| The city of Branson was born in the early
1800s on a broad, flat plain along the White River just south of its
confluence with Roark Creek. Buildings and roads eventually overtook the
floodplain as the city grew westward up a gradually sloping ridge,
creating what is now Bransons Historic Downtown District.
Downtown
The waters of Lake Tanycomo tamed the temperamental White River in 1913,
and now a patchwork of parks, campgrounds, shops and restaurants line the
waterfront, creating a thriving shopping district at the eastern boundary
of the city. Mile-long Lake Street harbors public fishing docks, broad,
grassy parks, and remarkable dining experiences like Dimitris. This
restaurant, anchored to the shore of Lake Tanycomo, offers gourmet meals
in a floating dining room. Also anchored to the waterfront are the huge
docks where The Lake Queen and the Sammy Lane Pirate Cruise sail for their
half- or full-day excursions up and down the winding waterway of this
crystal-clear lake. One block from shore, at the intersection of Boxcar
Willie Drive and Main Street, is the depot for the Branson Scenic Railway.
Main Street continues to climb west out of the White River Canyon, and a
couple of blocks up from the tracks is the historic shopping district. One
of the few surviving dime stores in the country, Dicks Oldtime 5 & 10,
is a favorite among tourists and locals. Across the street is Hillbilly
Moccasins, where you can find a little piece of the Ozarks to take home
with you. If you continue west on Main Street, the peaceful, tree-lined
tranquility of downtown gives way to the engine that powers Bransons
economy: The Strip.
The Strip
This is what modern-day Branson is all about. Crammed into this seven-mile
stretch of Missouri State Highway 76 are more than 60 restaurants, 70-plus
hotels and motels and more than 30 live entertainment venues—not to
mention dozens of shopping outlets and amusement parks. This is a wealth
of live music, food and activities, and the traveling treasure hunters,
mostly retirees and families, jam all four lanes of this road from April
through September. On any given afternoon during the summer, traffic on
The Strip moves literally at a snails pace and chances are, you will watch
from the stationary comfort of your air-conditioned vehicle as pedestrians
merrily wave as they pass you by.
Don't despair. With a little prudent planning, you can book a centrally
located hotel near the shows you want to see and can avoid entering the
frozen fray of Bransons infamous gridlock. The BoxCar Willie Hotel, on the
western reaches of The Strip, is within walking distance to a 90-store
outlet mall, museums, nine theaters, a dozen or so restaurants, go cart
tracks, and amusement parks. You could spend a week taking in these
attractions and never have to start your car. After a day running rapids
and riding waterslides at White Water amusement park, you can feast on
Bransons top-rated buffet at the Plantation Restaurant. You might end your
day with the Sons of the Pioneers at Mickey Gilley Theatre - all this
without walking more than a few hundred paces in any direction. The entire
length of the Strip offers this sort of luxury. As you scoot along the
sidewalks and wave at static motorists, you'll soon discover why those
cheerful pedestrians were smiling as you sat in traffic only a few hours
before.
Shepherd of the Hills
The congestion of The Strip gave rise to alternate routes through town.
The second most popular motorway in the city runs parallel to The Strip
along a ridgeline to the north. Missouri State Highway 248 was widened
during the 80s and is now known as The Shepherd of the Hills Expressway,
where existing shops and attractions were joined by hundreds of others as
entrepreneurs clambered to procure prime space along this booming region
of Branson. Separating this region from The Strip is the beautiful Roark
Valley, with tree-lined roadways and peaceful, 62-acre Stockstill Park,
where Roark Creek flows through a meticulously manicured grass meadow with
picnic tables, ball parks, playground equipment and stately, ancient oak
trees. Gretna Road bisects this northern district from the southwest to
the northeast. Along this artery are three major factory outlet malls, The
Factory Merchants Branson, Tanger Outlet Center and Factory Shoppes at
Branson Meadows. Both locals and tourists come to find incredible bargains
on name-brand apparel and other merchandise at these expansive market
places. A number of fine hotels have been built here, gladly accepting the
overflow of clients from the bustling Strip. The Cascades Inn is a
splendid hotel that boasts 160 luxurious rooms. Less than a block to the
west is the Shoji Tabuchi Theatre, where a Japanese violin virtuoso wows
audiences during his nightly shows.
The Falls/College
The lumpy terrain that lies south of The Strip and north of Lake Tanycomo
is the Falls District. This region of town embraces gorgeous scenery and
sports intriguing geographic features like The Falls, Compton Ridge and
Cooper Creek. Tucked into the wooded canyons and perched on the ridge tops
are resorts, hotels and campgrounds too numerous to count. Cooper Creek
slices southward through the limestone hills, and where it runs into Lake
Tanycomo is the Cooper Creek Resort, where guests can forget the commotion
and bustle of the entertainment district and relax while they wet a line
and drown a worm at the resorts private fishing docks. Across the Lake is
the historic College of the Ozarks, where students strive to avoid the
distractions of Branson and work toward a four-year accredited degree.
Tanycomo South
Resorts and bed and breakfast inns line the southern shore of Lake
Tanycomo and reach into the hidden seclusion of the wooded hills. A stay
at the Kite House Historic Bed and Breakfast Inn gives you a taste of
upper crust life of Bransons elite during the 1930s. A mile to the east is
the Holiday Hills Resort & Golf Club.
Indian Point/West Branson
If you are truly searching for a selection of lakeside resorts, Indian
Point offers a selection so vast, it borders on sensory overload.
Literally hundreds of resorts, each with its own personality, are
scattered across this arrowhead-shaped peninsula that juts south into
Table Rock Lake west of Branson. But the most popular destination here is
landlocked. Silver Dollar City is a multi faceted amusement park/living
museum where actual residents dress in period costumes and illustrate what
Ozark Mountain life was like at the turn of the century. While all these
arts and crafts are fine to hold the attention of intrigued adults, kids
from seven to 70 have shorter attention spans, so the park built
fast-moving adrenaline-generating rides like Buzz Saw Falls to keep
everyone happy. Adjacent to Silver Dollar City is a natural treasure that
is a must-see on most visitors' lists. Marvel Cave is so vast, hot air
balloons have actually inflated and launched inside its main cavern.
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