mode of transportation. The train stops before heading back in the same direction is over a huge valley, and it is quite impressive to think how much time and work it took to make the bridge. Unfortunately, they did not leave much to hear on the way back to Branson from Arkansas.

We would have liked to do the dinner train, but wouldn’t be in town on either Saturday night. They were also running a summer program for kids associated with Thomas the train, which sounded like fun for kids.

I'm not sure whether I would pay the price to do this again, unless it was the right season and the hillsides would be filled with flowering trees or fall colors. It was a nice relaxing part of the day, but mostly just a view of trees and hills. If you do check it out, you can receive a 10% discount if you present a AAA card. With the discount, our total cost for two of us was $43.66.

Next year (2006), the train will be right near the convention center, monorail, and large shopping area, so it might be worth a visit over to that part of town, even if you don't check out the railway.

Cost: $13.95 per adult, $6.95 per child 4-12. You can find coupons for a few dollars off if you look.

Located only 15 minutes from Branson, this stop is a must for any nature lover. The cave is smaller than I expected, but it's filled with beautiful rock formations. It's also a great cave to visit for those afraid of bats, as there are none.

Our tour guide was very informative about the different formations and very enthusiastic about the cave's history. She definitely made the experience very enjoyable. Like many things in Branson, they are also willing to take a photo within the cave and sell it to you - which was actually very reasonably priced at around $7.

Because of the number of stairs, this would not be a tour for very young children or the elderly. The walking is pretty minimal otherwise, and the tour guide was sure to have everyone walk slowly, as the stairs are wet. The only other things you may want to remember are to bring your camera and a light jacket, as the cave stays around 58 degrees Fahrenheit.

The theater itself is almost in its own little mall, with shopping, a food court, video games, etc. As for the price, it would normally be more than I would pay to watch a one-hour movie. Our VIP coupon book from the French Quarter resort did get us one of the tickets at half-price.

The movie we saw wasn't what we expected. The posters made you think much more time would be spent in Egypt, but there was very little focus on the pyramids. Typically, an IMAX film provides you a better movie experience because there is depth to the picture or exciting action you should feel. I did not really find either of these in this one. I have seen other IMAX films that fit the bill, though, and I would still consider trying a different movie here on a rainy day.

Note: Tickets are usually $30. We had a $2 coupon from one of the coupon books you can pick up at the French Quarter desk or just about anywhere around town.

Yakov put on a hilarious show. For anyone unfamiliar with his background, he is a Russian immigrant, and much of his standup is associated with things in the American language or culture that can be misunderstood. He has been featured on many talk shows and television shows, such as The Tonight Show and Night Court. His most famous lines include "What a country" and "I bet you didn't think of it that way... but you will now."

In one of his skits, Yakov plays the president and has the audience asks questions. This part being somewhat of an improv makes for an additional piece of enjoyment, because you know it's unique to your visit, and it was quite humorous as well.

Near the end of the show, he presented a very touching story about how he appreciates America and the people he met when he first arrived. You could tell he was very genuine about how much he loves this country. One of his murals he painted is on display in pieces within the theater - it had been on display near Ground Zero in New York City.

This was our absolute favorite show of the entire trip to Branson!

Special Features: offers a free golf lesson

The course is very narrow and hilly. There is absolutely beautiful scenery that you just have to stop and enjoy, as you can see the mountain range.

The most difficult hole on the course was, I believe, hole 4, which has the greens cut out of the rock. Hitting this backdrop is not a good plan of attack on the hole. Luckily, I managed to hit it short of this, but the person golfing with me was not so lucky!

Unless you are a good golfer, expect to lose some golf balls here! One other tip, you can play this course for closer to $40 if you happen to own at the French Quarter. Another option is to get the coupon for an early bird special; you can play 9 holes with a cart for $19.

The size of the cave is enormous in comparison to Talking Rocks Cavern. All the rooms are very large and you can see quite a distance in all directions. If you are looking for family-friendly cave or have trouble walking, this would be a suitable choice as you ride through the cave in Jeep-drawn trains. The jeep is fueled with propane as to not produce much in the way of fumes. I would also think that if you have a fear of enclosed areas, this cave would make you feel more at ease. This cave can have bats, but they were all gone by the time we went through (late May).

In comparison, I preferred Talking Rock Caverns over this one. Both are beautiful, but because Fantastic Caverns is so huge, there are areas in the cave with rock formations of little interest near the beginning of the tour. There are several huge sink holes which are quite impressive. The best part of the tour was in the last 'room' before exiting the cave. There you could see lots of stalagtites and stalagmites along with other interesting formations. Also some of the rocks glistened and were quite gorgeous. Actually the last room really does make it worth the trip.

After exiting the cave, the guide points out what was the original entry into the cave when it was discovered and then explored by a group of young women. You can also walk along a short path after the tour to see the water source for the cave.

The tour is around 1 hour and is a bit pricey at $17.50 per adult or $9.50 per child. Still, if you intend to take in multiple caves, I would add this one to your itinerary.

There are several shows along this line within Branson to see. My husband and I being just shy of 30 years of age found that we didn't know quite as many of the songs as I would have anticipated - probably about half of them. Most likely we would have more enjoyed the show with the ‘60s music instead just because we'd be more familiar with the music.

That being said, the show was still enjoyable and well done. There were lots of costume changes, and the performance was divided up by theme. I definitely would recommend to anyone who lived through and loved the music of the ‘50s. Little kids who love to dance would probably enjoy the show as well, though I've heard the ‘60s show is more interactive.

Frederick plays a variety of energetic classical songs on the piano. For several songs near the end of the show, he actually plays on two pianos at one time. At one point, he is playing two songs at once, though I'm glad that was for a short period of time - it may be impressive, but it's distracting. Whilst Frederick is playing the songs, another person is in charge of the water fountain sprays and colors to coordinate with the music.

The theater itself is very old and musty-smelling from the water in the show. Another complaint is that the music is very loud, and I don't know that any spot in the small theater would have been any better. Our last comment would be to call the theater ahead of time if you are in Branson before the really high peak of the season (Memorial Day weekend), as we tried to catch a 6pm show and found it wasn't running at that time yet.

I listed the discounted ticket price we managed to find at the gas station right by Yakov Theater. This is a very reasonable price for the show. I don't know that I would have wanted to pay the full price, as it's just an hour long. This is a great show to fill up some time between other shows you want to see or if you have planned a day for mostly relaxing. It is within walking distance of the French Quarter, so that is another added bonus. After the show, check out the discount store in the same parking lot, as there is most likely to be a little something for everyone.

The show is a musical relaying the Bible story of Joseph with his coat of many colors. If you are unfamiliar with the story, the quick synopsis is that Joseph being the youngest son is still his father's favorite and is given a beautiful coat. His brothers are very jealous and plot to leave him for dead in a pit but some strangers pass by and offer to buy him as a slave. After a number of times interpreting the dreams of the king, Joseph is given a lot of powers and eventually when a famine hits the countryside his brothers end up begging for food from him not knowing it's Joseph until later.

For the most part, the storyline does follow the Biblical translation. If you are looking for something more in the serious realm, this would not be the show for you. I admit it took awhile for me to take the show for what it was. I think I had a little too much anticipation going into the show which would have been impossible to meet. The cast did do an excellent job with acting, music, and dance. I haven't seen a lot of musicals but I'd rate this one above Cats by quite a bit, but definitely below Phantom of the Opera as well.

Since we were in Branson before the peak season (late May), it was very easy to get close seats for the show. This is one of the shows you can get free tickets to see for previewing the French Quarter timeshare.

So for once a brochure that was absolutely true. "Your eyes won't believe your ears". These six brothers are absolutely amazing. They sing a lot of '60s rock music without instruments but you have to keep reminding yourself of that fact because they make the instrument noises with their mouths!

We were so impressed with this show. It's new this year in Branson (2007) and has become extremely popular. The show was full of energy, amazing sound, and downright hilarious at times. This show is a must for those of all ages. How can you go wrong with Elvis, the Beach Boys, Tom Jones, Heard it Through the Grapevine, and What A Wonderful World? And it wouldn't be Branson without a Christian song or two.

Typically I don't find myself listening to CDs from shows but I must say we've already listened to this one several times and our toddlers love dancing to it. Even if you are driving through Branson try to stop and can only see one show - I would recommend this one show. If you want to see two in day, I'd recommend Yakov as the other choice.

After getting completely frustrated on trying to get to Silver Dollar City, my husband and I turned around and headed over to the Titanic Museum. The sheer size of the building is quite a sight to see. It's hard to believe there was that much real estate left on Hwy 76. No photos are allowed inside.

The tour starts with you getting a card with one of the many passenger names on it. You can check a board at the end of the museum to see if that passenger survived or not. Anyhow, you can choose to pay an additional fee to carry around a hand-held tour device. My husband and I chose to share one, but have to each listen separately so this increases the tour time by a lot. You can hear some accounts by a few of the survivors, but outside of that, most of the information you can read on the displays. Once you've decided on your options you enter the museum and pay the pricey fee of $17.03 per adult without audio or $21.62 with audio player.

The brochure makes it look like the whole museum is setup like the ship. I would say quite a few rooms are just items in display cases though some with very interesting stories. None of the items were brought up from the wreckage site - most were items survivors had on them such as menus, purses, some dishes, clothing, etc.

There are a few interactive parts to the museum which are a little further into the tour which help you realize how steep of an incline the ship was believed to reach before breaking apart, the temperature of the water, how hard it really was to see the iceberg, and some of the rooms.

I found the most interesting fact of all was that many of the passengers that left on the lifeboats actually believed they would be going back to board the ship in an hour or two. A number of people made sure to grab their boarding passes before going in the life boat thinking they would need it for their return. How dreadful it must have been when they realized the ship was going down with so many people left on board.

Though definitely on the pricey side, I would recommend stopping at least once to this museum. Oh, make sure to touch the iceberg right after you pay and enter the museum. It's pretty 'cool'.

One last tip, don't take a photo where you are standing right next to the museum or you'll end up with a black wall behind you. If you stand up near the sidewalk by the street you'll get a much better shot. Have fun!

If you really enjoy Broadway musicals and know a lot of them, then you should really enjoy this show. The singing and choreography are done quite well. As I didn't know some of the music, it wasn't quite as enjoyable for me as it could have been.

Some of the musicals featured during our show were Mame, Phantom of the Opera, Chicago, and Cabaret. I'm guessing they do vary it up because supposedly they also do songs from Oklahoma and Music Man but these weren't showcased in the show we saw.

Right now the guest star singing on select dates in some of the acts is Merrill Osmond. The cost with one of the local coupon books was $30 per ticket. Like many shows in Branson they try to sell you a photo, in this case it's a New York scene behind you. None of the cast is in the photo so we had no interest in even viewing it.

Overall we enjoyed the show but before going back I would want to make sure I've already got tickets for Six and Yakov. You can read my reviews on those shows for more information.

Our first time driving through Missouri we kept seeing all these cheesy signs for Jesse James' Hideout in Meramec Caverns. Turned off by the signs we didn't want to stop. After seeing brochures later, I decided we had to stop on our second time through the state.

The caverns are unique in a number of ways. For one, there is a lot of walking through normal rock to reach some of the rooms. Make no mistake, this tour is 75 minutes and parts of the walk are at a quick pace since there is nothing to look at in between the rooms. Also, it's a known site of Jesse James having been 'trapped' and there is a very plausible explanation for his escape.

The cavern also features some very unique formations including a natural onyx table with 3 legs and tons of 'grapes' in the same room because the room used to be filled with water. It was quite a sight to see.

The brochures will also show you an impressive stage curtain. Unfortunately though quite beautiful, I was very turned off by the cheesy use of lights and 'God Bless America' that was bellowed in the room where we sat on benches to view it. The other turn-off was the entryway actually has tiled floor because they hold concerts there several times a year.

If you are looking for all natural, you will be disappointed. If you can look past the few distractions, this is a wonderful collection of beautiful formations and a great way to stretch your legs for an hour after a really long drive!

Oh, no discounts that we could find so you will need to shell out $16.50 per adult and children between 5-11 are $8.00. A bit pricey compared to other caves we've seen but it was a longer tour as well.