We had never gone on a vacation as a family...with Lily being four and Harrison a little over one, this was WAY overdue. We put a lot of thought into where we would take the kiddos for their first adventure. I wasn't too picky...as long as there was sand and an ocean view. A conversation with the Gradys later, and we are set for Branson in July!
Wait, what?
I hate country music...and bluegrass...and twangy gospel. Which is exactly all the things I think of when I think of Branson, MO. But GranZee can sell just about anything to anyone...and one week before we leave, I was actually excited!
There was no question that Lily was excited! She counted the sleeps until we left and kept saying "bay-cation" so it stuck..and we were off to our Branson Bacation!
Now, at this point it's almost a month since our vacation and I'm a little foggy on when we did what...so just enjoy!
Getting There
Yeah...we drove there....9 hours straight but really 12 with small children. We left around 5am, hoping that the kiddos would sleep until breakfast in Monroe...but no, Lily didn't sleep at all! That girl was excited! They had a huge selection of movies to keep them occupied (Thanks minivan!) while Chris and I had a book on tape to keep us sane (Red Rising by Pierce Brown...amazing). Looking back, it wasn't really that bad. Harrison was a peach and Lily rarely took her eyes off whatever movie was playing. It could have been a lot worse!
Our Crib
We were VERY fortunate to stay at the
Stormy Point Village...because it was amazing. We had this cute little three bedroom condo that was fit with everything we could need for the week and more. Plus, the resort had an amazing pool
(with water slide!), a cute kid play area, a tasty restaurant, and themed activities for the kids. Lily had a blast at family karaoke, breakfast with the stars, and superhero power hour! We could have probably stayed only there for a week and been just fine! But...it was mere minutes from the "strip" of Branson!
We got a few of her performances on video...enjoy!
Sight & Sound Theatre | Jonah
The number one attraction in Branson is the
Sight & Sound Theatre. The theatre is HUGE and each year they do a different production of a Bible story. We started the experience off with the back stage tour and it was really fascinating. We saw a couple of the costumes, live animal actors, and set pieces. It was very neat! The kids loved being on the stage and it gave them a different perspective when the show started. The show was amazing! Lily is still talking about the whale!
World's Largest Toy Museum
While it was cool...and the kids basically enjoyed it...it was only eh. There were SO many toys and the staff was incredibly proud, fun, and knowledgeable. They had the old grocery store toys that kids could climb on...and that is the only thing that kept our kids entertained!
Butterfly Museum
Now, let me be honest. I was not a fan of the Butterfly Museum...but everyone else loved it! I have a weird fear of things that fly. I know a butterfly can't hurt me...but they weird me out! This museum is basically a room of thousands of butterflies and Lily loved it!
Titanic Museum
Chris and I enjoyed a little date night at the Titanic Museum and I loved it! When you enter the museum you are given a card with the story of an actual passenger. Chris and I were lucky enjoy to both be first class passengers. Classy! As we enjoyed the museum audio tour, it was neat to keep our eyes open for our passenger's story. At the end of the tour, you find out if your passenger survived (we both did!) with little details about the remainder of their lives. It was pretty fascinating!
Ride the Ducks
This was really cool...but I wish we had done this the first day. You get a little tour of Branson and get to enjoy the view in a unique way! Plus, your little quacker can be used to get discounts on various tickets throughout the city! Since we did this at the end of our vacation,we missed out on any! Both of the kiddos got to be "captains" of the duck...which was adorable!
Promise Land Zoo
This was a neat little petting zoo type experience with a couple other exhibits. It was very small and more boutique than normal zoos. The cool thing was the kids got to feed a lot of the animals and get some neat hands on experiences. Lily got to pet some crazy animals and even feed a baby kangaroo!
The Haygoods
I'm not a big "show" person but we got free tickets for The Haygoods so we checked it out. It was actually enjoyable...even if there were some banjos. I mean...when in Branson...
Eating
The one thing that sort of disappointed me was that everywhere I looked, there was a chain restaurant. When we travel, Chris and I tend to look for the local places to eat but that was sort of hard to find in Branson. If you are looking for an Olive Garden, Applebees, or IHOP, you'll be fine! We lucked out a few times though! We enjoyed the Branson Landing, Mr. B's Ice Cream Parlor, Andy's Famous Frozen Custard, and Mel's Hard Luck Diner.
Shopping
We didn't do a ton of shopping...thank goodness...but we did find this awesome little Christmas village.
How cute is that family picture!?!
All in All
Was it the beach? No...but it was much better! Branson is really a wholesome man's Vegas. The "strip" is packed with shows, museums, restaurants, go cart and mini golf fun, and American flags! There is something new to do at every turn...and it's all safe for the family. We had a blast and I know my kids had fun but we only did about a third of what you could do. I'm sure we'll be back when the kids are a little older! I would definitely recommend this trip to any families...young or old! ;)
