As a family, we love exploring new places and traveling. We love a good trip, but were getting burnt out on going to the same places near where we live in Iowa. Lucky for us, I found Branson, Missouri.
If you have never been – you are in for a treat. Branson is like no place we’ve ever been. I should have known as I was researching things to do and saw the sheer number of activities that can be done here. Driving into Branson to get to our hotel seemed like driving down the Vegas strip. I should also note that we have never been to Las Vegas, but it’s been in enough movies that we have a good idea what to expect there.
The abundance of activities translates to spending more money though. I started with writing down my top five activities that sounded the most fun and fit our family – with a four year old boy. Then I looked up how much each activity cost. After that I narrowed down my options to three must-do activities.
For reference – we stayed three nights. It was about a six-hour drive for us. We left early enough on Friday that we had most the afternoon/night to spend there then when we left on Monday, we spent the first half of the day there and left a little after lunch time. With that being said, we got about three full days there. It was plenty for everything we did, but this could also be made into a week long vacation.
THE PAID ACTIVITIES WE CHOSE:
Branson Scenic Railway – this activity was my number one.
- Excursion train – one-hour and 45-minute train ride through Ozarks and crossed over into Arkansas. You go out one way for about 50-55 minutes and then go back the way you came
- Beautiful scenery – hills, cliffs, bridges, natural rock walls, wildlife
- We chose the second cheapest seats that are available which were the “Deluxe Coach Class” because this option included a table with your seats. Will having a four year old it was beneficial to have this table
- Cost – $46.47 for ages 13+ | $28.34 for ages 2-12 | Free for ages 1 and under
- There are snacks and beverages available for purchase on the train, but we packed a small backpack for our son that included table activities (different forms of coloring activities), snacks and his water bottle – highly recommend doing this especially for the train ride back since you are seeing the same things
- I recommend checking out the shop inside the station. We found great souvenirs in there. We found a train magnet with our son’s name on it. We can never find our son’s name on anything!
- This activity was more for my husband and myself
- They did have some cool stuff that interested my then four year old, but for most of the museum I had trouble really looking at items and reading about them because I had to entertain my son
- I would still recommend this activity because it was so cool to be able to walk through, but if you have younger kids I would recommend holding off until they are older or just know that you may not get the full experience
- Cost – $39.99 for ages 13+ | $14.99 for ages 5-12 | Free for 4 and under
- It was nice since he didn’t experience the museum the way we do that he was free to get in and even older kids aren’t too bad of a price
- Things my son had fun doing: “steering the ship” as shown below. They had to bow of the ship at three different angles from when the titanic went under that you could just to climb up each angle. They also had a thing full of water that was the temperature of the water that night you could put your hand in to feel.
Aquarium at the Boardwalk – this is a must do!
- We love going to zoos and/or aquariums anytime we travel so when I saw they had this aquarium there, I knew it was a must. It was worth it too.
- One unique thing they had at this aquarium was a “ride.” You put on 3D glasses and sit in these chairs that you seat belt yourself into. They play a video that is interactive between the 3D glasses, the chairs moving and feeling certain parts with wind and water
- Cost – $35.99 for ages 12+ | $19.99 for ages 4-11 | Free for ages 3 and under
- There were a lot of areas throughout the aquarium for great photo opportunities
- Fun different themes in each area
- Perfect gift shop at the end for souvenirs
- Walking outside the aquarium is fun too with different photo opportunities
- Opportunities to touch sting rays, starfish and other sea creatures
- An area for kids to climb up/on
FREE ACTIVITIES WE DID:
Table Rock Lake
- This was such a pretty area and would highly recommend a visit
- We found a grocery store near our hotel and purchased easy food to take on a picnic
- We took the GPS to the visitors center area for Table Rock Lake. There they had plenty of picnic tables looking directly at the lake
- In the same area is a great walking path through big trees near the water
- It was a lot of fun and my only complaint would be on that particular walking path you couldn’t really see the water very well but it was still beautiful
Henning Scenic Overview
- After our time at Table Rock Lake, we weren’t done spending time outside so we found the Henning Scenic Overview online and drove there
- This wasn’t near Table Rock Lake, but is located back closer to where everything else is that I have talked about above
- This is a great spot for breathtaking views and perfect family pictures (if you’re willing to ask a stranger like we did) – said picture is the header picture at the top of this post!
Historic Downtown
- We loved walking around Historic Downtown Branson
- The train is right in this area too so it was perfect for us to do the train ride and then walk around/get lunch immediately after
- One area was the main “historic” part filled with local shops
- Another area was more of a modern shopping area filled with corporate style or mall-like shops – Branson Landing
- Both areas were great!
- There is a water/fountain show was in the Branson Landing part – this is free and plays every hour on the hour beginning at noon. Our first night in we went to it when sun was setting which I recommend because there is fire involved too. Then we got to see it again while eating lunch on the patio of a restaurant right by the fountains – more on this below.
- Be prepared for a steep hill to walk up and down for the main historic area
- There were some must-visits from both these areas that I will include in the food and drink section below
Celebrity Car Museum
- The museum itself isn’t free BUT they have so many cars parked outside that you can walk around
- There are signs by each car telling you which movie the car is from
- Some cars were in the actual movie and some are replicas. The signs tell you more about it
- They are perfect to take pictures by
- Honestly the cars outside were so cool that if we go back to Branson (which we would like to) we would probably pay to do the inside museum
Grand Village Shops
- This was a cute little shopping area we found when looking for something extra to do
- It is right by the aquarium I mentioned above
- Not a ton of shops but enough for a quick trip there
- Really cool and big year-round Christmas shop
FOOD WE ATE:
- Located in the Branson Landing area
- Patio right by the water
- Views of the water show mentioned above
- Bar & Grill style food with a bit more seafood options than you would typically see
- Fun drinks
- Fair price
- Highly recommend for menu and patio seating
- HIGHLY recommend! We stopped here multiple times because it was so good
- Located in Historic Downtown Branson
- Great for stopping for dessert and a coffee
- If I lived there or just had more time on my trip, I would be a great atmosphere to sit and read with some coffee and pie
- Fun atmosphere especially for kids
- Located in Hollister, MO just outside of Branson
- Beautiful views on the drive over
- Service was a bit confusing as out-of-towners – you order at the counter and then find a seat, you are NOT waited on
- They had firefighter gear that kids could try on
- Pizza was good
- We went here for breakfast and 100% recommend
- Located in Branson
- Cool atmosphere with vintage stuff hanging all around
- Known for their 14″ pancake – we all three shared this
- Decent price
Zo’s Coffee
- Located in Branson Landing shopping area
- Some of the best coffee I have ever had
- Their bakery items in there smelled amazing too
Miscellaneous Food:
- Breakfast two out of three mornings to help us save money – I made a recipe of pancake and sausage bites at home before leaving and we stored them in a cooler
- Our hotel we stayed at included a grill and a fire pit so along with going to the store to get items for our picnic mentioned above, we purchased stuff for hot dogs to do over the fire. Again, this saved us money on having to eat out for dinner one night
WHERE WE STAYED
- I keep saying this BUT I highly recommend staying here
- It is part of Marriott’s vacation clubs
- This means they plan activities for all throughout each day
- It felt like staying at a resort with all of the activities around the property
- Activities around property included: shuffle board, air hockey table, ping pong table, pool table, foosball table, tetherball, cornhole, fire pits, indoor swimming pool (including a kiddie pool and hot tub) and outdoor swimming pool. The outdoor pool was closed at the time of year we went (October) but we want to go back in the summer some time.
- Some activities they planned while we were there were: Movie night (Hocus Pocus), decorating pumpkins, s’mores night, among others. We didn’t really pay too much attention since we were busy with our activities, but we did do the movie night.
- Rooms had a kitchen included which is great when you’re traveling as family and also going to the store to buy food to help save money
- Beautiful property with big trees all around
- You felt like you were truly at a lodge in Colorado or somewhere like that
- Wonderful service whenever we needed help or asked for a late check out
Visiting Branson, Missouri was a trip I will never forget. It has been one of those trips that I think about often even as time goes on. We will be going back someday when our son is a little older to do things we didn’t get to the first time.
Have you been there? Let me know what places you would recommend doing or going to below!