Finding your home away from home - Branson lodging

One of the first things we do (besides figuring out the dates we're going) is to select our lodging for our Branson vacation.  Every family's vacation style is different, and so are their lodging requirements.  For example, are your days and evenings so full of activities that you're only going to need a place to crash every night?  If so, maybe a cheaper (but clean, of course) place to stay is in order.  If you have a large family or are vacationing with other families, perhaps a condo would better suit your needs.  Here is a listing of the different kinds of lodging available in Branson:

Hotels
Branson may have a reputation as being an inexpensive place to visit, but there are several upscale hotels for you to stay at if you love being pampered while on vacation.  There are two Hilton hotels which are both at Branson Landing, the Grand Plaza, the Radisson, and Chateau on the Lake. 

Motels
Branson has motels just about everywhere.  Most motels at the very least have an outdoor swimming pool and a continental breakfast (breakfast items offered vary by location, of course).  Other motels may have indoor swimming pools and hot tubs.  There are mom and pop motels all the way up to major nationwide chains, such as La Quinta, Ramada Inn, and Best Western. 

Resorts
When most people think of resorts, they think of the Caribbean Islands or Mexico - the kind with a white sand beach and a blue ocean.  The word "resort" means something different in Branson.  Resorts in Branson are located either on Indian Point close to the lake or on the shores of Lake Taneycomo.  Click here to go to the web site for the Indian Point Chamber of Commerce. On the left hand side of the page, click on Vacation Planner, then Lodging, then Resorts.  You will see a listing of resorts on Indian Point.  Click on the names of the resorts to go to their web sites. Resorts will have cottages, houses or duplexes to stay in.

Condominiums
Condos are great for large families, those traveling in a group or traveling with other families.  Some condos in Branson are located next to golf courses, while other condos are closer to the lakes.  There are time share condos in Branson, so if you own a time share elsewhere, you may want to see if you can swap for a week at a condo in Branson.

Bed and Breakfast
For those who like smaller, more intimate lodging, there are several bed and breakfast locations in Branson.

Campgrounds
If you own an RV or enjoy tent camping, you will find several campgrounds to park your RV or pitch your tent.  Some of them are close to all the action on Hwy. 76, so you may be able to walk to shows, restaurants, etc.

Once you decide what option of lodging you want, you may be asking yourself how to find the best places to stay at.  I find the reviews at TripAdvisor.com most helpful.  I also value the reviews at my favorite Branson message board, which you can find here.  Just click on the Branson Lodging forum. If there is a particular property you're interested in, you can perform a search to pull up a thread on it and if there isn't a thread on that property, you can join the board and post your own thread.  

I've added a new page called "General Branson Information."  You can find it on the top of the blog next to the other tabs. 

Well, that's all for now.  I hope this post has been helpful.  Until next time -

Happy travels!

Diane

Why visit Branson?

The most important reason to visit Branson is that you will never run out of things to do. There are activities in Branson for every member of your family to enjoy.

Do you enjoy the great outdoors?  You can enjoy all sorts of water sports on Table Rock Lake, Lake Taneycomo, and Bull Shoals Lake.  If you like to hike, there are hiking trails.  If you're truly adventurous (I'm not), there are zip line tours for you to try.  If your idea of lodging is under the (outdoor) stars, there are campgrounds and RV parks.

Do you like to golf?  Branson has seven golf courses.  There are also a variety of miniature golf courses for those who prefer a less challenging set of holes.

The kids (or the kid in you) will enjoy the go-cart tracks. You can also visit the Silver Dollar City theme park or go to the White Water water park to cool off on a hot summer day.

Is history one of your interests?  There are lots of museums to visit in Branson, including the Titanic museum, the Ralph Foster Museum and even the World's Largest Toy Museum (try to get your kids out of there!).

Are you a shopaholic?  You can shop at three outlet malls, the upscale Branson Landing, the quaint Grand Village or the usual chain stores.  There are also small stores to shop at as well.


Do you love music?  You have your choice of over 100 music shows, in a variety of genres except rap.  That was tried in Branson once, and it didn't go over well.

Do you love to eat?  (Well, who doesn't?)  There are many restaurants for you to treat your taste buds.  You can select from buffets, fine dining restaurants, the usual chain restaurants, or fast food.  Branson also has plenty of ice cream and dessert places to satisfy your sweet tooth.

This will be the eighth year our family will be vacationing in Branson.  We occasionally think about going somewhere else on vacation, but we always return to Branson.  The prices are reasonable, the people are friendly and down to earth, and there are plenty of activities for us to enjoy.  The countryside is beautiful.  And Branson is only about a 4 hour drive from where we live. 

I hope you've noticed the tabs at the top of the page.  That's where you'll find links to important information.  I have also included a place on the right hand column where you can subscribe to new blog posts via e-mail.  (Don't worry, I won't give your e-mail address away.)  You can also follow this blog via RSS feed.

Next time, I'll post about the various lodging options in Branson.  Until then -

Happy travels!

Diane

Budgeting for your Branson vacation

Before you can plan what you're going to do on your vacation, you need to figure out what your vacation budget will be.  Our vacation budget this year (and last year too) is pretty slim; although I work full time, my husband is only working part time.  This makes budgeting for vacation challenging.  We realize the need to get away and take a break from our everyday lives, so we do what we can.  My philosophy is don't pay full price for anything unless there are no discounts available, especially in Branson where there is such a proliferation of discounts available.

Last year, our vacation was completely paid for via credit card, and I was really upset about this.  I had a hard time enjoying myself because I was worried about the credit card bill.  This year is a little different - we received a little bit of money from the bankruptcy estate of my husband's former employer, so we have the money for the hotel room.  I use Swagbucks.com as my Internet search engine, and you are awarded points for performing searches.  I used my points to purchase a $25.00 Travelocity.com gift card.  This amount was enough to knock the taxes off our hotel bill. I made our hotel reservations for our Branson trip tonight.  :) 

So how can you get money for your vacation?  I suggest not using a credit card to completely pay for a vacation (as per my story above).  The only possible exception to this suggestion might be a gasoline credit card.  If you don't have a lot of cash just lying around (and who does?), there are a couple of options.  Some banks and credit unions offer vacation club plans, which work like Christmas club plans.  Or you can start a savings account just for vacation expenses, and divert some of your paycheck to it via direct deposit.  My husband saves his pocket change throughout the year and then cashes it in right before vacation. We use this for spending money on the road. 

Once you figure out how much you have to spend for your vacation, the real planning begins. How long do you plan to stay in Branson?  If you can't afford to stay for a whole week, maybe you can stay 3 or 4 days.  Does vacation to you mean no cooking?  If so, you can stay in a hotel but you will have to eat at a restaurant for lunch and supper, since most hotels have a free continental breakfast.  If you don't mind cooking on vacation, you can stay in a condominium or a resort that has a kitchen where you can cook all your meals.  Do you just need a place where you can crash at night or would you like a place with a few amenities so you can spend some time relaxing at the hotel?  Another way to save some money is to vacation with other families or with friends.  You can split lodging expenses that way.

Another way to save money when you visit Branson is to travel during the "quiet season," which runs from January to March.  You will be able to save some serious money if your schedule allows you to vacation during quiet season.  But be aware that not all music shows and Silver Dollar City is not open during quiet season. 

After you figure out your lodging budget, you will then have to figure out what activities you are going to do while in Branson.  Will you want to go see some music shows?  Do you want to visit to Silver Dollar City?  Do you want to visit any museums or go shopping?   What is your budget for food? 

When we plan our vacation budget, we find our hotel first.  Our family likes hotels with an indoor pool (no need to put on sunscreen before swimming!), a hot tub, a great continental breakfast and free Wi-Fi.  We think about the shows we might want to see and where they're located in Branson, and choose a hotel in a location where we won't have to do a lot of driving.  There is a lot of traffic in certain areas of Branson, and ways to get around Branson without getting stuck in traffic will be covered in a future post. Once we choose the hotel we want, I then search for bargains.  After the hotel reservations are made, I then know how much we'll have to spend for other activities. 

Sorry this has been such a long post, but there's a lot to consider when it comes to budgeting for your vacation.  Next time, I'll cover just why you would want to visit Branson.  Until then -

Happy travels!

Diane