Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Back from Branson 2015

We visited Branson this year the week of June 8.  We’ve been back from Branson for a couple of weeks now, but due to a wretched bout of stomach flu (me) and the busyness of life, I’ve just now finally had time to write a blog post about our trip.

It hardly rained all week that we were in Branson, which was a great relief since Accuweather had forecast rain for much of the week. The rain got pushed off until the following week, and those of you who live in the Midwest know about the havoc that all that rain created. 

We left home Monday morning to go to Branson.  Traffic was light on Highway 44.  There were intermittent patches of light rain, but nothing that impeded our travel. We stopped at the Dairy Queen in Lebanon for lunch.  The $5 lunch with a sundae is a great deal. You can’t eat at McDonald’s for that cheap. 

We stopped at the nice Welcome Center and after using the restroom, I picked up a Sunny Day Guide and a Best Read Guide so I could look through the coupons on the next leg of the trip.  I did find a coupon for $1.00 off for Hollywood Wax Museum.  Most of the coupons in the Sunny Day Guide and the Best Read Guide, however, don’t knock much off the price. Some don’t even save enough to pay for the Branson tourism tax.  It’s still good to look at them though, just in case.

We stayed at Lodge of the Ozarks again this year, thanks to a Groupon deal that gave us 2 Golden Corral vouchers for lunch or dinner every day.  We arrived at the hotel around 1 PM.  When we checked in, the clerk thought we had reserved two rooms. This was quickly rectified, however.  The clerk asked for a credit card for incidentals.  Since my son is now 18, there was a $5.00 charge per night for him to use the second bed, and $5.00/day for the breakfast buffet.  We gave the clerk my son’s debit card to pay for this, but she charged it to ours instead, a fact we thankfully noticed when we viewed our bank account online. Since I am on his account as well, I just transferred the money from his account back into ours. 

I paid the extra few more dollars for the premier room and it was well worth it.  The room was bigger, it was decorated in a rustic fashion, and it had a flat screen TV and a refrigerator.  It was a much nicer room than the economy room we had last year, and it was on the first floor. 

We used our Golden Corral vouchers for dinner Monday night.  We didn’t have anything planned that evening, so we walked over to the Tracks location right down the street from the hotel.  There was a Tracks coupon in the spring Silver Dollar City Times for a $20 play card for $10, so I brought that with me, and we spent an hour or so playing video games.  We then went to Andy’s Frozen Custard and then back to the hotel.

On Tuesday, we went downstairs for breakfast.  The buffet was located in the La Piazza Italian restaurant which is attached to the hotel.  The food was good and consisted of oatmeal, grits, scrambled eggs (real, not powdered), bacon, sausage, and biscuits and gravy.  Drink choices included regular and decaf coffee, orange juice, and water.  Now my guys can’t drink orange juice because it interferes with some of the medicine they take, so I asked the hostess about milk.  I think she was confused because she brought me butter instead.   Parents with children want milk for their children to drink with breakfast.  If you do decide to stay at the Lodge and you want milk for breakfast, get a room with a refrigerator and go to Walmart and buy milk to bring to breakfast.  I mentioned the milk issue on my review on TripAdvisor, but as of right now, I haven’t received a reply from the hotel. 

We then drove to Branson 2 for 1 Tickets to buy a voucher for 1 ticket for Hamners’ Unbelievable Variety Show for that evening. I had bought a Groupon deal for Hamners, but it was only for 2 adults, so we needed an extra ticket for the son.  We were going to go straight to the theater to get the tickets, but unfortunately, I left the Groupon voucher back in the hotel room, so we had to drive back to our hotel room to get the voucher.  We went to the theater to get the Hamners tickets and then came back to the hotel for a little while. I walked across the street to the Caravelle and got our tickets for Liverpool Legends for Wednesday night. The lady at the ticket office was very nice. Hubby likes aisle seats so he can stretch out his legs and I could have gotten aisle seats in row 1, but that's a little close for us.  I did see a sign in the concession area that said they only accepted cash for concession items, so I made a mental note of that.  We used our Golden Corral vouchers for lunch on Tuesday. 

We went to Hollywood Wax Museum in the afternoon.  The last time we went there (in 2004), the son was 7 years old and he screamed the whole way through the museum. I think the wax figures scared him. Now that he is 18, he is much better behaved.  There are not many deals for HWM. Besides the coupon I mentioned earlier, the only other one I could find was if you ordered your tickets on the HWM website, you could save $3.00 per ticket, or you could pay $5.00 extra per ticket and visit all three attractions (HWM, Castle of Chaos, and Hannah’s Hall of Mirrors). The guys weren’t interested in visiting CofC or HHM, however. 


Before you enter the museum, the staff photographer takes photos of you in King Kong's hand that you can buy if you like them. Hubby didn't like them. The wax figures are a lot more realistic looking than the last time we were there.  I ended up taking photos with my phone (I couldn’t find the camera I knew I brought – I found it when I was unpacking), and the quality of the photos weren't all that good, since the lighting is low – I guess they don’t want the wax figures to melt.  It was really crowded when we were there also, which made it harder to get good photos as well.  I felt like we were being rushed through.  If we decide to go there again, I would go when the doors open at 8 AM, so maybe we wouldn’t feel so rushed.  We were only there about an hour, so spending $60.00 for one hour feels like a waste of money to me. 

We then went to the Back to the 50's Mini Golf course. I found coupons in the Branson Insider newspaper for $4.00 each, which is half off. Back to the 50’s is a little 18-hole golf course next to the Cakes & Cremes shop.  It’s a fun little course, but it doesn’t have a lot of shade trees.  If you decide to go, I suggest going in the evening when the temperatures are a little cooler.  You can then go to Cakes & Cremes for ice cream after. 

We went to Danna’s BBQ for dinner on Tuesday evening. The son got the cheeseburger and fries, which he said was very good, and the hubby got the pulled pork plate, although he didn't care for the cole slaw.  I got the BBQ nachos, and I just wanted the meat and the cheese. It was not as good as the last time I had it; there wasn’t enough meat for my taste.  The last time we were at Danna’s, they served Luzianne iced tea, which I love.  However, they have switched over to Camellia ice tea, which I have had before, and I dislike it intensely.  I had to get a Coke instead.  It will be a couple of years before we come back to Danna’s, I think. 

Hamners' Unbelievable Variety Show was really good. The place was packed - everyone must have used the Groupon deal that we used to get tickets.  The Russian gymnasts were very good. Jeff Brandt is an incredible impersonator. I especially enjoyed his version of “My Way” while impersonating the famous artists who performed it.  The ventriloquist was hilarious. Tamra Tinoco is still a very good singer, but I didn't care for the gospel number she performed. There are other gospel songs that are better. The Hamners' magic acts were incredible. I highly recommend this show.

On Wednesday morning, we went to the Shepherd of the Hills Fish Hatchery before it got really hot.  We then went to Branson Landing. We parked on the Bass Pro end of the Landing rather that the Belk end of the Landing, like we usually do. It was rather warm, so we stuck with just going to Bass Pro, the little souvenir shop, and the Cardinals Clubhouse.

Wednesday's lunch was from Pizza Hut.  I ordered a dinner box online.  I drove over to the Pizza Hut location on Green Mountain Drive to pick up the pizza.  The nice cashier gave me plates, forks, and napkins, since I explained we were staying at a hotel.  We hung out in the hotel and watched the Cardinals-Rockies baseball game until it was time for dinner at Golden Corral again. 

On Wednesday evening, we saw the Liverpool Legends show.  We really enjoyed the show, and a review will be forthcoming.  It was so nice being able to walk across the street to go to the show rather than fight traffic to and from the show.  We had hoped to go to the 3 Redneck Tenors show at the Lodge on Thursday evening, but funds were low.  That would have been even more convenient. 

Thursday was Silver Dollar City day.  Price Cutter sells $40 tickets to Silver Dollar City that can only be used on Thursdays. I went to the Price Cutter on Hwy. 76; however, I was told that they didn't sell the SDC tickets, but Country Mart on Hwy. 248 did. So I drove over them to purchase them.  

We got to the park in time to see the opening.  I always shed a tear when I see the veterans help raise the flag. We walked through the park, since we hadn't been there since 2005. The son rode Outlaw Run and proclaimed it awesome. He and I rode Fire in the Hole.  We strolled through the park and visited the new Fireman's Landing. It was very nice.  Hubby and I went on the covered fire wagon ride.  

Upon leaving Fireman's Landing, we saw where to get in line to see the Harlem Globetrotters show. We waited 45 minutes in line to get in.  It was an entertaining show, and the players stayed after the show to sign autographs and take photos.  

After we left the Globetrotters' show, we ate lunch at the Lumber Camp. After lunch, we decided to ride the train.  It was a nice way to sit down and cool off for a while. Hubby and son walked through Grandpa's Mansion. Due to the way the shows were scheduled, we didn't get a chance to see the saloon show.  We then went to the homestead area to see the animals, the Wilderness Church and the one room schoolhouse.  By this time, it was 3 PM and we were tired.  We stopped by the gift shop to buy souvenirs and then went back to the hotel.  

We used our last set of vouchers at Golden Corral for dinner. After dinner, we went back to Andy's for one more ice cream cone and then went back to the hotel.  

On Friday, we ate breakfast at the buffet and checked out of the hotel.  Highway 44 was busier on Friday. It was warmer than Monday too.  We stopped for lunch at McDonald’s in Sullivan.  We arrived home around 2 PM.

That's all for now! Thanks for reading! See you next time!

Diane

Thursday, May 21, 2015

That rainy day feeling again

If this were a perfect world, it wouldn’t rain when you’re on vacation in Branson. It would only rain after 10 PM and every day would be bright and sunny.  Then you could have all the outdoor fun you wanted.

Most people, however, have to schedule their vacation when their work schedule dictates.  As such, the weather may not cooperate with your plans when you’re in Branson.  So it’s always good to have backup plans for a rainy day.  Below are some ideas for rainy day activities in Branson.  Click on the underlined and bold words and you will go to the website for that activity.

The IMAX entertainment complex -   The IMAX complex is located on Shepherd of the Hills Expressway, close to its intersection with Highway 76 (the “Strip”). The IMAX theater not only shows adventure movies in IMAX format, it also shows new releases in the IMAX format.  Avengers: Age of Ultron probably looks awesome in IMAX format.  The IMAX complex also has some small retail shops you can shop in.  You can have a good home cooked meal at McFarland’s Restaurant.  The Little Opry Theater is also in the IMAX complex, and you can see some fun shows there.  You could spend a whole day at the IMAX complex.

Museums – The Branson area has several museums that you can visit.  You might even learn something you didn’t know before. 

The Titanic museum is located at the corner of Gretna Road and 76.  There are lots of exhibits and it takes a while to walk through. You can have your photo taken on the Grand Staircase.You will be given a card with a name of one of the Titanic passengers and you can find out at the end whether your passenger lived or died. You can’t miss the building – it looks just like the front half of the boat, and the infamous iceberg is also there. 

The World’s Greatest Toy Museum and Harold Bell Wright Museum is a brightly colored museum located on Hwy. 76.  It has a collection of all the greatest toys.  The Harold Bell Wright Museum is a separate museum (with a separate admission) in the same building.  Harold Bell Wright wrote the book The Shepherd of the Hills, which started the Branson tourism industry over 100 years ago. 

The Ralph Foster Museum is located on the campus of the College of the Ozarks, which is a short drive south from Branson.  This museum has 3 floors with all kinds of interesting items, including the car from the Beverly Hillbillies TV show.  In addition, the admission price is a bargain - $6.00 for adults and free for high school age and under  If it's not raining too hard,  you can also tour several of the other buildings on campus.

Ripley’s Believe It or Not Odditorium – Have you ever seen a two-headed calf?  Or a Cadillac with a heart shaped hot tub in the trunk?  You can see these and even more exotic items at Ripley’s.  You can’t miss the Ripley’s building – it looks like it was split in two by a New Madrid fault earthquake. 

The Branson Auto and Farm Museum – The men in the family will enjoy this museum, since it has classic automobiles and farm implements for them to drool over (not on).  Some of the classic autos are for sale, so you ladies might want to make sure that the credit cards are safely locked up.   

Hollywood Wax Museum – This building is located on Hwy. 76.  Look for King Kong climbing up the front of the building.  As its name indicates, there are wax figures of lots of famous people in the museum.  In the same complex with the Wax Museum are the Castle of Chaos and Hannah’s Hall of Mirrors.  You can buy a combo ticket for 2 or more of these attractions. 

Shopping – You can shop and stay dry at Tanger Outlet Mall.  There is a Books-a-Million store at Branson Hills that I could spend all day in, since I love to read. 

Grand Country complex – This complex is connected to the Grand Country Inn on Hwy. 76.  Look for the giant violin.  There are many activities in this complex, including the Grand Country theater, the indoor miniature golf course, the waterpark, the new Fun Spot with games and activities, Papa Grand’s Pizza, the fudge store and a souvenir store.  Also located in the Grand Country complex is the Grand Country Buffet, which in my opinion is the best buffet in Branson. At the front of the lot near the street are an ice cream shop and an outdoor miniature golf course, although if it’s raining, it probably won’t be open. 

Shows – Lots of shows in Branson have morning and afternoon matinees.  To save money on last-minute show decisions, visit Branson 2 for 1 Tickets on Hwy. 76 (the purple building), purchase your vouchers and head to the theater to get the tickets.  Who knows – when the show is over, the rain might be done. 

When we visited Branson last year, there was 1 day that week that it rained all day.  I looked at the Accuweather forecast for Branson for next month, and it appears that it will be raining at least part of every day that we will be in Branson.  I was hoping to go to Silver Dollar City since we haven’t been there for 5 years.  Hopefully, the weather forecast will change before we get there. 

Thanks for reading! See you next time!

Diane

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Branson - the #4 Best Vacation Rental Destination

As you may remember, my last blog post was about vacation rentals in Branson as a lodging alternative. The post caught the attention of Ashlee Centrella, who is in the Business Development - Vacation Rentals department at TripAdvisor.  She messaged me on Facebook and asked if I would share some exciting news - that Branson is rated #4 in the Top 20 Best Vacation Rental Destinations in the United States, which is not too much of a surprise since there are a lot of really nice vacation rentals in Branson.  She emailed me with a press release that I will share with you below.

BRANSON VACATION RENTALS RATED NUMBER FOUR IN THE US, 
TRIPADVISOR DATA REVEALS

Vacation rental properties in Branson received a near-perfect average review score in 2014

TripAdvisor, home to 650,000 vacation rentals around the world, reveals Branson, MO as the number four vacation rental destination in the US, according to traveler reviews in 2014.

In a study comparing average review scores* for vacation rentals by US region, Branson just narrowly came in fourth place with a score of 4.79 out of a possible five – equivalent to 96%. Branson’s romantic mountainside lodges and historic downtown condos hold numerous TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence awards, owing to their stellar review scores. See Branson, MO rentals on TripAdvisor.

Reviewers of Branson vacation rentals in 2014 said:
·         “This condo exceeded my expectations. I loved that the location felt close to town, yet away from the chaos. The owners provided a ton of information about Branson, which was really nice for us first-timers.”
·         “We enjoyed our stay at the Meadowbrook Resort. We came to see the fall foliage and were not disappointed! The screened-in patio view is the icing on the cake. It was such an efficient and well-maintained system for renting and the condo was a very reasonable cost.”
·         Riley’s Retreat cabin was stocked with everything that we needed and easy to make reservations online. Only a 10-15 minute drive to the main strip in Branson. Sunday brunch at Dobyn’s Dining Room is a must!”

Average property review ratings in US vacation rental hotspots:

Ranking
Destination
Average review rating (out of five) for all properties in destinations from January 2014 – December 2014
1
Asheville, NC
4.84
2
Sedona, AZ
4.83
3
New Orleans, LA
4.82
4
Branson, MO
4.79
5
Palm Springs, CA
4.76
6
Wailea, HI
4.76
7
Waikoloa, HI
4.74
8
Ka’anapali, HI
4.74
9
Las Vegas, NV
4.74
10
Volcano, HI
4.73
11
Santa Fe, NM
4.71
12
Palm Coast, FL
4.70
13
Orlando, FL
4.70
14
Sanibel Island, FL
4.70
15
Siesta Key, FL
4.69
16
Estes Park, CO
4.68
17
Waldport, OR
4.67
18
Kissimmee, FL
4.67
19
Oceanside, CA
4.66
20
Marco Island, FL
4.66

To research and book vacation rentals, go to www.TripAdvisor.com/Rentals.

*Average review rating indicates the average score (out of five) given by travelers to vacation rental properties in the specified area with at least 1,000 total reviews. The score is the average of all review ratings provided for that area from January 2014 – December 2014.

Thanks for reading! See you next time!

Diane

Thursday, January 29, 2015

Alternative vacation lodging arrangements

Are you tired of staying at hotels when you visit Branson?  Are bed and breakfast rooms too cramped?  Are lakeshore resorts too dated for your tastes?  Do you have a big family or are you vacationing with a big group of people?  I have a suggestion for you – vacation home rentals.

Vacation home rentals are different than timeshare vacations.  Vacation homes are actual homes or condos that are rented out to travelers.  Vacation homes come in a variety of sizes, from one bedroom to several bedrooms.  These vacation homes have all the comforts of home.  All you have to do is bring yourself and your gear, and then go shop for food, unless you’re planning on eating in restaurants the entire trip. 

A vacation home rental is perfect if you or a loved one has a special diet that you can’t find at a Branson restaurant. Or perhaps it would help you stay on your diet - Branson is not known for healthy food, especially with all the buffets.  If you are vacationing with a large group, such as a family reunion, it would be more efficient for everyone to stay in one location.  You can also split the cost of lodging with everyone, which could be cheaper in the long run.  Most vacation homes also have washers and dryers, which would cut back on laundry duties when you get back home from vacation. 

The best place to look for vacation home rentals is online.  I did a Google search for “Branson vacation home rentals” and came up with several pages of websites.  The most well-known website for searching for vacation rentals is vrbo.com. TripAdvisor.com has partnered with HomeAway.com for vacation rental listings. I also enjoyed looking at the homes at flipkey.com.  There are also owners renting vacation homes on Craigslist, but I’m a little leery about using Craigslist for anything after what happened to the couple in Georgia who were killed after meeting with someone who had a car for sale. 

Rental costs for vacation homes vary according to the number of bedrooms, the location, and the time of the year.  Like hotel rooms and resorts, rental costs are more expensive during the busy season, which starts Memorial Day weekend and runs through Labor Day weekend.  Rentals are more expensive if they are located on Indian Point or near Table Rock Lake.  I did find a 2 BD home on Flipkey for $70.00/night for our selected dates. Maybe I can talk my hubby into it. Wish me luck!   

On a personal note, I have started my yearly Branson vacation planning.  I’ve been comparing prices for hotels on various travel websites.  I’m hoping that we can stay at a resort on Indian Point this year.  It’s been 5 years since we have stayed on Indian Point, and I really miss it.  I love being able to look out the window and being able to see Table Rock Lake. I like vacationing close to the great outdoors, which is more peaceful than being in the hustle and bustle of the city. Being able to look out on the water soothes my soul. I found a couple of resorts on Indian Point that don’t go to summer rates until the middle of June, which is amazing. As mentioned above, summer rates usually begin Memorial Day weekend. 


Don’t forget - if you’re on Facebook, stop by and click the like button on the Branson on Your Budget page!  I update that page with special deals and other tidbits of information that are too short for a blog post. 

That's all for now! Thanks for reading!  See you again soon!

Diane