The last week of June we vacationed in Branson, Missouri. I had never been to Branson before so I didn’t know what to expect. It was absolutely lovely! I give Branson 5 out of 5 stars!! Where else can you go for quality family friendly entertainment, live shows, amusement parks, one of the top 5 water parks in the country, and so much more, all situated in the stunningly gorgeous Ozarks. I knew that Branson was know for their entertainment. What I didn’t know was that the atmosphere of the Ozark Mountains brings this place up to the next level! I can’t wait to return again next year.
This year my sister Natalie met up with us in Branson to camp at the Table Rock State Park, along with her friend Heather and both of their young boys. Our campsites were a short walking distance from one another. We spend every meal together for the entire week. The kids made s’mores almost every day, they rode their scooters non stop around our cul du sac at the campsite, swam daily, and enjoyed nature together. It was the three of us moms and 5 kids ages 3-7 for the week. My sweet husband Justin drove our family to Branson to set us up and then flew out for a business trip to Germany the next morning. He flew back the following weekend and got to spend one full day on the lake with us in Branson.
There is so much to do in Branson. It can almost be overwhelming trying to decide what to do while you are there. We decided to do less this trip and relax. Most of our family trips I have activities and outings planned everyday. I didn’t do this for our Branson trip. However, we did buy two day passes to the big water park and the kids loved it! Next year I plan to see some shows, but this year without Justin there I just didn’t want to do it without him.
The water park was great! We had a blast! I think we went on every slide there. Adults too! Some of the drops are pretty intense. My chiropractor questioned what the heck I did to my back when we got back into town. My response was “super high water slides and some cliff jumping”. He said “I wouldn’t recommend either for back health”. I would have to agree, but it sure was fun!
The water park is Silver Dollar City’s White Water. It is 2 million gallons of water for their attractions that span 13 acres. We were there at the end of June and anticipated long lines. We never waited more than 10 minutes in line; even for the best attractions! Most of the time there were no lines at all. That made our two days there a perfect 10 in my book! We were there on a Wednesday and a Friday. Here is their website for more info, in case you want to check it out on your next visit: https://www.silverdollarcity.com/white-water
One attraction we decided to go on was the Big Foot Discovery Expedition. My kids are obsessed with Bigfoot. This expedition took us on a Safari style ride through the Ozark’s in search of Bigfoot. We found him! My kids thought this tour was the best thing ever!! I was thinking it was kind of cheesy, yet fun for the kids. However, I did enjoy the tour of the Ozark mountains and the property we visited. They had Scottish highland cattle that we got to see up close and personal. We even had the opportunity to feed them. It was amazing!
The Bigfoot expedition starts at the Bigfoot Fun Park located on the main strip in Branson. The park looked like lots of fun too. We opted to go back the campsite and have a campfire. But this park does get good reviews on tripadvisor. Here is the link to the Bigfoot Expedition and Park: https://www.bigfootfunpark.com/discovery-expedition/
We spent one day at Moonshine beach. It is a public beach in Branson that is very well maintained. Parking does fill up, so during peak season I recommend getting there early in the day. We had a great time at this beach. I do recommend bringing a beach umbrella, because once you get there your kids won’t want to leave!
Our favorite day in Branson was our day on the lake. We rented a pontoon with a slide to enjoy Table Rock Lake to the max. It is a beautiful lake! We pulled a tube behind the boat and even I went for a ride. It was lots of fun. My favorite part of the lake experience was cliff jumping. I am so glad the Marina told us about the cliffs!
We rented the pontoon from the Table Rock State Park Marina. They gave us a quality experience and the pontoon was perfect! Their service was five star! We plan to rent from them again next year. I highly recommend renting from them if you vacation in Branson: https://www.stateparkmarina.com/rentals
We will camp again next summer at Table Rock State Park. They allow reservations to be made 6 months in advance. I will be marking my calendar to ensure we get the dates and spots we want. It is a beautiful campground. One of my favorite features of the park is the paved path that runs several miles of shoreline inside the park. The kids rode their scooters and we walked the path. There are quite a few spots to swim along this shoreline too. The kids were able to kayak right from the shore of Table Rock State Park. We will be sure to bring our kayaks again next year. It was a great week and we look forward to doing it again next summer!
Branson is a wonderful place for family vacations!
