Tuesday, July 30, 2019

BRANSON, MO 2019 | PART 3

I'm back today with our final full day in Branson!  You guys, this was seriously such a fun, kid-friendly vacation.  There was so much to do, so many things to see and we just didn't have enough time to do it all.  But we fully intend on going back for all the stuff we missed.  I cannot recommend it enough.  Your kids will love every second of it and when they have kids, they'll bring their kids too.  Great memories.

If you missed the first two posts you can find them here:

Now let's get on to our last day!


You may remember that we had scheduled a Jet Boat Tour for Wednesday and it got rained out.  We had to reschedule for Friday at noon so we slept in a little, got ourselves dressed and headed out to find a great place for brunch. 

After doing a little googling, I decided we should try Clockers Cafe or the Farmhouse Restaurant in downtown Branson.  They are known for their breakfasts and we were in the mood for waffles and omelets.

HOWEVER.  We underestimated the wait time at these places.  We walked into Clockers and it was completely full, it was a seat yourself restaurant and there was a line out the door. Plus it was pretty dang tiny.  We stood around for a while but realized we weren't going to have enough time.  We left and drove by Farmhouse and realized we'd be in the same situation.  Both of these are places we wished we'd gotten to eat at so don't do what we did and mess up your chance!

We decided to just head on over to Branson Landing, where our boat tour was leaving from.  I talked all about Branson Landing in Part 2 but if you need a refresher, its full of great shops and restaurants and is right on the water.

There weren't a lot of places that were open yet (it was around 10:45 and we had to check-in for our tour at 11:30) so we decided to take a chance on Big Whiskey's.  It was a great choice!  We were basically the only people in the place and they had just opened up for lunch so we were able to get in and out quickly.  The food was great!  This would be a fun place to come for dinner!


Mason was cold so he decided to eat like this.


After lunch, we walked back down to the dock to wait for our tour to start.  The boys wanted their picture taken in front of the Mellow Mushroom guy.



And then we stared at our jet boat, the same way we did a couple of days earlier, only this time we knew all systems were GO!



So this Jet Boat Tour is so much fun!!  Here's what you need to know.  The boat holds about 60 people and you can choose to sit where you want but it IS first come first serve.  The first three rows will get wet.  Others will too but the first three are where the real action is.  Back rows probably won't so that's good to know if you're doing the tour in the fall.  TIP:  Only so many people can fit on each row so I'd suggest you get all the way down the dock to start lining up about 20-30 minutes before your boat leaves.  This way you'll be able to choose which row you'd like to sit in instead of just having to take what's left.

The tour takes you down Lake Taneycomo and does these fun 360 spins and dips that will leave you shrieking, laughing and wet depending on where you're seated.  Never once did it feel unsafe and they even say you can have lap children.  They just announce over the speaker to "hold on!" before any crazy spins and that's all you need.  


I took this as we were flying across the water and yet I'm the only one who looks wind-blown.  
😂😂😂


The guide also gave us some fun facts as we rode along.  A landslide took out this whole section earlier this year.


And our guide even stopped the boat at one point and pointed out a bald eagle sitting up in a tree!  That was a first for me!  I took a picture of it but you can't see anything but a black smudge.

After the boat tour, the boys begged to go into the arcade for just 10 minutes.  I stayed outside to dry off while the boys went in with Craig and dropped $100 in 10 minutes on a whoopie cushion and 2 tootsie rolls.  ;) (I'm only partly kidding. haha)




We headed back to the condo to change clothes so we could get to our final activity of the trip.

We went to see Samson at the Sights and Sounds Theater and it was AMAZING!  This is one of the most highly-rated shows in Branson and now I can see why!  It was Broadway-level sets and talent and I think we were all so surprised at how good it was.  The boys loved it!






They don't allow pictures during the show but I got a few pictures of the set before it started and at intermission.


Also...the whole theater smells like cinnamon sugar because of these glazed almonds!  Y'all, these things were heaven-sent!!  At this point in my vacation, my Keto plans were out the window so I downed my fair share of glazed almonds.  I want some RIGHT NOW.


The set changed a little at intermission and it was all so pretty.  The set is all around you which is very cool.  It's not just on the center stage but also goes up along the sides of the theater as well.  Plus, certain props come flying over your head and live animals and the actors walk up and down the aisle several other times.


As for the best seats, I'd suggest choosing Section 202 over the floor seating.  This section is in the middle of the theater and it is stadium seating so you don't have any problems seeing over the person in front of you.  We could easily see everything happening on all sides of the stage and didn't have to turn around to watch actors who were behind us walking down the aisle.


These are actual promo pics from the production and the YouTube trailer for it.


Samson in Branson

Samson in Branson

 After the show, we stopped at a Scenic Overlook for a quick picture or two.


And I'm just noticing Mason didn't even have shoes on.


This was the last picture I took during our vacation!  We spent the rest of the night at the resort.  The boys and Craig went night swimming and brought me takeout from the restaurant while I packed us all up because we had to head home the next morning.

I know I've said it a million times now but you cannot go wrong if you take your family to Branson.  It was amazing 30 years ago when I went and it's even better now.  But it's not just for young kids.  My parents are going again in the fall and I have no doubt their trip will look very different from the one we took.  I want to sneak away with them! They are great vacay partners.

See you back here tomorrow for What's Up Wednesday for all the latest on what I've been reading, wearing, eating, dreading, looking forward to and so much more!


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7 comments

  1. Amanda, this trip looked like so much fun!!!!! I can't wait to come back tomorrow and see your WUW too!

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  2. I have to know what what wild animals were in the show. I have enjoyed your recaps and glad you and your family had such a good time.

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    1. Nothing too crazy. Pigs, birds, donkeys, camels and horses, from what I can remember. No scary ones although that would have been cool. ;)

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  3. Branson has the reputation of being a destination for old people. Glad you took your family and shared your vacation. It is now on my bucket list.

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    1. Really?! It's one of the hottest destination spots for families with young kids around here and it was the same way where I grew up. There is definitely stuff for older people to do but I feel like the majority of it is stuff for families. Check it out for sure!!

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  4. We took our 9 yr old grandson in June. It was his idea to go there. He wanted to see the Titanic museum. So I cancelled our original vacation plans for him. My husband & I had gone about 5 years ago. We also did the Jet boat ride. Plus the Ferris wheel. This was the one that had been in Chicago at Navy Pier.

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    1. Sounds like y'all had a great time too! I really wanted to do the Titanic Museum but no one else wanted to. I'm forcing them next time! ;)

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