Branson or Bust

   Today is July 4'th and we are in Terre Haute Indiana so I will catch you up on our travels since my pre-trip post on May 22.  We departed Florida on June 5. Originally June 9 was to be our departure but I decided to add a 4 day stop at Three Flags Campground in Wildwood just to confirm all trailer systems were working properly. If there were any problems we would be able to turn around and promptly return to Camping World within an hours drive. 

    The four days went smoothly so that boosted my confidence to continue. We were so stressed out with this trailer for the last year so it was an opportunity to just get a feel of NOT being stressed in the thing! We stocked up on groceries and organized. We would be making 4 stops of two nights each to get to Branson. I didn't plan on unhitching the truck for those stops so I wanted to ensure we had everything we needed, like beer!

  First stop was Reed Bingham State Park in Adel, GA. A very nice facility with spacious sites.

 The state parks usually offer the roomiest sites and are very affordable. The next two stops were Army Corps of Engineers Parks which are always the best value, especially to those who hold an Access Pass. For less than $20 a night to boot!

 McKinney Campground northwest of Atlanta was great, especially for water sports.

 

  

  Next stop was Long Branch Recreation Area in Tennessee on the Caney Fork River.

This pic was taken in the afternoon and the mist is rising from the cool waters. We were having 99 degree temperatures at every stop. There was a flight of concrete steps leading to the river and the drop in temperature half way down was like walking into an air conditioned room.

  One last stop before Branson was in Sikesville, MO. Basically a parking lot for RV's and a chance to do some laundry.

  June 17; Branson, MO finally! 

  Branson Lakeside RV Park is operated by the city of Branson. The park is situated along Lake Taneycomo which is really more like a river. There is a boat launch and a walking path that leads to Branson Landing, a tourist area with shops and restaurants.

  And it just so happened there was a professional power boat race scheduled for the weekend. 

We watched the tunnel boats roaring by with the final heat on Sunday afternoon.

   Our bucket list includes visiting all lower 48 states and somehow we skirted around Missouri on two previous trips. Well, we can cross it off the list. I would add the state sticker to our map but that was on the old trailer.

  We would be celebrating our 20'th wedding anniversary during the week as well as my 60'th birthday and there was no shortage of restaurants or entertainment choices. Branson is known as the live music capital of the country. I had no previous knowledge of Branson other than Dolly Parton's Stampede so our first order of business was to figure out what shows to see as there are dozens to choose from. There are many tribute performers and acts covering all genres such as the Legends of Rock, Anthems of Rock, Country Jubilee, Elvis, The Blues Brothers and so on.  There are over 45 theaters and 80 shows during any given week. 

  I am not a huge fan of tribute acts. How many Elvis impersonators can you watch? So, for my birthday on Monday I selected Reza, Master of Illusion and even though our anniversary was on Wednesday we selected the Haygoods who only perform on Tuesday and Thursday. They are the biggest selling act in Branson so when in doubt go with the people's choice.

  We started our week off with a visit to the Landing for dinner at White River Fish House.

  I had the seafood portofino and Doreen had grilled grouper I believe.

Nothing spectacular but tasty enough.

  After dinner we took a stroll down Branson Landing. It was so stinking hot that the dogs wear boots because the pavement is scorching:

"Feels like" temperature was 102.

  With that said we ducked into the Bass Pro Shop to cool off.

  I love their Red Head brand pocket tee's so Doreen picked a few up for me as a birthday gift.

  Speaking of the heat I have to say that everywhere we went the temps were in the high 90's from Florida to Georgia to Tennessee and now Missouri. Come to find out we were in the center of what the weather man was calling a "heat dome". Luckily for us our site in Branson was shade covered. The sites are a little snug but at least we had shade.

  On Monday we went to see Reza Edge of Illusion at Branson's Famous Theater. He makes helicopters and motorcycles disappear as well as silly mind reading and card tricks. I could do without those in the show. Overall he puts on a pretty slick production and I would recommend seeing him.

You can Google him to see pics because they say in the theater no photo or video taking is allowed.

  After the show we went to dinner for my birthday. I seem to usually select Italian and this year was no different. Florentina's was a nearby Italian joint with over 3k reviews at four and a half stars.

Fried calamari for an appetizer.

Seafood ravioli and a glass of chianti. 

A cold beer

 And smooth and rich tiramisu for dessert!

I definitely over did it, but you only turn 60 once. The meal was scrumptious!

  The other show we saw was the Haygoods. They are 5 brothers and one sister who have been performing for 30 years. They claim 6 million people have seen their Branson show. 

 Our seats sucked unfortunately. All the way back in the last row. Then a a family with three teenage boys, all over 6 foot tall sat in the row in front of us.

 

Here was my view. I had to keep leaning left or right to see.

  They put on an amazing show showcasing their musical, dancing, singing, and even comedic talents. 

Tap dancing upside down

The sister plays every instrument including the harp.

The costumes and instruments light up.

The finale is amazing as one brother floats over the audience in a lighted suit playing 

  We enjoyed the show. I would encourage you to see them if ever in Branson. 

  We checked out downtown Branson, which only consists of a few blocks of mostly souvenir and t-shirt shops and a few small eateries.

We found a Greek place

We started with falafel and fresh hummus then Doreen had a plain gyro and I had the moussaka and of course we ended with some baklava.

  Now that I am writing this I realize we did sort of a global dining experience. Another stop was Waxy O'Sheas, an Irish pub on the Landing.

A Guiness moustache.

                                                                       

                                                             Fish and chips

  We also had drinks at Landshark Bar and Big Whiskey. There are so many places I don't think you can eat and/or drink at all of them in a week. Not to mention the main artery of historic route 76 that attracts even more tourists then Branson Landing. You can play mini-golf, drive go-carts, go to the wax museum, or even see a giant rooster and giant head of Ronald Reagan.

  I suppose there is something for everyone in Branson. Just keep in mind the most popular shows, such as the Haygoods, sell out quickly so get your tickets in advance. Branson is good clean family fun. The theaters do not sell alcohol at their concession stands. I am happy we made the decision to spend the week here.

  Next up is our visit to St. Louis.