BRANSON

Near the beautiful Table Rock Lake. This is a lovely park which borders the docking of the Branson Belle Showboat.

The rains of spring have risen the level of the water. I couldn't help but love the reflection it created.

Well, here's the scoop on Branson, Missouri. We took a trip there in early May with my brother, Brent and his wife Sharyn. We were not really sure what to expect other than a lot of country music shows. We like country music but we're not really up on it nor have we listened to it most of our lives. We like live shows. So we liked the idea of Branson. Brent and Sharyn had been there several times before so they knew the ropes. We think it exceeded our expectations!

Branson is a small town of 6,000 people but they get 8 million visitors a year! The reason?? It is great. We went to at least 2 shows a day. They were all different with something to love about each one. I don't think I have laughed more in a week that at Branson. Most shows had comedy woven in with the music and dance. It was always clean and always fun. You can even take your camera in to the shows. It's low key and family friendly but some of the shows had outstanding production quality.

People are friendly there. Nobody looks scary or threatening. It is in the heart of the Bible belt and that is a great influence on everything.

Silver Dollar City is full of shows and craftsmen and is also an amusement park. It is a few miles from Branson.

Andy Williams at 81 is still a great entertainer. His show was our favorite. I'm glad we got to see him. It was nostalgic. He was charming and his theater was beautiful. The opening act was wonderful as well.

Yes, there are many elderly visitors to Branson. That is part of the charm. They are warm and appreciative of all the great shows. They are living the retirement dream; they have time and money.

The Five and Dime Store. Reminds me of my childhood.


The old section of town has the charm of ice cream stores, a Five and Dime Store, shady street and little shops.

The new section of town is called the Landing. It is on the river and has all the upscale shops you would expect to see in any big city. Lots of fun. There's something for almost everyone in Branson. We loved our week there. We will go back!


At the Landing