June 6-8, 2021
BRANSON, MISSOURI
“Branson is an Ozark town in southwest Missouri known as a family vacation destination. Its 76 Country Boulevard is famously lined with theaters, which once hosted mostly country music performers but today present diverse entertainment. Also along the strip are the Marvel Cave, the Wild West-style Dolly Parton’s Dixie Stampede Dinner Attraction and Silver Dollar City, an 1800s-themed amusement park with live music.” ― Google
My final stop in the state of Missouri was Branson. I’ll be honest, the only reason I went to Branson was to say I have been there. I wanted to see what it was like, but didn’t think I was interested in doing much while I was there. And for the most part, Branson lived up to my expectations. I found it to be over-commercialized, expensive, and very crowded. That said, I’m glad I made my way there, and did enjoy parts of my stay.
Before I arrived, of course, I Googled Branson to find some things to do. I knew I only had one night to attend a show, so I went through the list trying to find one I’d enjoy. I’m sure I would have enjoyed almost any of the shows as I love live entertainment. The first show I found that I wanted to see was still closed, I assume due to COVID. I finally settled on Dolly Parton’s Stampede, described as an “Extravaganza joining horse stunts, musical productions & special effects with a home-cooking dinner.” I purchased my ticket online, and then determined that I had gone through a ticket broker instead of the actual theater. I paid about $20 more for their service (or inconvenience, depending on one’s take). Lesson learned! Of course, the morning of the show I had to pick up a voucher from the broker’s store, where they did ask if I wanted the spiel about buying a time-share, which I promptly declined, and the agent was nice about it.
To pass some time I drove to Table Rock Lake and checked out a couple other places around town.
The Dolly Parton Stampede ended up being an entertaining show, with a decent meal, which consisted of soup, a whole rotisserie chicken, a piece of pork loin, baked potato, corn on the cob, biscuit, and an apple turnover for dessert.
In the end, I’m glad I experience Branson, but there are many places I will return to before going back there.
Table Rock Dam, below the lake.
The dam from the lake side.
Table Rock Lake
Some people having fun on Table Rock Lake.
Random jet skiers on Table Rock Lake.
Opening ceremony of Dolly Parton's Stampede.
Opening ceremony of Dolly Parton's Stampede.
A Roman rider.
A Roman rider about to jump through the ring of fire.
Part of the story of settling the Old West, herding long horn cattle.
The whole (though miniature size) rotisserie chicken, part of the dinner at Dolly Parton's Stampede.
A dancing number, performed on a stage that "fell" out of the ceiling.
Of course, no country show would be complete without a tribute to the Red, White, and Blue. This was the finale.